Edited by Azizi Powell Latest revision - December 29, 2023
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Tim Scott, Jackfilms, and all those who responded to Tim Scott's questionnaire about "Jingle Bells Batman Spells". Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/12/non-racist-examples-of-childrens-parody.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Non-Racist Examples Of The Children's Parody Songs/rhymes "Jingle Bells Shotgun Shells". Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/12/racist-examples-of-childrens-parody.html for racist examples of those parody rhymes.
**** SOME INFORMATION ABOUT BATMAN,ROBIN, AND THE JOKER Batman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman "Batman[a] is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939. In the DC Universe continuity, Batman is the alias of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and industrialist who resides in Gotham City. [...]
Unlike most superheroes, Batman does not possess any superpowers, instead relying on his intellect, fighting skills, and wealth.
[…]
Batman has been adapted in live-action and animated incarnations, including the 1960s Batman television series played by Adam West and in film by Michael Keaton in Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), and The Flash (2023), Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), George Clooney in Batman & Robin (1997), Christian Bale in The Dark Knight trilogy (2005–2012), Ben Affleck in the DC Extended Universe (2016–2023), and Robert Pattinson in The Batman (2022).”… **** Robin The Boy Wonder From https://bookriot.com/brief-history-of-robin/ A Brief History of Robin: Happy 80th to The Boy Wonder, by
[real name] "RICHARD JOHN GRAYSON (“DICK”) Dick grew up in Haly’s Circus, they youngest member of the Flying Graysons, a family of trapeze artists. When gangster Tony Zucco tampered with the Graysons’ equipment in an attempt to extort the circus, the line on Dick’s parents’ trapeze snapped and they fell to their deaths. Dick was taken in by Bruce Wayne, secretly the vigilante Batman, who was at the show that night and, because of his own history, felt kinship with the boy. In some continuities Dick is Bruce’s legal ward, and in others his adopted son.
Bruce trained Dick to be his sidekick at Dick’s request after learning about Zucco’s involvement in his parents’ deaths, the elder man hoping to channel the young man’s rage in a way no one had been able to do for him. Throughout the 1940s and ’50s, Batman was rarely seen on the page without his sidekick. By the mid-’60s, however, Dick had a side gig with the Teen Titans (Aqualad, Kid Flash, Speedy, and Wondergirl). Tired of playing second fiddle to Batman, Dick relinquished the green underoos in favor of the Nightwing suit in 1984 (time in the Batverse is flexible re: comics)."... **** The Joker From https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Joker_(Batman_1966_TV_Series) "The Joker was a criminal from Gotham City. He was an intelligent, persistent, and dangerous nemesis of Batman and Robin. [...] Origin - Batman (1966 TV Series)
Creators - Jerry Robinson · Bob Kane · Bill Finger · William Dozier , Don Weis · Robert Dozier
First Appearance - "The Joker is Wild" (January 26, 1966)".... **** ARTICLE EXCERPTS ABOUT "JINGLE BELLS BATMAN SMELLS" Excerpt #1: From https://www.cracked.com/blog/the-secret-true-history-jingle-bells-batman-smells "The Secret True History Of Jingle Bells Batman Smells", by Robert Evans, Dec 23, 2015
...." "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" Has A Dark Origin Story
The song we know as "Jingle Bells" was originally called "One Horse Open Sleigh," after a section of the lyrics we apparently care about a lot less than the words "Jingle Bells." The original song was written in 1859 and intended to herald Thanksgiving, not Christmas. At some point over the next century, kids in the South started making it "funny." The earliest one Rob found was from Mississippi around 1950:
Jingle bells, shotgun shells Rabbits all the way Applesauce and sauerkraut And good old pork and beans
That's pretty innocent. And the commenters on Rob's article left many other early non-Batman variations. Oddly enough, most of these involved guns. The habit of making "funny" "Jingle Bells" parodies really seemed to take off during the Civil Rights movement.
Thanks to its ubiquitous Yuletide popularity, everyone knew the basic tune, so it was easy for ad hoc groups of angry racists to come up with charming little ditties like this one from Mississippi in 1961:
Jingle bells, shotgun shells Granny had a gun Pulled that trigger And shot that in 1961 *
The beauty of "Jingle Bells" is that the rhyme scheme is simple enough to adapt on the fly. It's likely that countless variations shot back and forth between kids over the next turbulent decade. The practice was apparently common enough that it earned an official mention in a 1970 biography of Martin Luther King. According to the book, during the 1966 Meredith civil rights march (from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi) "young" and rowdy marchers started chanting this:
Jingle bells, shotgun shells Freedom all the way Oh what fun it is to blast A trooper man away
So, children of the 1960s would've been used to hearing several different (and politically charged) versions of "Jingle Bells" by the time Batman had his TV debut. What's most noteworthy about "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" is that, once invented, it's persisted in the public consciousness right up to this very day. And at the end of an article filled with Vietnam, racism, and suggestions of murder, this actually leaves me pretty optimistic. No amount of hate is as catchy as Batman.” -snip- -snip- *This is the way this example is given in that article. The introduction to that example provides the only clue about the word that is missing after the word "shot" and before the word "in", but it seems obvious to me that the "n word" which rhymes with the word "trigger" was included in that version of that parody. -snip- This publisher thanked Robert Weir for his research on this subject.
**** Excerpt #2 From https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/the-jokers-still-getting-away-celebrating-50-years-of-jingle-bells-batman-smells-233532830.html "The Joker’s still getting away… How 'Jingle Bells, Batman Smells' became the ultimate holiday spoof" published by Marcus Errico·Editor-in-Chief, Yahoo Entertainment, Updated December 13, 2019 You can keep your eggnog, roasting chestnuts, and tidings of comfort and joy. For our inner 10-year-old, nothing says Christmas like Robin’s flatulence. "Every time we hear “Jingle Bells” streaming at home, muzaking away at the mall, or crooned by carolers, our mind immediately goes to the unauthorized version:
Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. The Batmobile lost a wheel, And the Joker got away!
And, with Batman celebrating his 80th birthday in 2019, we thought we dig into the history of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.”
Why did “Jingle Bells” get this particular spoof? By the mid-’60s, the song had proven to be one of the most durable holiday tunes, having been recorded by more than 100 artists, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and even the Beatles. Ubiquity led to parody; Spike Jones’s uptempo romp, Yogi Yorgesson (“Yingle Bells“) and the Three Stooges (“Jingle Bells Drag“) showed that “Jingle Bells” could be played for broader comedic effect.
As writer Rob Weir documents on his blog, children began applying funny lyrics to the song’s simple rhymes and familiar melody at least as early as the 1950s, while wildly racist versions sprung up in the South in the 1950s and 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement.
Based on some pretty convincing evidence, the Joker first got away to the jaunty tune shortly after the launch of the Adam West Batman series in September 1966. The show pulled such huge ratings that ABC aired two episodes a week, and Batman loomed large in the zeitgeist, dominating schoolyard discourse. A deep-dive investigation by Weir and editor Robert Evans of Cracked.com traces the provenance of the “Batman Smells” parody to Southern California. “Jingle Bells” was a perfect fit for Caped Crusader-obsessed kids, and the first version of Bat lyrics surfaced in the 1966 Christmas season. The authors found anecdotes suggesting the song was disseminated quickly via the large number of military families that passed through Southern California in the 1960s."... **** COMMENTS AND EXAMPLES FROM SEVERAL DISCUSSION THREADS These discussion threads are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Discussion Thread #1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5u9JSnAAU4 "I Asked 64,182 People About “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells”. Here's What I Found Out.", published by Tim Scott, June 22, 2020 1. @kencarp57, 2020 "I’m in my 60s, and I clearly remember singing “Robin laid an egg” when I was a kid in Kansas way back IN the 60s... so perhaps The Simpsons popularized it for a new generation, but those words are FAR older."
** 2. @shudheshvelusamy7644, 2020 "The 'laid an egg' version was also sung in 'Batman: The Animated Series'. Could that have also affected the popularity of it in Britain?"
** 3. @CapriUni, 2020 "As an American just old enough to miss being collated in your dataset (I was 8 in '72), I have two hypotheses on why a) America is so culturally homogeneous, and b) "Robin laid an egg" is nigh universal:
B) in America (at least in 1970s, when I was a kid) "laid an egg" is a euphemism for letting loose a smelly fart (thanks to the sulfur smell). And if there's one thing more universal than how kids tease each other, it's how much they revel in fart jokes." ** 4. @ant-fan, 2021 " "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. The Batmobile lost a wheel and Joker got away" was also sung by The Joker in "Christmas with the Joker," the second episode of Batman: The Animated Series from 1992. That's the closest to canon we've gotten, as far as I'm aware. It's also notably before The Simpsons."
** Reply 5. @nanszoo3092, 2022 "that is the version I learned, probably in the 70's (US)"
** Reply 6. @davidkuhn3970, 2022 "I heard this somewhere between 1965 and 1969 and was “Robin laid an egg”. (USA.)" ** Reply 7. @Ifailedeverything, 2022 "Kenny Williams sang this version loudly in Mr. Mattus’ class in 1981. Ray Wiznowski tried asserting the ‘Joker did ballet’ version but Kenny said that was (homophobic slur) and so it was dropped. Correction not 1979 it was 1981." ** Reply 8. @Godkarmachine, 2022 "Definitely heard this one as a kid in the 80s in southern California. I thought it was hilarious when it showed up on Batman TAS.
Though I know the next verse as starting, "Dashing through the snow, in a beat up Chevrolet" "
"Laid an egg" is another slang for "fart". Robin farted on Batman."
Back when Cartoon Network was broadcasting Batman TAS in Eastern Europe."
But here's another interesting tidbit since you're curious about variations on the rhyme: There's an alternate version introduced in the game Batman: Arham Origins. It's a reference to the show, but because Robin and the batmobile don't yet exist in the game, Joker sings "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Gotham's quite a mess. Blackgate's mine and you're out of time which means you'll soon be dead!" It's not an actual rhyme sung by kids of course, but it's a fun fact." ** Reply 14. @JoshuaTootell, 2022 "I have never seen that show and grew up singing that same version in the 80's. Which means the writers got it from somewhere else and used it on the cartoon, but didn't create it. I don't remember seeing that Simpsons episode either."
** Reply 15. @Where2bub, 2022 "I see now that this video cites a Simpsons episode from 1993 with Robert Gullet. However, Bart also sings this song in episode 1, from 1989. not that this matters, because the childrens song has been sung since the 70's or perhaps even longer, as this video has stated. I was born in 1980, and I remember the song being sung before the Simpsons or this batman animated series existed."
** Reply 16. @mar_speedman, 2023 "No. Was singing this in the late 70's and the only version I ever knew about before today was Robin laid an egg. I never watched the batman cartoon and have seen maybe 3 episodes of the Simpsons.
The egg version predates any 90's cartoon." ** Reply 17. @jimmyo, 2023 "I'm 60 and the way it was sung on the Simpsons is how we sang it in NYC in 1970"
As a small child, in grade school, I learned "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid and egg. The Batmobile, lost its wheel and the Joker got away, Hey!" and that would have been around 1976, roughly. But no later than 1979. Consequently, we also learned a little ditty that went, "Batman's in the kitchen, Robin's in the hall, Joker's in the bathroom, peeing on the wall" "
Crashing through the snow On a pair of broken skis Through the hills we go Breaking both our knees
The snow is turning red I think I might be dead And all I want for Christmas Is a hospital bed"
but at some point someone 'corrected me' and changed it to laid an egg. I actually forgot about laid an egg until this video." ** 23. @juliusreiner5733, 2022 "I was born in late 90s USA. While I would’ve answered the “laid an egg” version of the default I def remember kids using the “laid a gun” version as a spoof. I reckon if you’d asked people for any alternate versions they knew they’d have given that one a fair bit" ** 24. @toothfairy10133, 2023 "i didn't even know who robin was, i've never been into superhero comics so i just kinda went with it. i thought uncle billy might've been someone specific too. felt bad for him, even if i didn't actually know what a willy was at the time :( "
"The one I (Aussie) always knew is a weird amalgamation of lots of ones mentioned here: 'Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin ran away. Father Christmas lost his whiskers flying TAA.' Occasionally I'd hear the 'Robin laid an egg', but at least 95% of the time he 'ran away'
Incidentally, the rest of the "gun" version I knew was "Mr. Freeze cut the cheese in 1981".
Jingle bells Batman smells Robin ran away He lost his pants Down in France And found them in Bombay, hay!"... **** Discussion Thread #3 From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNYAbLA9tO8 Jingle Bells, Batman Smells Extended, published by RetroGuy Productions, Apr 23, 2011 1.@yyysgmp, 2016, "jingle bells batman smells robin laid an egg, batmobile lost a wheel and joker takes ballet, hey! jingle bells batman smells 100 miles away, he picks his nose with cheerios and eats it everyday!"
** 3.
"Jingle bells, batman smells, robin laid an egg, the batmobile lost a wheel and joker did ballet"
**
4. @dibeedus4250, 2020
"JINGLE BELLS BATMAN SMELLS ROBIN FLEW AWAY UNCLE BILLY LOST HIS WILLY ON THE MOTORWAY, HEY!"
****
Discussion Thread #4
From https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/hdxap8/jingle_bells_batman_smells_regional_differences/ "Jingle bells, batman smells" (regional differences in a kids song and the name of the game "tag")
1.-acidappols, 2018
"Dashing through the snow, in a pair of broken skis,
O'er the hills we go, crashing into trees!
The snow is turning red, I think I might be dead,
I woke up in the hospital with (???)* in my head!
Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg!
The Batmobile lost its wheel, and the Joker did ballet!
GTA, Canada. This was around the early 2010's.
*I forgot what that word was. I think it started with "snow"."
Tag
Reply
2. jolasveinarnir, 2019
"I know that one too! Seattle, still not quite an adult. I know it as “stitches in my head.” I also know the “Robin laid a gun” part though."
3. -Ariadnepyanfar, 2019
"Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away!
Wonder Woman lost her bosom
Flying TAA!
1970s, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia."
4. Aging Lolita, 2019
"Jingle Bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Uncle Billy
Lost his willy
On the M1 motorway"
Tig.
Leicestershire 1985 -1996"
**
5. ritapapoon,
2019
"Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away.. Wonder
Womandid a fart and blew up USA.
NZ mid 80s"
**
6.undergrand,2019
".. Robin flew away, Kojak lost his lollipop and bought
a milky way
Greenock, Scotland ,1990s"
-snip-
This is how that comment is written in that discussion thread. undergrand wrote this comment right afterwards:
""I've known this song my whole life, but only googled
Kojak today (to check how to spell it) and discovered he's a cop in a 70's
American crime drama known for always having a lollipop."
**
7. niconiconeko,
2019
"Jingle Bells Batman Smells
Robin flew away
Wonder Woman lost her bra and
Found it in the USA....
Victoria Australia 90s. Also called it Chasey or
Tiggy."
**
8.xcrisscrossx,
2019
"Circa 2000 in Indiana
Robin laid an egg
Mr. Freeze cut the cheese
and Joker joined ballet"
**
9. -MJZ
Man, 2019
"... Robin laid an egg, The batmobile lost a wheel
And the joker got away!
Tag"
-snip-
This is the way this comment was written in that discussion thread.
**
10. Historical_Series252,
2023
robin flew away
he lost his pants in the middle of france and didnt know
what to say hay!'
tiggy, tag"
****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.
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