Statue – a worldwide game By Yoey Tsang

I believe everyone has played the traditional game 'Statue’. But do you know how other countries called this typical game? And what are the reasons behind the variation of the name in different countries?

In Hong Kong, the game is called ‘One, two, three, red and green light!’ (123,紅綠燈)

In Mainland China, it is called ‘One, two, three, chump!’ (123, 木頭人!)

In Japan, it is called ‘The tumbling doll has fallen over’ (だるまさんがころんだ). 

In fact, the Daruma doll (the tumbling doll) is a Japanese traditional doll. It is an emblem of perseverance and good luck in Japan. In Takasaki, the founder of Daruma-dera (Temple of Daruma) associated the doll with good luck charm, and then the parishioners kept the given meaning by saying the doll ‘brings happiness and prosperity and wards off accidents and misfortune.’ As a result, the Daruma doll becomes a popular gift of encourage.

(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daruma_doll)

 In Korea, the game called ‘The rose of Sharon has bloomed!’ (무궁화꽃이 피었습니다). 

The rose of Sharon is the national flower of Korea. It symbolizes Korean have overcome the obstacles and the countries finally has experienced glory. Since ancient times, the rose of Sharon has already regarded as heavenly flower in Korea. The Silla Kingdom called itself Mugunghwa Country (the rose of Sharon Country). It is even included in the national anthem. We can conclude by saying the rose of Sharon is essential to Korean.
 (From  http://www.matthewsata.com/songahm-tradition/korean-tradition)

 In Mexico, it is called ‘One, two, three, pumpkin!’ (1, 2, 3, calabaza). Pumpkin was found in Mexico since 5000 BC and is a Mexican native and ancient staple food. Thus, it represents the culture of Mexico.

(Fromhttp://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2179-the-pumpkin-an-ancient-mexican-native-la-calabaza-grande)

Last, here comes the table about the names of this game in different countries.
(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statues_(game))

England	Grandmother's Footsteps! / Grandma's Footsteps!
Netherlands/ Belgium	One, two, three, piano! ("één, twee, drie, piano)
France	One, two, three, sun! (1, 2, 3, soleil)
Spain	One, two, three, English hideaway! (1, 2, 3, escondite inglés) / One, two, three, English chick! (1, 2, 3, pollito inglés)
Greece	Immobile little soldiers! (στρατιωτακια ακουνηταI)
Sweden	One, two, three, red lantern stop! (ett, två, tre, röda lyktan stop)
Poland	One, two three, the hag is watching! (Raz, dwa trzy, baba jaga patrzy!) / One, two, three, I'm watching! (Raz, dwa, trzy, patrzę!)
Finland	Red light flashed! (Punainen valo vilahti) / Mirror (Peili)

In short, i find bilingual feature from the name of game, for example in Sweden, it is called 'ett, två, tre, röda lyktan stop’. It is a mixed code which combining English and Swedish. Most importantly, game’s name reflects identity and culture. Taking Korea and Japan as instances, both countries choose representative items as the name of the game – the Daruma Doll and the rose of Sharon. The latter is a traditional Japanese doll which carries the meaning of good luck. The former is the national flower in Korea stands for the glory of Korean. Both items are emblems of their countries and culture.