Liedtext (Lyrics)
Der vollständige Liedtext von „Das ist der Daumen“ mit englischer Übersetzung.
Das ist der Daumen, der schüttelt die Pflaumen, der hebt sie auf, der trägt sie nach Haus, und der Kleine isst sie alle auf.
#English translation
This is the thumb, that shakes down the plums, this one picks them up, this one carries them home, and the little one eats them all up.
#Das ist der Daumen at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- Sung in
- German
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- documented by 1891 (Kasseler Kinderliedchen)
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
Meaning and origin
This is the German cousin of “This Little Piggy” — a rhyme played not on the toes but on the fingers. You take the child’s hand and touch each finger as you name it: the thumb shakes the plums from the tree, the next picks them up, the next carries them home, and the smallest finger, coming last, cheerfully eats the whole lot. In five short lines a child meets all five fingers and a little joke at the same time.
It is genuinely old and has no single author — a rhyme handed down by word of mouth, especially in Thuringia. A version was already printed in the Kasseler Kinderliedchen in 1891, and folklorists have collected many local variants: the littlest finger is sometimes a “Schelm” (a little rogue), sometimes a “Wicht” or other name, and in some versions he tattles on the others instead of eating the plums.
What keeps it alive is its usefulness. Almost every culture has a rhyme that runs through the fingers or toes one by one, because it is such a natural way to hold a baby’s attention and teach counting and body parts at once. The German answer is this small orchard story — five fingers, a tree of plums, and a greedy little finger at the end.
Common questions
- How do you play "Das ist der Daumen"?
- You take the child's hand and touch each finger in turn as you name it: the thumb shakes the plums off the tree, the next finger picks them up, the next carries them home — and the little finger eats them all up. It is a way of teaching a young child their five fingers through a tiny story.
- How old is "Das ist der Daumen"?
- It is a traditional rhyme with no known author, passed on by word of mouth (especially in Thuringia). A version was already printed in the "Kasseler Kinderliedchen" in 1891, so it has been in circulation since at least the 19th century.
- Is "Das ist der Daumen" like an English rhyme?
- Yes — it is the German counterpart of "This Little Piggy", the English toe-counting game. Both name the digits one by one and give the smallest a comic ending, though the German version is about plums rather than a trip to market.
