# marco...marco...marco
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 1, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679 "2006-11-01T01:40:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/1 "2006-11-01T01:40:50Z")
Can someone explain what this is about. I’ve seen this in at least two shows
In an episode of _Monk_ where Adrian takes pills that make him act even more weirdly than usual, he swims around in a pool with his eyes closed saying “marco … marco … marco” then opens his eyes to discover that he’s alone.
In an episode of \*Family Guy \*, Stewie swims around in a pool saying “marco… marco… marco” while a girl just stands still.
Oh, and an episode of _The Simpsons_ Where Ned Flanders talks about his sons saying “marco” and “polo”
What’s the reference I’m missing here? Is this a game you Americans play, that is unknown over here?
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### Author:  [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/2 "2006-11-01T01:42:26Z")
POLO!
> **[Marco Polo (game)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo_%28game%29)**
>
> Marco Polo (/ˈmɑːrkoʊ ˈpoʊloʊ/ ⓘ) is a form of tag played in a swimming pool.
> One player is chosen as "it". That player, with closed eyes, tries to find and tag any one of the other players, relying on hearing to find someone to tag. The player who is "it" shouts "Marco" and the other players must all respond by shouting "Polo", which the "it" player uses to try to find them. If a player is tagged, then that player becomes "it". If "it" suspects that a player has left the pool, they can shout, "...
Sometimes, for fun, I’ve been known to get games of “Ponce de Leon” going.
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### Author:  [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/3 "2006-11-01T01:43:23Z")
It’s a hide-and-seek game called Marco Polo, in which (i believe) the seeker keeps their eyes closed and says “marco” having to find the other players who say “polo” in reply. So the seeker has to find them by the sound of their voice.
The Family Guy joke was that the girl was Helen Keller, IIRC, who obviously would have trouble playing such a game.
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### Author:  [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/4 "2006-11-01T01:43:36Z")
One person in the pool is “it”, and is trying to tag the other people in the pool. The catch is that he must keep his eyes closed. His means of locating other players is by saying “Marco” to which they have to respond “Polo”.
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/5 "2006-11-01T01:50:04Z")
Oh, wow. Now that’s fast service. Thanks, guys.
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### Author:  [@luvtinayothers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luvtinayothers)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/6 "2006-11-01T01:54:37Z")
Fish out of water?
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/7 "2006-11-01T02:14:05Z")
but why marco polo, though?
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### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/8 "2006-11-01T02:16:33Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris]
Is this a game you Americans play, that is unknown over here?
[/QUOTE]
Not being able to parse “Epen Ny”, can you clue me in on where “over here” is? Just curious if playing Marco Polo in the swimming pool is indeed unique to the US, or if you’re Dutch or something (thus explaining the fluent English) and it’s still possible that Brits play this game. Though I expect they’d have some far more English name for it, like “Picket The Duke of Nottingham” or “Ragged Tom O’ Shanters” instead 😉
For that matter it might be the case that even within the US it’s got regional names. Was “Ponce de Leon” completely made-up and facetious, or is that really a variant?
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### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/9 "2006-11-01T02:19:30Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris]
but why marco polo, though?
[/QUOTE]
One explanation I’ve heard is that like Marco Polo, the seeker is setting out blind and has no idea where he will end up.
Personally I’ve always suspected it may be a reference to “Water Polo” as well, which is a volleyball like game also played in the swimming pool. If you have enough people to play Water Polo, but some folks aren’t into the idea or there is no net available, well, shift gears and play “Marco Polo” instead 🙂
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### Author:  [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/10 "2006-11-01T02:24:46Z")
[QUOTE=robardin]
Not being able to parse “Epen Ny”, can you clue me in on where “over here” is? Just curious if playing Marco Polo in the swimming pool is indeed unique to the US, or if you’re Dutch or something (thus explaining the fluent English) and it’s still possible that Brits play this game.
[/QUOTE]
I’ve never played it, or seen it being played in person (only on American TV).
One reason might be that less of us have our own swimming pools over here. Not that you couldn’t play it at a public pool, but it would be much more difficult with the noise and the chance you’d swim into someone random.
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-marco-marco/378679/11 "2006-11-01T02:55:51Z")
[QUOTE=robardin]
Not being able to parse “Epen Ny”, can you clue me in on where “over here” is?
[/QUOTE]
1. Born and live in England.
2. On Epen Ny = One Penny, (a joke nicked from Terry Pratchett)