Knock, knock, ginger (also known as knock down ginger, ding dong ditch and numerous variants) is a prank or game dating back to 19th-century England, or possibly the earlier Cornish traditional holiday of Nickanan Night. The game is played by children in many cultures. It involves knocking on the front door (or ringing the doorbell) of a victim, then running away before the door can be answered.
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The name knock down ginger or knocky door ginger, used in Britain, comes from a British poem:
Ginger, Ginger broke a winder Hit the winda – crack! The baker came out to give 'im a clout And landed on his back.Name variations
The game in various forms is known by different names geographically, including the following:
Legality
Victims of this prank are not likely to call the police, but if they decide to, the "doorbell ditcher" can face charges of trespassing and disturbing the peace. In the United Kingdom, trespassing is a civil matter rather than a criminal one, and the police will not compile a case for a victim. However, under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, it is a criminal offence to "wilfully and wantonly disturb any inhabitant, by pulling or ringing any door bell, or knocking at any door" punishable with up to 14 days' imprisonment.
Michael Bishop, a 56-year-old man in Louisville, Kentucky, shot at a group of children playing ding dong ditch at his house on 13 June 2011. A 12-year-old boy was hit in the back with a shotgun blast and "the boy was taken to Kosair Children's Hospital with what police call non-life-threatening injuries". The shooter was charged with attempted murder. On December 8, 2015, his final day in office, outgoing Kentucky governor Steve Beshear issued 197 pardons, including a pardon for Michael Bishop.
A 14-year-old Oklahoma teenager, Cole Peyton, was shot in back and arm while playing "ding dong ditch" in the early hours of New Year’s Day of 2016.