A-Tisket, A-Tasket facts for kids

"A Tisket A Tasket" is a well-known nursery rhyme. It first appeared in America in the late 1800s. This rhyme became super famous because of a hit song by Ella Fitzgerald in 1938. She created the song with Al Feldman, also known as Van Alexander. This rhyme is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index as number 13188.

The Original Rhyme and Game

The rhyme "A Tisket A Tasket" was first written down in the United States in 1879. It was part of a children's game. Kids would dance in a circle while singing. One child would run outside the circle and drop a handkerchief. The child closest to the handkerchief would pick it up. Then, they would chase the child who dropped it. If caught, the dropper might get a kiss, join the circle, or have to share their sweetheart's name.

An early version of the rhyme went like this:

A-tisket a-tasket

A green and yellow basket

I wrote a letter to my friend

And on the way I dropped it,

I dropped it, I dropped it,

And on the way I dropped it.

A little boy he picked it up

And put it in his pocket.

Sometimes, the second line was "I lost my yellow basket." Other times, the last line was "A little girl she picked it up and put it in her pocket."

In England during the 1800s, a similar game used different words. But the idea of dropping something and chasing was the same.

Ella Fitzgerald's Famous Song

Ella Fitzgerald and Al Feldman (who later became Van Alexander) turned this simple rhyme into a popular jazz song. It became her first big hit with the Chick Webb Orchestra in 1938. Since then, it has become a classic jazz standard. In Ella's song, the basket was brown and yellow. A little girl picks up the note and then takes the basket after it is left on the ground.

Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb also wrote a follow-up song. It was called "I Found My Yellow Basket" (1938). But this song was not as successful as the first one.

A Big Hit and Pop Culture

"A Tisket A Tasket" was a huge success. It reached number one on music charts before modern charts existed. It was a top song on Your Hit Parade.

Many artists have mentioned lines from the song in their own music. These include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Half Man Half Biscuit, Ganksta N-I-P, Shangri-Las, Scarface, Eminem, Madonna, and Boondox.

In the 1970s, Nabisco used a fun version of the song for their ads. The lyrics were "A Trisquit, A Trisquit, Baked only by Nabisco."

In Movies and TV Shows

The song has also appeared in several movies:

• Curly Howard from The Three Stooges said a funny version of the rhyme in their short film We Want Our Mummy (1939).
• The music from the song was used in the movie The Grapes of Wrath (1940). It helped show the time period of the film.
• Ella Fitzgerald herself sang the song in the Abbott and Costello film, Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942).
• A version of the song was also performed in the movie The Master (2012).