As with most rhymes the origins of Hanky Panky are unclear but it most likely originated in the United States somewhere around the 19th century. In 1895, a similar rhyme was published in Virginia:

He came to the banks 
Of the Pasquotank, 
Where the bull-frogs jump 
From bank to bank….

Currently there are more versions of the rhyme in circulation and more playground games are performed while singing it, most notably a circle game and a counting game.

How to Play Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky

The right hand of each player sits under the palm of the person on the right while the left hand of each player rests on top of the hand of the player to the left. When the song starts a designated player will tap with their left hand the hand of the person sitting on the left and that person will tap as well another person’s hand at the next beat and the clap is passed along the circle until the song ends when someone’s hand is being clapped when saying “Kerplop”. Then, the person whose hand was touched during that beat is out and the song starts again until only one player remains.

Down by the Banks Counting Game

To play a counting game, replace the first two words of the second line (Where the) with a random number (for example 10) and count backwards. An example:

Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky, 
10 bullfrogs jump from bank to banky, 
With a hip, hop, hippity, hop, 
Leap off a lily pad and go KERPLOP! 
Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky, 
9 bullfrogs jump from bank to banky, 
With a hip, hop, hippity, hop, 
Leap off a lily pad and go KERPLOP! 

And so on. You can either choose to stop counting at “One” or when no bullfrogs jump anymore.

“Down by the Banks of the Hanky Panky” Lyrics

Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky, 
Where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky, 
With a hip, hop, hippity, hop, 
Leap off a lily pad and go KERPLOP! 

“Alle meine Entchen” (All My ducklings) Circle Game

The kids sing along while dancing and swimming like little ducks (moving their elbows like wings). On the last 2 verses of each stanza the children will touch the floor with their hands trying to move their tails up (bottom in the air).

All the players are dancing in a circle, one of them is Sally Walker and stays in the middle. The kids are dancing and clapping while singing the lyrics. On the verse “So she stopped in front of me” Sally Walker, the player in the middle will stop in front of someone.

On the verse “So she stopped in front of me” the “Sally walker” player will stop in front of someone in the circle and while saying: “Hey girl (boy) do your thing /Do your thing and switch!” they switch places and they repeat the verse dancing face to face. Then the new Sally walker goes in the middle and the dance continues until the next “switch”.

In march 2019 a song based on this rhyme was recorded by Australain rapper Iggy Azalea.

“Little Sally Walker” Lyrics

Little Sally Walker
Walking down the street.
She didn’t know what to do
So she stopped in front of me.
She said, “Hey girl, do your thing,
Do your thing and switch!
Hey girl do your thing
Do your thing and switch!”