Just the number. Over and over. Teachers are banning it. Parents are confused. It seems like pure internet brainrot—until you meet Iona and Peter Opie.
In the 1950s, this British couple spent decades documenting children's folklore across playgrounds in the UK. They discovered something remarkable: the rhymes kids thought were brand new in 1954 actually originated in 1725 ballads and 1840s minstrel songs. Children had been passing them down for centuries, modifying them slightly with each generation, creating an unbroken chain of playground memes before "meme" was even a word.
The Opies understood what modern parents don't: kids use nonsense phrases to fill awkward silences, mock the adult world, and express emotions they can't articulate. "67" isn't destroying childhood—it's proof that despite screens and algorithms, kids are still creating their own secret language, just like they have for 300 years.
Our team discovered this story while researching Gen Alpha's strangest trends. It's the kind of thing that makes you wonder: what phrases from your childhood are still being whispered on playgrounds today?
by JS
for the AdAI Ed. Team
