Dingo ate my baby

"A dingo ate my baby!" is a cry popularly attributed to Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, as part of the 1980 death of Azaria Chamberlain case, at Uluru in the Northern Territory, Australia. The Chamberlain family had been camping near the rock when their nine-week-old daughter was taken from their tent. Prosecuting authorities rejected her story about a dingo as far-fetched, securing convictions for murder against her, along with her then-husband Michael Chamberlain as an accessory after the fact. After years of challenge in the courts, both parents were absolved of the crime, and a coroner found that Azaria was indeed killed by a dingo.

In popular culture

The phrase was popularised via the case, but Chamberlain is reported to have either called out to her husband, "the dingo's got my baby," "a dingo took my baby!", "that dog's got my baby!" or "my God, my God, a dingo has got my baby!"

In the 1988 film Evil Angels (also known as A Cry in the Dark), Chamberlain, as played by Meryl Streep, exclaims, "The dingo's got my baby!".

In the 1991 Seinfeld episode "The Stranded", Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) uses the phrase "the dingo ate your baby" while mimicking an Australian accent in a scene at a party.

In the 1994 movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, during a game of charades, a character depicts a famous woman, with a baby, and a canine with Lindy Chamberlain being the answer.

In the 1994 episode of Frasier "Flour Child", when Eddie the dog is attacking a bag of flour, Daphne says in an Australian accent, "That dingo's got your baby."

In the 1995 episode of The Simpsons "Bart vs. Australia", when Bart receives a call from Australia to complain about a prank call, he responds, "Hey, I think I hear a dingo eating your baby!"

In the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the character Oz belonged to a band called Dingoes Ate My Baby.

In a 1998 children's film The Rugrats Movie, the young toddlers are discovered to be missing, resulting in the involvement of law enforcement and the media. There is a line where one of the reporters at the scene asks, "Is it true a dingo ate your baby?"

In the 2003 comedy film Kangaroo Jack, when Charlie and Louis encounter a pack of dingoes in a desert, Louis comments: "Charlie you gotta help me out man they gonna to get me like they got that baby".

In the 2006 episode "Mother Tucker" from Family Guy, Stewie Griffin references the phrase in the announcement, "From the station that reaches the beaches, you're listening to Dingo and the Baby". In the 2012 episode "Vestigial Peter", Peter buys a dingo named Bingo and uses it to get rid of his vestigial twin, Chip Griffin. But the plan backfires and Bingo takes Stewie away.

In the 2008 comedy film Tropic Thunder, "I'm sorry a dingo ate your baby" is a line used by Brandon T. Jackson's character in a mocking way towards Robert Downey Jr.’s character, an Australian actor who plays an African American and gets offended, stating, "You know that’s a true story? Lady lost a kid? You about to cross some lines."

In the 2011 song "Lullaby" by Tim Minchin, appearing to be sung ironically to a baby that won't go to sleep, a reference is made stating "Now all I have left is to hope that a dingo will sneak in and rip off your fat bitching head".

In season 5, episode 20 of the sitcom Modern Family, Claire spends the majority of the family vacation in Australia working on a big project for her company. When the family chide her for this, she tells them how invested she is in the project, repeatedly saying, "It's my baby." Near the end of the episode, whilst trying to complete her presentation, a dingo goes into the tent and steals the laptop. Claire announces to the family, "A wild dog just stole my laptop!", to which Alex responds, "That seems like a missed opportunity."

Further reading

• The Story Behind "The Dingo Ate My Baby" (audio)