Simon says
Encyclopedia
Simon says is a children's game
for three or more players where one player takes the role of 'Simon' and issues instructions, (usually physical actions such as 'jump in the air' or 'stick out your tongue') to the other players, which should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase 'Simon says', for example 'Simon says jump in the air'. Players are eliminated from the game by either following instructions that are not immediately preceded by the trigger phrase or by failing to follow an instruction which does include 'Simon says'. It is the ability to distinguish between valid and invalid commands, rather than physical ability, that usually matters in the game, and in most cases, the action only needs to be attempted, rather than completed accurately.
The object for the player acting as 'Simon' is to get all the other players 'out' as quickly as possible, and the winner of the game is usually the last player who has successfully followed all of the given commands. Occasionally however, two or more of the last players may all be eliminated by following a command without "Simon Says", thus resulting in no winner at all.
The game is well embedded in popular culture, with numerous references in films, music and literature.
was a powerful Roman politician).
The tradition behind the use of 'Simon' as the controller of the game may trace back to the year 1264, when Simon de Montfort
captured King Henry III at the English town of Lewes
. For the next year, any order Henry III gave could have been countermanded by de Montfort until Henry's son Prince Edward took Simon's castle by force.
This game has translated across multiple cultures from seemingly common routes and some international versions also use the name Simon such as the Spanish
"Simón dice", "Símon segir" in Icelandic, "Szymon mówi" in Polish
, "시몬 가라사대" ("Simon says") in Korean
, In Arabia: for example, "الجنرال عمل كده" (General commanded - Egypt version) or "قال المعلّم" (the teacher says - Lebanon version) and "سلمان يقول" (salmon says - Iraqi Version) in Arabic
, "Kommando Pimperle" (or with similar rules "Alle Vögel fliegen hoch") in German, "Jacques a dit" ("James
said") in French
, "Jean dit" (John says) in Québec, "Commando" (the Dutch noun for "command") or "Jantje zegt" in Flemish parts of Belgium, in Dutch
, "הרצל אמר" ("Herzl
said") in Hebrew, "Deir Ó Grádaigh" ("O'Grady says") in Irish
,
"Razvan spune" (Razvan says) in Romanian
, "Yakup der ki" in Turkish
, "船長さんの命令" ('Senchosan no meirei' "Ship Captain's orders") in Japanese
, "Kongen befaler" ("the king
commands") in Norwegian
, "Kapteeni käskee" ("the captain commands") in Finnish
, "老師話" ("the teacher says") in Cantonese, "O rei manda" ("the king orders") in Portuguese
, and "O mestre mandou" ("The master ordered") in Brazilian Portuguese
. A version also exists in India and Hungary where an analogy to what can fly and what cannot is emphasized instead of Simon saying or not, i.e. "Chidiya ud" (Hindi
) which translates to Bird fly. The term 'bird' can then be replaced with a thing that cannot fly. This game is usually played more with gestures than actual jumping.
There can be very complex and difficult command chains, such as "Simon says: Arms up. Simon says: Arms down. Arms up." Anyone ending with their arms up is eliminated, because you can not obey a command without beginning with "Simon says".
It is considered cheating to give impossible commands ("Simon says 'lift both of your legs up and keep them there!'.") or phrase the commands in such a way that the other player has no option but to 'go out' ("Simon says 'jump up'. Come down."). However, at least in some versions, it is allowed for Simon to eliminate players by asking them to do something seemingly unrelated to the game (example: "Anyone remaining join me up here.")
,
Pharoahe Monch
, Clawfinger
, Drain STH
, Laleh
and Jimi Hendrix
.
The phrase has been used multiple times as a plot device in films and television dramas including Die Hard with a Vengeance, Police Academy, Demolition Man
and the TV series Underdog as well as being played in television game shows including 1970s show Superstars
and Battle of the Network Reality Stars
.
Simon Says is a character in Shrek 2
.
The Peanuts
special It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown
includes a song/dance number called "Lucy Says" where Lucy plays the role of Simon, but uses "Lucy Says" instead of "Simon Says".
A stunt played on the game show Fun House
also played Simon Says, but was changed to "Tiny Says" to match the name of the show's announcer giving the commands.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
for three or more players where one player takes the role of 'Simon' and issues instructions, (usually physical actions such as 'jump in the air' or 'stick out your tongue') to the other players, which should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase 'Simon says', for example 'Simon says jump in the air'. Players are eliminated from the game by either following instructions that are not immediately preceded by the trigger phrase or by failing to follow an instruction which does include 'Simon says'. It is the ability to distinguish between valid and invalid commands, rather than physical ability, that usually matters in the game, and in most cases, the action only needs to be attempted, rather than completed accurately.
The object for the player acting as 'Simon' is to get all the other players 'out' as quickly as possible, and the winner of the game is usually the last player who has successfully followed all of the given commands. Occasionally however, two or more of the last players may all be eliminated by following a command without "Simon Says", thus resulting in no winner at all.
The game is well embedded in popular culture, with numerous references in films, music and literature.
History
'Simon says' originated from Latin, the Latin version was "Cicero dicit fac hoc", meaning "Cicero says do this" (CiceroCicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
was a powerful Roman politician).
The tradition behind the use of 'Simon' as the controller of the game may trace back to the year 1264, when Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
captured King Henry III at the English town of Lewes
Battle of Lewes
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264...
. For the next year, any order Henry III gave could have been countermanded by de Montfort until Henry's son Prince Edward took Simon's castle by force.
This game has translated across multiple cultures from seemingly common routes and some international versions also use the name Simon such as the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
"Simón dice", "Símon segir" in Icelandic, "Szymon mówi" in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, "시몬 가라사대" ("Simon says") in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, In Arabia: for example, "الجنرال عمل كده" (General commanded - Egypt version) or "قال المعلّم" (the teacher says - Lebanon version) and "سلمان يقول" (salmon says - Iraqi Version) in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, "Kommando Pimperle" (or with similar rules "Alle Vögel fliegen hoch") in German, "Jacques a dit" ("James
Jacques
Jacques is the French equivalent of James.Jacques is derived from the Late Latin Iacobus, from the Greek , from the Hebrew ...
said") in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, "Jean dit" (John says) in Québec, "Commando" (the Dutch noun for "command") or "Jantje zegt" in Flemish parts of Belgium, in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, "הרצל אמר" ("Herzl
Herzl
Herzl is originally a Yiddish given name.* Herzl Berger* Herzl Bodinger* Theodor Herzl Gaster* Cyrus Herzl Gordon* Yehudah Herzl Henkin* Herzl Rosenblum* Herzl Yankl Tsam- Family name :* Theodor Herzl, most famous "Herzl"** Herzl Award...
said") in Hebrew, "Deir Ó Grádaigh" ("O'Grady says") in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
,
"Razvan spune" (Razvan says) in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, "Yakup der ki" in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, "船長さんの命令" ('Senchosan no meirei' "Ship Captain's orders") in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, "Kongen befaler" ("the king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
commands") in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, "Kapteeni käskee" ("the captain commands") in Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, "老師話" ("the teacher says") in Cantonese, "O rei manda" ("the king orders") in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, and "O mestre mandou" ("The master ordered") in Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese is a group of Portuguese dialects written and spoken by most of the 190 million inhabitants of Brazil and by a few million Brazilian emigrants, mainly in the United States, United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Japan and Paraguay....
. A version also exists in India and Hungary where an analogy to what can fly and what cannot is emphasized instead of Simon saying or not, i.e. "Chidiya ud" (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
) which translates to Bird fly. The term 'bird' can then be replaced with a thing that cannot fly. This game is usually played more with gestures than actual jumping.
Game play
A command starting with "Simon says" means the players must obey that command. A command without the beginning "Simon says" means do not do this action. Anyone who breaks one of these two rules is eliminated from the remainder of the game. It is also often played that anyone who talks is eliminated.There can be very complex and difficult command chains, such as "Simon says: Arms up. Simon says: Arms down. Arms up." Anyone ending with their arms up is eliminated, because you can not obey a command without beginning with "Simon says".
It is considered cheating to give impossible commands ("Simon says 'lift both of your legs up and keep them there!'.") or phrase the commands in such a way that the other player has no option but to 'go out' ("Simon says 'jump up'. Come down."). However, at least in some versions, it is allowed for Simon to eliminate players by asking them to do something seemingly unrelated to the game (example: "Anyone remaining join me up here.")
Scientific benefit
A recent psychological study found that the game can be a healthy way to help children to improve self-control and restraint of impulsive behavior.Cultural references
Various musical artists have produced songs with the title 'Simon says' including the 1910 Fruitgum Company1910 Fruitgum Company
The 1910 Fruitgum Company is an American bubblegum pop band of the 1960s. The group's biggest hits included "Simon Says," "1, 2, 3, Red Light," "May I Take A Giant Step," "Special Delivery," "Goody Goody Gumdrops," and "Indian Giver." Guitarist Frank Jeckell claimed to have adopted the name from a...
,
Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch is an American hip hop artist. He is known for his complex lyrics, complex delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.-Biography:...
, Clawfinger
Clawfinger
Clawfinger is a rap metal band from Sweden and was one of the earliest bands to adopt this sound. Clawfinger is known for aggressive but melodic music and tackling political and anti-racist themes in their songs.-Band history:...
, Drain STH
Drain STH
-Biography:Noted today for their Seattle/Grunge sound, Stockholm all female quartet Drain STH have undergone many direction changes in both musical style and image. Guitarist Flavia Canel and drummer Martina Axén have been together in many acts starting with punk band Livin' Sacrifice...
, Laleh
Laleh
Laleh Pourkarim is an Iranian born Swedish singer-songwriter and former actress. She uses her given name Laleh as a stage name. She left Iran when she was a one year old and came to Sweden as a teenager, attending school in the multicultural district of Hammarkullen, Angered of Gothenburg. Before...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
.
The phrase has been used multiple times as a plot device in films and television dramas including Die Hard with a Vengeance, Police Academy, Demolition Man
Demolition Man (film)
Demolition Man is a 1993 American, science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla, and starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. Sandra Bullock, Nigel Hawthorne, and Denis Leary co-star....
and the TV series Underdog as well as being played in television game shows including 1970s show Superstars
Superstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
and Battle of the Network Reality Stars
Battle of the Network Reality Stars
Battle of the Network Reality Stars is a television series that aired on the Bravo channel in the US in August and September 2005. Based on the popular 1970s and 1980s television competition Battle of the Network Stars, the show consisted of thirty-three competitors from several different reality...
.
Simon Says is a character in Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...
.
The Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
special It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown
It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown
It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown is the 27th prime-time animated television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. The show is presented as an original musical which features parodies of the early 1980s breakdancing craze, the movies Saturday Night Fever and Flashdance,...
includes a song/dance number called "Lucy Says" where Lucy plays the role of Simon, but uses "Lucy Says" instead of "Simon Says".
A stunt played on the game show Fun House
Fun House (game show)
Fun House was a United States children's television game show that aired from September 5, 1988 to April 13, 1991. Two teams , each consisting of a boy and a girl, played messy games and answered questions to win a chance to run through an obstacle-strewn Fun House at the end of the show. It was...
also played Simon Says, but was changed to "Tiny Says" to match the name of the show's announcer giving the commands.
Other references
- Arnold, Arnold, The World Book of Children's Games, World Publishing Co., 1972, ISBN 0-529-00778-9.
- Bancroft, Jessie H., Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium, The Macmillan Co.Macmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
, 1914. - Forster, Sally, Simon Says... Let's Play, Dutton Children's BooksE. P. DuttonE. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. In 1986, the company was acquired by Penguin Group and split into two imprints: Dutton Penguin and Dutton Children's Books.-History:Edward Payson Dutton founded...
, 1990, ISBN 0-525-65019-9. - Grunfeld, Frederic V., Games of the World: How to Make Them, How to Play Them, How They Came to Be, Holt, Rinehart and WinstonHenry Holt and CompanyHenry Holt and Company is an American book publishing company. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt...
, 1975, ISBN 0-03-015261-5.