# Heads Up 7Up **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 1999, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heads-up-7up/4142 "1999-10-21T12:47:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heads-up-7up/4142/1 "1999-10-21T12:47:00Z")
Does anyone remember the rules of this childhood game? I remember playing it in school - something about putting your head down on the table and putting your thumb up… ? * * * Men are from Mars, women are from Venus, dogs are from Pluto. - Anonymous ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heads-up-7up/4142/2 "1999-10-21T13:08:00Z")
Great game. Talk about bringing back memories. I think it went something like this. 7 people were it. The rest of the class put their heads down on their desks. The 7 people would go around and tap one person each on the head. After they were done, the class sits up and the 7 people whose heads were tapped tried to guess who did the tapping. If you guessed correctly, you took that persons place as a tapper and they had to sit down. On a personal note, I was awesome at this game (not like that is the biggest bragging right in the world) and no one could ever figure out why I always knew who tapped me. I just put my head down where I could still see the ground just beyond the edge of the desk and see the shoes of anyone walking nearby. Works every time. Pass that little hint on to the youngsters. * * * Why yes, I am pretty fly for a white guy. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heads-up-7up/4142/3 "1999-10-21T13:08:00Z")
Everyone put their heads down on their desks. 7 people went around and tapped a person on their head. The person then raised their hand. After all were chosen,the 7 stood in front and the people tapped had to guess which of the 7 tapped them. If they were right,the person sat down. Last one standing won. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heads-up-7up/4142/4 "1999-10-21T13:11:00Z")
This is how we played it in the 50s. A group of people are “it” – they stand up at the front of the room. Everyone else puts their heads down so they can’t see what’s happening. The people who are “it” walk around the room, and each one pats someone on the head. If you’ve been patted, you raise your thumb (keeping your head down). After each “it” person has patted someone, the “it” people go back to the front of the room. When they are all at the front of the room, someone calls “heads up.” Then, each person with a raised thumb tries to guess who tapped them. If they guess correctly, they replace that person as being “it” for the next round. If they don’t, there’s no change. Since the kids always tend to tap their best friends, the teacher needs to pay attention to whether Susie and Janet are constantly tapping and replacing each other. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 1999, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heads-up-7up/4142/5 "1999-10-22T00:24:00Z")
Our rules were similar, except that when you put your head down on the desk, you put your fist out with your thumb up. The 7 (or some other number occasionally) people who were “it” would push your thumb down, and then when “Head up, seven up” was called the people with their thumbs down stood up. I was fairly decent at the guessing part, as I watched the shoes also, but awful at being “it” because I had a tendency to look at the person I chose. * * * “The secret of life is, there ain’t no secret, and you don’t get your money back.” ---
**Author:** ![AzRaek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azraek/32/16739_2.png) [@AzRaek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AzRaek)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 1999, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heads-up-7up/4142/6 "1999-10-23T04:18:00Z")
## Heads Up 7-Up: the hot new PlayStation game! At least that’s where it looks like it’s heading, after seeing video hackey sack. I’ll be there Where I’ll teach what I’ve been taught And I’ve been taught…