# duck, duck, GREY DUCK! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 1, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743 "2000-08-01T19:46:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2000, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/21 "2000-08-03T13:09:21Z")
> [@](#): > > I grew up in West Bend, Wisconsin, and it was called duck duck goose. Never heard of grey duck. You were probably drunk at the time and weren’t able to remember the _correct_ version. You Wisconsonites are all the same. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2000, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/22 "2000-08-03T13:44:52Z")
The day after the Millionaire question, two morning D.J.'s on WABC in NYC called Minnesota and asked the person to finished the phase “Duck Duck…”. When she said “Grey Duck” they cracked up laughing. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2000, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/23 "2000-08-03T14:00:25Z")
I grew up in Minnesota playing duck duck grey duck–though generally not with Lutherans. (Of course, Methodists in MN are kind of Lutheran-Methodists anyway, and those in the south are Baptist-Methodists.) In my teens at a Girl Scout Camp counselor training conference I first heard of duck duck goose. I figured it was because people from Wisconsin were weird.(It is reasonable to think that my source was from Wisconsin, a significant part of our council was). It took me until college to realize that actually most people play duck duck goose. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/24 "2000-08-03T14:33:04Z")
Grey Duck? WTF? Goose rolls off the tounge so much easier, allowing one to run like your ass is on fire WAY earlier into the phrase. Geez, you Minnesotans, what with your “Yah, fur suuuure,” and such. Crazy bizziness. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/25 "2000-08-03T19:36:48Z")
Better late than never. In the Chicago suburbs, 1960’s, it was Duck Duck Goose, and interestingly enough, now that you mention it, it was always in VBS, never in school (but it was generic evangelical VBS, not Lutheran). However, I have also heard all sorts of variations, like “Mouse Mouse Cat”, etc., so a “Duck Duck Grey Duck” doesn’t surprise me. It was my favorite game because the race wasn’t necessarily always to the swift, but to the nimble. Even the slow kids had a chance, if the “goose” slipped on the grass and fell down. ---
**Author:** ![wavedancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f07891/32.png) [@wavedancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wavedancer)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2000, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/26 "2000-08-04T04:39:50Z")
I actually started playing it in pre-school school. And althought Lutheran, never played at VBS. I never realized until college that seemingly everyone else in the world played “duck, duck, goose”. I was stunned! Come to find out, I have a friend form Flordia that grew up playing “duck, duck, seagull!” LOL! And I thought people from Wisconsin were weird! Thanks to all for the insight into the age old question of duck duck grey duck! ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2000, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/27 "2000-08-04T04:47:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Connor \* > \*\*They don’t have something along the lines of either Mint Chocolate Chip (w/the green ice cream), or Rocky Road. But I can’t remember which… \*\* Yes we do. My favorite kind of ice cream is Rocky Road. And we do have mint chocolate chip. With green ice cream. What do you think we are, weird? ---
**Author:** ![Prosser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@Prosser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prosser)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2000, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/28 "2000-08-04T05:15:33Z")
Sorry, this is the 1st time I’ve heard of “gray duck.” Frankly, it doesn’t make sense to me. “Duck, duck, goose!” makes some sense to me since you can differentiate b/t the 2. However, “Duck, duck, gray duck!” seems a little weird. Shouldn’t it be “mallard, mallard, gray duck!” ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2000, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/29 "2000-08-04T13:46:57Z")
Sorry, SilverFire. But I know there’s one more thing. C’mon, name all the things that make y’all freaks… ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2000, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/30 "2000-08-04T14:08:54Z")
Well, Conner. This wasn’t directed at me, but one thing that stands out in my mind is our propensity to wait patiently at freeway ramp meters longer than anyone else in the U.S… Transfering from one freeway to another, it’s not uncommon for us Minnesotans’ to wait more than 25 minutes in line. The light allows one car to enter the freeway, ahhh… maybe once a minute. All the while we longingly look at the cars whizzing by on the open freeway we want to be on. We spend more of our commute time waiting at ramp meter’s then the actual time spent on the freeway. ---
**Author:** ![Sn-man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sn-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sn-man)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2000, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/31 "2000-08-04T14:44:32Z")
In New Jersey and In Colorado all I ever remember hearing is Duck Duck Goose. A 12 gauge and a little bird shot and maybe ChrisPone Kenobe can put the “Phantom Grey Duck Menace” down forever 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Escanaba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@Escanaba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Escanaba)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/32 "2000-11-11T20:33:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jkeller \* > \*\*Isn’t that like saying, “we never have heard of that in Inner Mongolia”. 😉 > > Jon \*\* Exactly! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/33 "2000-11-11T20:53:42Z")
It IS `duck duck GOOSE!’ At least the version I always played. I played it a lot as a kid in kindergarten and pre-kindergarten. In fact, i played it a lot in high school too…what else to do during noon hour?? ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/34 "2000-11-13T00:40:18Z")
Duck Duck Goose in NY. Never heard of Duck Duck Greyduck. I love playing duck duck goose… played it in the karts once. We strapped bike horns to our roll bars and the person who was “It” would take the high line while everybody else ran low and hugged the apron, then you’d honk your horn at the Goose and that person would swing out of line and race you for 2 laps. Whoever the spotter called as leading at the line after 2 laps was It. ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/35 "2000-11-13T00:56:17Z")
I seem to remember it being either/or where I lived, I remember playing both versions. I grew up in northeast Iowa, 10 miles from the Minnesota border. ---
**Author:** ![Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fairy_Princess_Kitty)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/36 "2000-11-13T01:51:30Z")
The lot of you are freaks! I’ve never heard of “duck duck grey duck” ever! We’ve always played “duck duck goose” I’m from SoCal by the way. Kitty ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/37 "2000-11-13T06:06:05Z")
You’re joking, right? I mean, _everyone_ plays “duck duck grey-duck” right? It never occured to me that non-Minnesotans (poor dears; oh well, I suppose they can’t help it) would distort the game. Geeze! Ya know, I vas pretty shore nobody vould mess with somethin’ so sacred! Uffdah. ---
**Author:** ![jesuslynch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e99b99/32.png) [@jesuslynch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesuslynch)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/38 "2000-11-13T16:05:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JoeyHemlock \* > \*\*…OT: I was once driving a drunk friend home, and we were stopped at a red light. He started slowly chanting “duck… duck… duck…”. Then the light turned yellow in the other direction and he started going faster, “duck duck duck duck duck”. When we got the green he yells: “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!” I was laughing so hard I had to pull over to collect myself. \*\* This is great. I’ll have to teach babyjesus this little game. It’ll rank right up there with him asking me, “What Would Scooby Doo?” And to answer the OP, we say “Goose” in Arkansas. ---
**Author:** ![jesuslynch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e99b99/32.png) [@jesuslynch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesuslynch)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2000, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743/39 "2000-11-13T16:26:54Z")
Saying “duck…duck…duck”, not the drunk part. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duck-duck-grey-duck/27743.md?page=1)