Where Is Thumbkin?

This is a finger play song that creates a finger usage game where each finger is introduced in turn, and it is usually sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques," the traditional French nursery rhyme. "Where Is Thumbkin?" is an English-language children's song of American origin with earlier versions sung in the early 20th century, gaining significant popularity after being featured in the PBS series Barney & Friends, specifically appearing in Barney in Concert. The song helps children learn about their fingers and develop fine motor skills through its simple, repetitive phrases and actions, with various versions of the lyrics existing and regional differences in the United States. The tune "Frère Jacques" (meaning "Brother John" in English) is a well-known French nursery rhyme traditionally sung as a round, telling the story of a friar who has overslept and needs to wake up to ring the bells for matins (early morning prayers). The earliest known version of the "Frère Jacques" melody dates back to a French manuscript from around 1780 titled "Recueil de Timbres de Vaudevilles," where it was labeled "Frère Blaise," with the tune first published in 1811 and both words and music appearing together in Paris in 1869, and French musicologist Sylvie Bouissou has presented research suggesting that the esteemed 18th-century composer Jean-Philippe Rameau may have composed the melody.