Montakitty

Jon Bratton writes

Here is the painting* I did, in Doxford's class, of a game of Montakitty, which Jimmy D. called Wall-e-Acker and he sketched it looking like this. I told him that it was too namby pamby and not representative of the game we played, which I described to him as follows.
The 'pillar', the upright member of the Mountees did indeed have his back to the wall but he needed to be athletically erect and have both feet on the ground with his hands cupped, into which the first bending mountee placed his forehead, his scalp cushioned in the pillar's stomach. The next and subsequent mountees cradled their heads just below the buttocks of the mountee in front and holding on with both arms. Tactics used by GGS lads was that the first of the Mounters was usually a smaller boy who would land on the end of the line and hunch down. His rounded back gave extra purchase for the subsequent mounters to get as near the front as possible or to target the mountee considered to be the weakest link
I have included this section because I do associate this game with my time at Gateshead Grammar School. I can't remember whether I played it beyond the school yard.
In the book "Memories of Gateshead Grammar School" there are several mentions of this game which we called Montakitty but the variations of Multikitty and Muntikitty were also used in the North East. In my view the latter two were a mishearing of the first which comes from the formal Scottish name of Mount A Cuddy, cuddy being Scottish/Geordie for horse or donkey


South Shields artist Bob Olley's take on mixed Montakitty

This is a very sedate looking Irish version called Churchie

Kids playing in the 50's,sorry no sound.I can't find out where it was filmed either !

Posted by Mike Portlock on Tuesday, 26 August 2014

This is perhaps the Cockney version called Hi Jimmy Knacker

These are Bensham lads playing Montakitty, though not quite as GGS did. 

This is a World wide game and is still being played in places not yet exposed to the Health and Safety curse. Should you wish to study this game further here are more names to the six I've already mentioned, found here,  

Hunch Cuddy Hunch, Scotland

Finger Thumb and Rusty Bum, Sheffield

Trust, Lancashire

Stagger Loney, Cardiff

Warny Echo, North West London

Jump the Knacker 1-2-3, Watford

Hi-Cock-a-Lorum or High Cockalorum, Kent, Booleroo Australia, British Forces, 

Bok-bok, South Africa..wiki

Buck Buck

As part of his stand up act Bill Cosby tells of playing Buck Buck, the name of the game in Philadelphia USA .Him and his Buck Buck pals are challenged to a game by some guys from the rough end of town and they are getting well beaten until they call upon the services of Fat Albert, who "was the baddest Buck Buck breaker in the World. Fat Albert weighed 2,000 pounds" and they get their revenge. The track is available on iTunes. Here's Bill

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1985) became a cartoon series in USA. 

In the Episode "Moving" Fat Albert finds out that his family is moving just before the big "Buck Buck" match.

Johnny on the Pony USA

Bung the Bucket
Jack Upon the Mopstick
In the above video it is called
Polly on the Mopstick

Playing Buck Buck at Al-Jameel High in Kuwait

Short film that shows a group of boys playing a game, similar to Leap Frog, also known as ‘mounty kitty.’  The film was made by Bamforth and Company of Holmfirth. - See more 

Johnny on the Pony or is it Jilly on the Filly? OK, enough already!

See more descriptions in "Memories of Gateshead Grammar School by Tom Swaddle Page 125 and Arthur England Page 129

* Claiming this as my painting is just a whopping lie, but you knew that, didn't you?