<P> Phrase Finder notes "The guessing game was preceded by another children's game called I Spy (or Hy Spy), a variant of what is now called Hide and Seek and was known in the UK from the 18th century ." A 1931 edition of The Age describes I Spy (literally "Eye Spy") as a dynamic variant of Hide and Seek . Another variant was played at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1972 where children heard a tape and watched slides that gave them hints to certain art pieces . One 19th century children's book is entitled "I Spy With My Little Eye". </P> <P> There are many games that are based on this concept, examples being the I Spy series of gamebooks that ask players to find objects in a Where's Wally? - esque setting, and an I Spy computer game . </P> <P> The game and its wording are well known in western popular culture, for example the title of the 2002 horror film My Little Eye uses part of the wording from the game . </P> <P> A US short film directed by Alexandra Nebel entitled I Spy has the following synopsis: "Full of imagination, Mia convinces bored Ingo to play the game of' I Spy' . More and more the game dissolves the ordinary kitchen into a wildly animated sea - adventure dream reality ." </P>

I spy with my little eye game rules