No Goose? The Truth About ‘Duck, Duck, Gray Duck’ In Minnesota

With back-to-school season now in full swing, we send kids back for another year of learning and having fun with their friends while also reminiscing about our times at school.

While it's fun to look back at the times we had in junior high and high school, there are also things we'd like to forget. For me, that would be my year or two where I thought it would be a great idea to have a permed mullet and wear athletic wristbands as a fashion accessory.

However, what really shaped who we are today are the experiences that we had even further back when we were just little kids beginning our school years. It's also where one of Minnesota's greatest debates stems from.

Some arguments never seem to go away. Oh, sure they'll take a rest for a while, but they inevitably return for a variety of reasons, such as the reminiscing that happens when kids start a new school year.

A Fun Childhood Game Becomes A Great Minnesota Debate

I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, and started my public school education in kindergarten at Grant Elementary School (Go Grizzlies!). There are a lot of things I remember about that time, such as reading time and the smell of the graham crackers and juice we'd have as a snack.

I also remember playing 'Duck, Duck, Goose'. I'm sure you're well aware of that game when everyone sits in a circle while facing each other, while another kid walks around tapping people on the head saying "Duck" with each tap.

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There is a lot of anticipation because as soon as the word "Goose" is yelled with a tap on the head, that kid has to spring up and try to tag that kid who tapped them before they make it around to claim their spot in the circle.

'Duck, Duck, Goose' is well known throughout the United States, with every state knowing the name of the game and how to play. However, Minnesota is different from the other 49 states as there is a large portion of the state who can't get over the fact that I keep calling it 'Duck, Duck, Goose'.

They will insist that is not the name of the game at all and the rest of America has it all wrong. Then begins another great 'Duck, Duck, Goose' versus 'Duck, Duck, Gray Duck' debate.

'Duck, Duck, Gray Duck'?!

I first heard the name 'Duck, Duck, Gray Duck' as I got older and met friends from the Twin Cities who lightheartedly took offense to me calling the game 'Goose'. Who would've thought things could be so different within the same state?

This came up again last week, so I did a little research and a great resource was an article written years ago by Austen Macalus, which the Star Tribune published after this famous debate had popped up once again.

Macalus contacted "self-proclaimed 'Duck, Duck, Gray Duck' expert (don't ask) Christopher Pollard who didn't have a definitive answer, but he had a theory I'd totally buy into.

Minnesota's Scandinavian Roots Might Be The Culprit

Pollard believed that Minnesota's Scandinavian roots were the reason a part of the state differed from the rest of the nation game's name.

He shared that he had discovered that two versions of the game existed in Sweden. One is called "Anka Anka Gås," which translates into "Duck, Duck Goose." The other was "Anka Anka Grå Anka," which translates into "Duck, Duck, Gray Duck."

His theory, which he admits is just a "happy and fun hypothesis", is that the Swedes who played the second version, "Grå Anka," were the ones who settled in Minnesota the part of Minnesota that clings to that name to this day.

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That would lead one to believe that the Swedes who settled in Northern Minnesota were the ones who played the first version, "Gås", which is why I and everyone else raised in the area will always call it 'Duck, Duck, Goose'.

That makes sense to me! The bottom line is whatever we choose to call it, it's a game that hopefully never goes away. Who knows, as more people who were raised in an area of Minnesota who called it 'Gray Duck' move to other parts of the country and raise families, perhaps that name will grow in popularity.