Pretty Little Dutch Girl facts for kids

"Pretty Little Dutch Girl" is a popular children's nursery rhyme. It is often used as a clapping game or a jump-rope rhyme. This means kids can sing it while clapping their hands or jumping rope. It's a well-known song listed in the Roud Folk Song Index with the number 12986.

Singing the Song: Lyrics

The words to "Pretty Little Dutch Girl" can change a lot. Different versions exist depending on where you are. British versions, for example, might sound quite different. This is because some of the old sayings in the rhyme were not known to British children.

Here is a common way the song goes:

I am a pretty little Dutch girl,

As pretty as I can be, be, be,

And all the boys in the baseball team

Go crazy over me, me, me.

My boy friend’s name is Fatty,

He comes from the Senoratti,

With turned-up toes and a pimple on his nose,

And this is how the story goes:

More Ways to Sing It

Many groups of children have their own special versions of the song. Here is another popular way to sing it, which tells a bit more of a story:

I am a pretty little Dutch girl,

As pretty as pretty can be,

And all the boys around the block

Go crazy over me.

My boyfriend's name is Billy,

He comes from good ole Philly,

With a cherry on his nose

And ten fat toes,

And that's the way my story goes.

My boyfriend gave me peaches,

My boyfriend gave me pears,

My boyfriend gave me fifty cents

And kissed me on the stairs.

I gave him back his peaches,

I gave him back his pears,

I gave him back his fifty cents

And kicked....him....down.....the.....stairs!

The Story in the Song

The rhyme often tells a simple story. It's about a very pretty girl who is popular with boys. She is described as being of Dutch background, which is why the song has its name.

The girl in the song usually has a boyfriend who might not be as attractive as she is. In some versions, the story changes. The boyfriend might leave the pretty Dutch girl for someone else. Pictures of the Dutch girl often show her in traditional Dutch clothes. This includes long braids with ribbons, wooden shoes, and a Dutch cap.

Where the Song Came From

No one knows exactly when or where "Pretty Little Dutch Girl" started. The tune of the song sounds a lot like other children's songs. For example, it's similar to "A Sailor Went to Sea" and "Miss Suzie Had A Steamboat".

The earliest known record of this song is from New York around the 1940s. It seems the song quickly became popular across the United States by the 1950s. It then reached Britain in 1959. There, it became one of the most popular skipping rhymes for girls.

The Song in Movies and Shows

"Pretty Little Dutch Girl" has appeared in children's entertainment.

Wee Sing Video Series

In the Wee Sing Video Series video called Grandpa's Magical Toys, the song is featured. A doll named "Dutch Girl" sings it. She looks like a Barbie doll and wears a traditional Dutch costume. She loves to jump rope. The doll gets upset when the red ribbons in her braids come undone. But some children in the movie help her feel better. She then wears her ribbons undone for the rest of the movie. She even says that "Pretty Little Dutch Girl" is "my song."

Dot and the Kangaroo

The song also appeared in the 1977 Australian animated film Dot and the Kangaroo. Near the end of a scene at a waterhole, two hopping mice sing a song. They sing about a bushgirl who is pretty. They sing it to the tune of "Pretty Little Dutch Girl." This happens after they see the main character, Dot, playing with a bandicoot.