Do You Know a Rhyme That Starts… “Head Knocker, Eye Blinker,…”?

Barb wrote:

I am looking for an action poem that has to do with head knocker, eye blinker, nose blower, mouth chewer, chin chopper, gulla gulla gulla…but I cannot remember all of it. Can someone remember for me? I’m getting old in my young age.

Mema

If anyone can help, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Lisa

This article was posted on Wednesday, January 17th, 2007 at 12:39 pm and is filed under Australia, Countries & Cultures, English, Finger Plays, Languages, Nursery Rhymes, Questions, Readers Questions, United Kingdom, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

274 Responses to “Do You Know a Rhyme That Starts… “Head Knocker, Eye Blinker,…”?”

  1. Kelly Covey Says:

    I learned this as a summer camp song at Herman’s Son’s Youth Camp. Herman’s Sons is a German immigrant fraternal benefit society in Texas. “Hand on myself. Was ist Das hier? Das ist my ____ my mama dear. ____, ____ rinky dinky do. That’s what we learn in the school. Ja ja. Sweat boxer, eye blinker, nose blower, food pusher, chin chopper, heart tinker, bread basket, knee bender, toe stopper!

  2. Kati Says:

    When I was little I remember my parents and siblings doing this to me
    And now I do it with my babies.

    Head bumper (point to forehead)
    Eye blinker (point to eye)
    Nose smeller (point to nose)
    Mouth eater (point to mouth)
    Chin chomper (point to chin)
    Golly whopper (tickles under chin where meets neck)

  3. Angela Clay Says:

    Hello,
    I know the poem well. My grandfather would say it to My Father, who then passed it down to me, where I then used it with all 3 of my children. My kids are almost all grown up now, and still love when I say that riddle. It goes a little something like this;

    Here’s where the cat sits
    Here’s where he jumps
    Eye-winker
    Tom-tinker
    Nose-smeller
    Mouth-eater
    Chin-chopper
    Coochie, Coochie, coo

  4. Wayne Says:

    Here is the rhyme my uncle used with me in the mid 50’s:

    Head bumper
    Eye winker
    Nose dropper
    Mouth eater
    Chin chopper

    And, Gully, Gully, Gully

  5. Jean Says:

    It was originally
    Forehead bumper,
    Eye blinker;
    Nose sniffer,
    Mouth eater;
    Chin chucker, (*you dont chop a chin, you chuck it)
    Gullet gullet gullet (* gullet —pronounced gully—refers to the throat area)

  6. Michelle Says:

    My Canadian born dad used to sing, My hand on myself. Was ist Das hier? Das ist my sweat boxer my mama dear.
    Eye winter, nose smaller, food pusher, chin chopper, wind chester, bread basket, knee knocker, toe stubber, Niki niki new das what I learned at da school. He would sing it with a German accent.

  7. Alyce Says:

    My hand on myself, what is this here, this is my “Sweat Boxer” mother dear.
    Nicky, Nicky, Nicky Doo… That’s what I learned at the school
    {repeat above for each of the body parts below}
    Sweat Boxer
    Eye Blinker
    Nose Blower
    Chin Chopper
    Soup Slopper
    Chest Chinker (???)
    Bread Basket
    Knee Knocker
    Toe Stomper

  8. Eileen Says:

    My 4th grade teacher taught us this. It is a German song.
    Wit my hands on myself, vas ist das hier? Das is my eye peeper, my mama dear.
    eye peeper, nose blower, chin chopper, bread basket, knee knocker (repetitive)
    Das what I learned in the school. Jah Jah

    I was hoping for the correct words.

  9. Mary Says:

    Head bumper, eye winker, tom tinker, nose smeller, mouth eater, chin chopper and then tickle the throat. I’m over 70, it was used on me, I used it on my two girls, my three grandchildren And now with two great grands.

  10. Mary Noel Says:

    With a head on my shoulders and what have we here?
    Das is mein tinker-boxer my mama dear.
    Tinkerboxer, tinkerboxer jah, jah, jah
    That’s what we learn in this school This School!
    With a head on my shoulders and what have we here?
    Das is mein breadbasket my mama dear.
    Breadbasket, tinker boxer jah, jah, jah
    That’s what we learn in this school This School!
    (Go through the body parts, adding one each time. This is a song, not just a poem.)

  11. Crystal Says:

    My family may have adapted our own version of this, but it started by someone pointing at the forehead, eyes, nose, etc down to the neck where we’d get a tickle and we’d say:

    “Head thinker,
    Eye blinker,
    Nose smeller,
    Mouth eater,
    Chin chomper…
    Gitcha gitcha golly womper!”

    I do it with my kids and just found this because I was searching to find out if A) this was a common thing and B) was it eye blinker or winker? Chin chomper/golly womper or chin chopper/golly wopper”? It’s been many years and I don’t entirely trust my memory

  12. Pixie Says:

    Forebumper eye winker Tom tinker nose smeller mouth eater chin chomper gilly gilly gilly gilly … I love all the variations you all shared .. but this is the one my mom taught me

  13. Sharlene Says:

    I forgot all about this rhyme til the other day when I was wiping my grandbaby’s nose, and instinctively finished by tickling under her chin. My mother use to say it to my much younger brother. Then later, she said to my babies/her grandbabies. Thank you everyone that remembered the words I’d forgotten.

  14. old geezer Says:

    My grandmother
    did the below…

    Head acher
    Eye winker
    Nose dropper
    Mouth eater
    Chin chopper

    And, Gully, Gully, Gully

  15. Johanna Says:

    Omg, yes! My grandmother did this to us all the time when we were little:). I did it to my son, And now I do it to my grandbaby and he loves it!💙💙💙

    My grandmother’s version:

    Head achy
    Eye winky
    Nose dropper
    Mouth eater
    Chin chopper
    -then tickle the neck😆❤️❤️❤️

  16. Andrea Says:

    My aunt used to play this with us when we were kids and taught me it for my little girl

    four bumper
    eye blinker
    nose blower
    mouth muncher
    chin Chomper
    hehehe

    but it goes to show you how you can take the same game and play it in different ways or use different words

  17. Faith Says:

    I came across this thread looking for the lyrics of the song my Granny used to sing so I could sing it to my baby daughter. Between me and my sisters we remembered what she used to sing –

    ‘He touched me on the toe and said what’s that my dearo, that is my toe tapper my old bandolier’ then you go up the whole body

    Toe tapper, heel hopper, shin shanker, knee knocker, thigh thumper (when you get to the genital region you make a sniff sniff sound 😆) belly bumper, breast heaver, chin chomper

    Then you repeat the one you were on and go ‘that is my chin chomper my old bandolier’

    Can’t find any other evidence of this anywhere on the internet so absolutely no idea where it came from! Interesting to see the other versions too.

  18. Sandy Says:

    Touch forehead, then two eyes, nose, mouth and chin while saying:

    Headacher
    Eye winker
    Tom tinker
    Nose dropper
    Mouth eater
    Chin cheater
    AND…..
    (Followed by tickles)
    My mom and dad did that with us in the 1960’s.

  19. Israel P. Says:

    Is my Jewish nursery school seventy years ago, we learned the body parts in Hebrew. The only verse I remember is “Rosh-thinker.” (Rosh is head.)

    I wish I could find the rest.

  20. Ruth McCullough Says:

    Head Bumper
    Eye Winker
    Tom Tinker
    Nose Dropper
    Mouth Eater
    Chin Chopper
    Chin Chopper
    Chin.

    It’s a real moment of synchronicity for me today as I was teaching my little 5 year old friend this very song AFTER I taught him about Brain Tapping. Brain Tapping is the very same pattern except we don’t tickle as we do with “Chin chopper, chin chopper, chin” …and then to find you all talking about the same tapping song my Grandma, who was born in 1888, used to sing to my children. Thank you all!

  21. Kristen Says:

    Wow, I love seeing all of the different varieties of this beloved children’s rhyme! My dad and grandparents (his parents) used to sing it to me and my children this way!

    Forebender
    Eyeblinker
    Nosedripper
    Moutheater
    Chinchopper
    Then tickle the neck and say,
    “Gilly, Gilly-Gopper”

  22. Susie Says:

    We grew up with it being said:

    Head bender
    Fore lender
    Eye winker
    Tom tinker
    Nose smeller
    Mouth eater
    Chin chopper
    Gully, gully, gully (tickling under the chin)

  23. Patricia McRae Says:

    My mothers rhyme was slightly different. I’m 75 and have spent hours playing with my children, my grandchildren and now my great grandchildren.
    Eye winker
    Tom tinker
    Nose smeller
    Mouth eater
    and a bory, bory button hole. (while you tickle the babies tummy)

  24. Brooklyn Says:

    This is the version I grew up with:
    (You start in kind of a low and slow pitch and grow higher pitched and faster as you go)
    Head bonker (tap forehead)
    Eye Blinker (tap next to eye)
    Nose dropper (tap tip of their nose)
    Mouth eater (tap their cupid’s bow)
    Chin Chomper (tap their chin)
    Gullet Gullet Gullet (pronounced “gully” referring to the neck, tickle the neck while saying this quickly in a high pitched voice.)

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