Statues (game)

Statues, also known as Red Light, Green Light (US), Grandmother's Footsteps(UK), Un, deux trois, soleil (France), Daruma-san ga koronda (だるまさんがころんだ^?, lit. "The Daruma Fell Over" (Japan)), Peili (tr. "Mirror") (Finland), Winnie the Pooh (Мечо Пух, lit. "Pooh Bear") (Bulgaria), (דג מלוח "pickled herring") (Israel), "Annemaria Koekkoek!" (Netherlands) is a popular children's game, often played in different countries. How the game is played varies throughout different regions of the world.

Red Light/Green Light (sometimes abbreviated as RLGL) is a variation of statue. The "it" person stands at one end of the playing field, with the rest of the players at the other end. "It" turns their back to the others and calls out "Green Light!" or "1, 2, 3! Red Light! Green Light!" or "Red Light! Green Light! 1, 2, 3!" The players then run as fast as they can towards "it". At any time, "it" can face the players, calling out "Red Light", and the others must freeze in place. If anyone fails to stop, they are out or must return to the starting line. The first player to reach the person who is "it" wins and becomes "it" for the next round.

In the Dutch version, instead of "Green light!" the "it" person sings in a slow voice "Annemaria", followed by a quick and loud "Koekkoek!" ("Cuckoo!") when he/she turns around (like "Red Light!"). "Koekkoek!" is also the Dutch equivalent of a Peek-a-boo game played with babies, where the parents hides their face with their hands, then revela themselves whilst saying "Peek-a-boo!" (also known in Dutch as "Kiekeboe!").

In this version the Curator is the "Granny" and does not call out anything before facing the players.

Winnie the Pooh is a variation of Statues where the person playing "Pooh" (the Curator) usually leans against a wall and has to shout "1, 2, 3, Winnie the Pooh, stop!" (so it is long enough for the players to reach some distance and because of the rhyme it provides in Bulgarian, where this version comes from) before turning to face the players. Whenever a player tags Pooh they have to run so it doesn't catch them. If they manage to go back to the wall where Pooh was leaning before it catches them, they become Pooh and the game starts over. In this variation the role of Pooh is more desirable.

Another variation of the Red Light / Green Light game was altered as a team building exercise. It follows RLGL rules with exception that if anybody moves the whole team must return to the starting line. Also, the object of the game is for the players to "steal" an "object" positioned near the "it" person and return with it to the other side of the field. Once the "object" is moved it has to stay hidden from "it" who has several guesses as to who has it at the moment. If guessed successfully then the whole team must return to the starting line.

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Wikipedia