Talk:Ringolevio

[Anecdotes]
We played Ringolario for many hours on summer nights after the sun went down on a hot summer day. Frankly, I don't know how any parents got any rest during the summer. We would laugh and scream and carry on sometimes until 11pm. We dressed as commandos and sometimes would even paint our faces black and green. When we came in from playing our skin would be so itchy after rolling around in the grass all evening. There were many nights when the tub was filled with brown water after cleaning up. The game was sometimes dangerous because many kids would be running full speed across a dark yard and run into something or get clothes lined. The game was brought to our neighborhood by kids from New Jersey near New York City. Nprlisner 02:41, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

I used to play Ringolevio when I lived in the Breukelen Houses in the '60s. When I played, the chant was "Ringolevio one-two-three one-two-three one-two-three", in order to catch somebody. TCav (talk) 02:19, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

When I played ringolievio in the Bronx, NY in the early 1950's our cry, while keeping a grip on an adversary, was "Ringolevio Coca-Cola! Ringolevio Coca-Cola! Ringolevio Coca-Cola!" (ET) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.1.132.6 (talk) 17:18, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

We played Ringolevio when i lived in Hicksville, Long Island, NY in the late '50s, early '60s. The chant in our neighborhood when you caught someone was "Olly Olly income free!" — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ruminator2 (talk • contribs) 06:29, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

This wasn't just Boston and NYC. I played this in the 80s in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA. We called it "Release," and our catching phrase was "1-2-3 caughty caught caught." I have no idea how it traveled to my small town, or how our phrase changed so much. The memories I have of playing this game in housing projects with dozens of other kids, however, are some of the best memories I have of my childhood. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.27.71.14 (talk) 00:59, 4 January 2020 (UTC)

Played this in Iowa as a child in the 60’s and early 70’s but we just called it “Olly Olly Oxen Free” — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1014:B10E:A7E9:1A8:9F2A:8A63:2EE (talk) 19:09, 23 November 2022 (UTC)

ringolevio variations on a theme
as a kid in the 80's in england we played a game that has all the characteristics of ringolevio but we called it ay-akey. similarily to catch some one you had to say ay-akey 1.2.3. and their name whilst holding/wrestling that player and if you got past the guards on the base/jail you had to say ay-akey 1.2.3 and out. Ifyou were guarding your base/jail and you saw a member of the other team trying to sneak up on you you could catch them by shouting ay-akey 1.2.3 i see (their name) running towards me at this point some of your team would come out of hiding and roughly escort them to the base whilst reciting the brief but dreaded refrain 86.172.181.75 (talk) 03:13, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

More substantiation needed
I welcome the anecdotal accounts here on the discussion page. In the main article they need to be substantiated to meet encyclopedic standards. Some of the accounts appear more like particular personal memories which may not actually be widespread, and after 20-40-60? years memories aren't all that reliable. Nevertheless, they are a good start and I hope others contribute here. Some specific, verifiable documentation would make this article worthy of being kept around. Please help. Dudshan (talk) 04:31, 29 August 2010 (UTC)


 * I work hard to add citations to Wikipedia articles. In this case, I fear, it will be nigh on impossible to meet encyclopedic standards for a game that is, in the truest sense, folklore. I will, however, add some citations that will, at least, prove that ringolevio is a children's game with a long history and widespread participation in the boroughs of New York. There is a book that might be useful: New York City Street Games by Ray & Dennis Vignola . Does anybody have a copy, or have an interest in buying one?

User:Paulmlieberman (talk) 13:16, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

There is mention of ringo-leevio on page 636 of the 1967 Sears catalog in the description of the “Trans-Talk 600” walkie-talkie. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1014:B10E:A7E9:1A8:9F2A:8A63:2EE (talk) 19:17, 23 November 2022 (UTC)

Panama Canal Zone
The game was common in the Panama Canal Zone in the 1970s and early 1980s in the |Canal Zone townships. I played it often in Corozal/Los Rios. We had no idea the game had New York City origins, we all thought it was a tradition from there. It wasn't until around two decades later while talking with someone from New York that I first encountered someone else who had heard of it, and then looked it up. Aapold (talk) 18:05, 10 January 2015 (UTC)

Twilight Zone
Not sure if noteworthy enough or if it's usable for the article but the game is also shown being played a couple of times in the background during a few scenes of an episode of the original Twilight Zone series. The episode in question is episode 15 of season 4, "The Incredible World of Horace Ford". It has a noticeable difference from the versions described in the article with a boy shouting "Ring-a-levio! Caught! Caught! Caught!" 174.49.19.28 (talk) 19:05, 6 June 2011 (UTC)
 * I think this article needs all the help it can get, given the tendency for children's games to be undocumented in the adult world. I recommend you add it to the "In Popular Culture" section, and find a way to cite that episode (is there a script somewhere that actually says they were playing Ringolevio?).

Bloody Viking (talk) 16:34, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

I apologize for the late response. I am unable to find a script but have found an transcript on livedash (not sure if that's considered as an usable reference). The transcript is located here:

http://www.livedash.com/transcript/the_twilight_zone-%28the_incredible_world_of_horace_ford%29/8058/SYFYP/Tuesday_January_26_2010/176413/.

The very opening seconds actually show the version I spoke of:

00:00:14	Boy: Ring-a-levio, caught, caught, caught.

00:00:21	Ring-a-levio.

174.49.19.28 (talk) 15:13, 3 October 2011 (UTC)

Lord Finesse - Hey Look At Shorty mentions the game too
The game is also mentioned in Lord Finesse - Return of the Funky Man Hey Look At Shorty Feel free to add it to the article. I dare not. Jidanni (talk) 21:56, 26 November 2011 (UTC)
 * http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=19ntL7f-IIk
 * http://lyrics.wikia.com/Talk:Lord_Finesse:Hey_Look_At_Shorty


 * I don't think this adds to the article. What we need most is more references that actually explain the rules (and variations thereof). Bloody Viking (talk) 14:30, 28 November 2011 (UTC)

Ring-o-levio 1965 to 1968   Baldwin, Long Island, New York
Like my own family moving from Forest Hills, Queens, NY in 1954 during the "Baby Boom," families were relocating from the 5 Burroughs of New York City out East to the suburbs. The city kids passed on vague stories of a game called Ring-o-levio, but we never learned exactly how the game was played. To lazy to go to the library, and the Internet and Wikipedia was decades away, we made up our own rules as follows > In darkness only... two teams with a minimum of three players each... doing the odds & evens thing, the winners choosing to be the "mice" or the "cats"...  same players continuing a previous night's game, roles were automatically reversed... the game boundaries encompassed 5 neighborhood blocks of private homes, 2 were square blocks, and 3 were rectangular (+- 70  houses w/ 60 x 80 plots average size)... a "mouse" stepping out of the playing area boundaries was considered caught, with no touching required, as was necessary within the boundaries... the single "jail" was located at one of the four corners at the center of the playing area / "cross" intersection of streets... the "mice" were given a one block head start, and when they disappeared from view the game was on... captured "mice" in jail could be set free with the touch from a teammate "mouse" not in "jail" ... and to avoid alerting homeowners, nothing was yelled out upon escaping from "jail" as noted within the extensive history of the game... startled homeowners, call them "bulldogs," if out and about were an additional fun factor that often assisted, or prevented capturing a "mouse"... the police were never called... It was rare to complete one round in one evening, and I can't remember ever capturing an entire team of "mice"... typically the game ended because it was time for one or more players to go home for the night. In my view, there was no other childhood game, or sport that was more stimulating, challenging, and more fun... The regular players: Tommy (myself)... Jimmy, John, Brian, and Richie... + a few alternates. Thee White Horse (talk) 15:51, 20 August 2020 (UTC)


 * nice! thanks for sharing. we called it "manhunt" in manhattan (stuyvesant town) in the 70s, but my dad said it was "ringolevio" in 1930s/40s hell's kitchen. to catch someone we cried out "manhunt, manhunt 1,2,3!" three times 207.38.141.182 (talk) 01:15, 21 August 2022 (UTC)

Ringolevio
Can the prey win? 2600:1700:25B4:9820:20A9:87F5:E15B:DFEE (talk) 15:08, 24 February 2023 (UTC)