Buck buck is a game

Game

A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...

 with several variants. One version of the game is played when "one player climbs another’s back" and the climber guesses "the number of certain objects out of sight." Another version of the game is played with "one group of players [climbing] on the backs of a second group in order to build as large a pile as possible or to cause the supporting players to collapse."

As early as the 1600s, children in Europe and the Near East played Buck, Buck, which had been called "Bucca Bucca quot sunt hic?".

Cultural references

Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby

William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...

's 1967 album Revenge

Revenge (Bill Cosby album)

Revenge is the sixth album by comedian Bill Cosby. It was recorded live at Harrah's, Lake Tahoe, Nevada by Warner Bros. Records.-Background:...

includes a track "Buck, Buck" in which he describes playing the game as a child. He mentions that in his hometown of Philadelphia it was called "Buck Buck," while in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 it was known as "Johnny on the Pony." This track introduces Fat Albert

Fat Albert

Fat Albert may refer to:* Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, a cartoon show* Fat Albert , a 1973 comedy album by Bill Cosby* Fat Albert , a 2004 live-action film...

, "the baddest Buck Buck breaker in the world," who "weighed 2,000 pounds" and was the basis for the hit cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created, produced, and hosted by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985...

. The same story, in a slightly different form, is also included in Cosby's book Childhood.

Pieter Bruegel's painting "Children's Games" (1560) depicts children playing a variant of the game.