Korean Rock, Paper, Scissors

October 17, 2006 1:06 AM

Korean rochambeau?

While in Seoul this weekend, my SO and I happened into an icebar where some college kids were celebrating a birthday. I was dragged to the center of their circle and asked to play Rock Paper Scissors with the birthday girl, after which the loser of each round had to drink.

Each time it was my turn, I played RPS, but the Koreans each took turns playing a different version, in which they held their hands up in the shape of a crane — one hand cocked at the wrist like a shadow puppet or both arms out to the side (think Karate Kid style). There was another movement too but my brain is foggy from there.

The concept of the game was exactly the same as RPS — only the motions were different. I have also seen this game on TV here. What is it and how do you play? What do the hand motions represent? One girl told me it was called something that sounded like "dibby dibby dib"?!

P.S. this was not janken pol, which as I understand uses the same hand movements as RPS.

posted by Brittanie to society & culture (4 comments total)

Aha!

This seems to be a recent game. It's pretty much called "dibby dibby dib" (디비디비딥) and seems to stem from this television game show. Here's a youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVfqgo7iiUU

It's not RPS as much as it is 'match the other person's motions'. There are three positions, and while one person recites 'dibby dibby dib', both parties are supposed to pose at the 'dib'. If their positions are the same, then the challenger wins; if not, they go again.

And here's a flash game, as well.
posted by suedehead at 4:17 AM on October 17, 2006

My best friend is Korean and all through high school we played a game he calls "Moo Chi Pa". Moo = rock, chi = scissors, pa = paper. It's like rock paper scissors at first, except it has two rounds.

First round, you try to beat the other person. Second round, whoever won then needs to make the other person make the some shape. So if I'm in the "lead" I want to predict what my opponent is going to do and do the same thing. If I think he'll do "chi" I play "chi". If he plays "pa" instead then we keep going. However if he plays "moo" and tops me then we switch roles. He is the leader and now wants to trick me into matching him.

Oh, you also have to say "moo", "chi", or "pa" each time you make a shape, which made it extra-interesting for us Americans since we tended to say rock/paper/scissors in English and lose.

Not exactly the same as what you're describing, but it's funny that there might actually be two variations on rock/paper/scissors in Korea.
posted by Khalad at 5:25 AM on October 17, 2006

Whee! Suedehead hit it! In fact, that's the exact show I've seen it on. I was a bit tipsy when the girl told me the game was called Dibby Dibby Dib and wasn't sure I heard right.

So much fun as a drinking game.
posted by Brittanie at 5:38 AM on October 17, 2006

Sounds like you have your answer, but here's a relevant recent thread about rochambeau, janken pol etc.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:39 AM on October 17, 2006