Cat and mouse (playground game)

Cat and mouse is a chasing game played by children in a gymnasium or on a playground, built around a circle formed by the other players holding hands. Two players are chosen from the group to take the roles of Cat and Mouse; the Mouse stays near or inside the circle and the Cat tries to catch it while the ring of players raises and lowers its joined hands to let the Mouse pass through gaps and, often, to block the Cat from following the same way through. The game ends when the Cat successfully catches the Mouse, after which two new players are usually chosen to take over the roles and play begins again. Wikipedia describes many further regional and classroom variations on the basic chase, changing how the ring behaves, how new players are chosen, or how the Cat and Mouse are allowed to move, but the core structure of one chaser, one target, and a ring of players controlling the space between them stays constant across versions. As a simple, equipment-free chasing game, it belongs to the same broad family of playground games as tag and its many regional cousins.