How to Play Please Mr Crocodile
Please Mr Crocodile is a classic children's chasing and permission game played outdoors or in a large hall. One player takes the role of the Crocodile and controls who may cross the playing area, while everyone else tries to get from one safe zone to the other without being caught. The tension between asking politely and then sprinting for your life is what makes it work.
It travels well across age groups, needs no equipment, and can absorb almost any number of children. That combination makes it a reliable staple of playgrounds, school sports days, and holiday activity sessions throughout the UK.
A little history
The precise origins of Please Mr Crocodile are unclear. It belongs to a broad family of British playground permission games that includes What's the Time Mr Wolf and Grandmother's Footsteps, all of which follow the same basic structure of a lone gatekeeper controlling the movement of a group. Games of this type are widely documented in UK playground folklore from at least the mid-twentieth century, and Please Mr Crocodile is traditionally regarded as one of the simpler introductory versions suited to younger children.
Setting up
- Choose a playing area with two parallel safe zones, typically marked by lines, walls, or cones, roughly 10 to 15 metres apart.
- Agree on the boundaries of the playing area before the game starts.
- Select one player to be the Crocodile. This can be done by a volunteer, a count-out rhyme, or any agreed method.
- The Crocodile stands in the middle of the playing area, between the two safe zones.
- All other players stand in one of the safe zones to begin.
How to play
- All non-Crocodile players stand in the starting safe zone. The Crocodile waits in the middle.
- Players call out together: 'Please Mr Crocodile, may we cross your golden river?'
- The Crocodile responds by naming a crossing condition. Common examples include: a colour worn by some players ('Yes, if you are wearing red'), a letter a name starts with, or a category such as 'anyone with a birthday in summer'. Any condition the Crocodile chooses is valid.
- Players who meet the stated condition may walk safely across to the other safe zone. The Crocodile must not tag them during their crossing.
- Players who do not meet the condition must attempt to run across at the same time and reach the far safe zone without being tagged by the Crocodile.
- Any player tagged by the Crocodile while running is out and sits down at the side. They take no further part in that round unless a variation rule brings them back.
- Players who reach the far safe zone safely are now in that zone and the process repeats from there, with players calling out the rhyme again from their new position.
- Play continues, with the group crossing back and forth, until only one player remains untagged.
- That player is declared the winner and becomes the Crocodile for the next game.
- If the Crocodile fails to tag anyone over several rounds, it is reasonable to require a condition of 'everyone must run' to keep the game moving. This is decided before play starts or by group agreement.
Winning and scoring
The last player to remain untagged by the Crocodile wins the game. There is no points scoring in the standard version. That player then takes on the role of Crocodile at the start of the next game. If two players are tagged simultaneously in what appears to be the final round, the group may call it a draw and choose the Crocodile for the next game by another method.
The fine points
The most common dispute is whether a tag was valid, particularly when a player claims to have reached the safe zone before being touched. The standard ruling is that both feet must be fully inside the safe zone for a player to be considered safe. A tag on the shoulder while one foot is still outside the line counts as out. Agree this rule clearly before the game starts and it will prevent most arguments.
A second common dispute arises over the Crocodile's conditions. The Crocodile cannot change a condition once it has been stated, and conditions must be observable before anyone starts running, so 'anyone who is scared' is not a valid condition because it cannot be verified. Conditions based on visible clothing, hair colour, or name initials are straightforward and recommended for younger groups. The Crocodile is also not permitted to tag players who legitimately meet the condition and are walking across; doing so voids the tag and the player continues safely.
How to win more often
- As the Crocodile, pick conditions that split the group unevenly, leaving a large number of runners rather than a small one. More runners means more chances to tag someone.
- As a runner, do not set off the instant the Crocodile announces the condition. Wait a fraction of a second to see which direction the Crocodile moves first, then go the other way.
- Stay near the edge of the playing area rather than the centre when you run. The Crocodile has to cover more ground to reach you, and you have a clear straight line to the safe zone.
- As the Crocodile, resist always moving toward the nearest runner. Feinting toward one player then turning sharply to tag a faster runner who has relaxed is far more effective.
- If you are one of the last two or three players, do not run at the same moment as the others. Let them go first to draw the Crocodile, then run when the Crocodile is committed to the other direction.
Variations
Sharks and Minnows
In this common variation the setting changes from a river to the sea, with the Crocodile replaced by one or more Sharks. Tagged players join the Sharks in the middle and help catch others on subsequent crossings. The game ends when everyone has been caught. This version removes elimination and keeps all children active throughout, making it popular with teachers and group leaders.
Colour Conditions Only
A simplified version for younger or mixed-age groups where the Crocodile is restricted to naming colours only. Players wearing that colour walk across safely; everyone else runs. This removes the need to verify more complex categories and keeps the game moving quickly with children aged four to six.
Reverse Crocodile
In this variation, the Crocodile names a condition and the players who meet it must run, while those who do not meet it walk safely. It rewards listening carefully and wrong-foots players who assume the same rules as the standard game. Best used with older children who are familiar with the original.
Team Crocodile
Two or three children share the Crocodile role from the start and work together to tag runners. This version suits larger groups of twenty or more players where a single Crocodile cannot realistically cover the playing area. The team must agree on conditions together before calling out, which adds a small cooperative element and speeds up eliminations.
Please Mr Crocodile: frequently asked questions
What happens if the Crocodile names a condition that no one meets?
Everyone must run. This is the standard ruling because a condition with no safe walkers is equivalent to a 'run for it' call. To avoid it, the Crocodile should be encouraged to pick observable conditions they can actually see on the group.
Can tagged players come back into the game?
In the standard rules, no. Once tagged, a player is out for that game. If you want to keep all children involved, use the Sharks and Minnows variation, where tagged players join the tagging team instead of sitting out.
How many players do you need to play Please Mr Crocodile?
You need at least four players: one Crocodile and three runners. In practice the game works best with eight or more players. It scales well and can accommodate thirty or forty children in a large playground without any changes to the rules.
What age is Please Mr Crocodile suitable for?
The game is traditionally played from around age four upwards. Younger children under four may find the running and tagging rules harder to follow. There is no upper age limit; it works as an active warm-up game for older groups too.
Does the Crocodile have to stay in the middle?
No. The Crocodile may move freely anywhere in the playing area between the two safe zones. The Crocodile may not enter the safe zones to tag players who are already inside them.
What counts as a tag? Does the Crocodile have to use both hands?
Any clear touch on any part of the runner's body counts as a tag. One hand is sufficient. The touch must be deliberate; accidental brushes that neither player notices at the time are generally not called as tags.
Is there a time limit for runners to cross once the Crocodile gives the condition?
There is no time limit in the standard rules, but runners must commit to crossing rather than hovering at the edge of the safe zone indefinitely. A reasonable house rule, agreed before play begins, is that all runners must leave the safe zone within five seconds of the condition being announced.
Can the Crocodile repeat the same condition on multiple turns?
Yes. There is no rule against it, though it tends to make the game less interesting. If a group finds one child repeatedly walking safely because their colour is always called, a house rule limiting repeated conditions to once per game is a fair adjustment.