“DIB, DIB, DIB”… not quite! Why I’m correcting the over-40s!

Whenever I say I work for ScoutsCymru you can pretty much guarantee two reactions from anyone over 40:

“DIB, DIB, DIB!” and/or

“Where’s your woggle?”

Let’s look at both, of those, shall we?

It’s DYB, DYB, DYB not DIB, DIB, DIB!

The chant everybody thinks of comes from the old Cub ceremony, the Grand Howl. I know! Cool huh?? BUT it wasn’t “DIB” at all - it was DYB, short for Do Your Best. The reply was DOB - Do Our Best. That call-and-response was built around the Cub motto and promise, and it’s been documented for decades. In 1966 the UK updated how Cubs do it (using plain language rather than the “dybs” and “dobs”), but the spirit is the same: doing your best, together.

So yes, I'm sure I will continue to be the person quietly mouthing “DYB” under my breath and surreptitiously rolling my eyes! It’s a public service!

So, what about the woggle?? Where's it gone!

Short answer: it hasn’t gone... it’s just got company.

The woggle (the little ring that keeps your necker (the scarf that goes around our neck), dates back to the 1920s, popularised at Gilwell Park and eventually written into scouting guidance by Baden-Powell himself.

But if you’ve noticed more young people (and me!) tying a friendship knot instead, you’re not imagining it.

There are a few practical and cultural reasons:

• It’s allowed!: UK Scouts uniform rules explicitly permit either a woggle or a friendship knot for many sections and adults - though some specific contexts still specify a woggle, and certain events (like Windsor for King’s/Queen’s Scout Award holders) say no friendship knots on the day.

• It’s global and symbolic: the friendship knot is used worldwide and carries a clear meaning - binding two ends together as a sign of friendship. Scouts even teach it as a skill, and it pops up around World Scout events as an easy way to connect with others.

• It’s practical: young people move - a lot. Knots don’t fall off in a game of dodgeball. Leaders also mention the very down-to-earth issue of lost woggles (knots are harder to misplace).

• It’s a fashion/peer trend: jamborees and large gatherings normalise the knot - you see a mass of friendship knots, you copy it.

So no, the woggle hasn’t been cancelled. It’s still part of the look, it’s historic, and in some settings it’s required. But the friendship knot has become a friendly, practical alternative that fits how young people actually live and play in 2025.

Whether you’re a die-hard woggle traditionalist or Team Friendship Knot, the heart of Scouting hasn’t changed: we do our best together. DYB and DOB were about trying, learning and looking out for one another. A little ring of leather, or a tidy knot, is just the way we wear that promise where everyone can see it.

So now that’s cleared up, I’m off to DYB, DYB, DYB my way through the week.