Talk:Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini

Subject of song

How do we know that the subject of the song is a toddler? Rufus Sarsaparilla 21:20, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

I agree -- there's nothing in the lyrics to suggest the subject is a toddler. Where did this information come from? 66.17.105.226 21:47, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

I think it's original research based on the song's inclusion on children's tapes these days. --Dhartung | Talk 23:06, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Polka dots

Is the song about a yellow bikini with polka dots or about a bikini with yellow polka dots? Metamorphousthe 01:27, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

The words of the English version of the song are ambiguous. However, the hit cover version sung in French by Dalida in 1960, the same year the song débuted in the U.S., makes it clear that the polka dots are yellow (on a red swimsuit):

« Son petit itsi bitsi piti oui tout petit petit bikini

Qu'elle mettait pour la première fois

Elle n'itsi bitsi piti oui tout petit petit bikini

Un bikini rouge et jaune p'tits pois »

Since the text of the four verses in French are nearly identical in meaning to the original English, it is contemporaneous with it, and the French version must have been authorized by the composer, this is probably as close as you'll get to an answer. Here it is at: YouTube Tchao ! Charvex (talk) 03:58, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Itsy Bitsy - icipici

I found out the other day that the Hungarian word "icipici", which is nearly pronounced as "itsy bitsy", means "tiny". Now I wonder: did the author know of this? Was "itsy bitsy" a common American English idiom derived from Hungarian before the song was written? Or has the word even been incorporated into the Hungarian language from the song? He who asks this is a native German speaker. --87.186.87.213 14:56, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

Itsy bitsy is a corruption of "little bit" -- 12.116.162.162 20:18, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

"I found out the other day that the Hungarian word "icipici", which is nearly pronounced as "itsy bitsy", means "tiny". Now I wonder: did the author know of this?"

No doubt in my mind whatsoever - AJS. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.86.124.224 (talk) 09:49, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

It is in fact highly unlikely that the author of the lyrics knew of the Hungarian term "icipici", which may not even have existed at that time. The English expression "itsy bitsy" is baby talk derived from the words "little bit", so it most definitely does not come from Hungarian. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English expression was in existence by 1938, and was used by Raymond Chandler in a story in 1939. It is much more likely that the Hungarian word "icipici" (which according to the online Hungarian Dictionary http://szotar.sztaki.hu/index.hu.jhtml, means "teeny-weeny") is a transliteration of the English term. It may have entered the Hungarian language after Brian Hyland's song became an international hit.Paulannis (talk) 11:22, 23 December 2009 (UTC).

I knew the 'icipici' expression, meaning 'tiny', in Hungary when I was a child there in the 1940s. It is more likely that it was an adaptation of the English expression from the 1930s, see above. By the way, 'Pici' is used in Hungarian, meaning 'small'.(Nov 2013)

Authorship

I have heard that the song was originally penned by Brian Hyland when he was visiting the oceanfront cabin of relatives in Yachats, Oregon, USA. It is a widespread popular rumor in Yachats. Does anyone know if this is true? Marycerro 16:34, 22 April 2007 (UTC)MaryCerroMarycerro 16:34, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

This seems unlikey, since it appears to be universally agreed that the song was not written by Brian Hyland, but by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, as stated in the first paragraph.Paulannis (talk) 11:24, 23 December 2009 (UTC)

"Polka Dot" vs. "Polkadot"

According to the original single's cover ([1] from [2]), the title should read "Polkadot" instead of "Polka Dot". --FordPrefect42 (talk) 23:52, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

I noticed that too and checked it at 45.cat.com. Changed. Rothorpe (talk) 00:55, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

Controversy?

I feel that the first section of this article, concerning the controversy over a "false obituary", is very confusing and hard to read, and needs cleaning up and clarification. 70.226.161.16 (talk) 21:57, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Genre incorrect?

Here's a truly unimportant issue. The infobox lists the genre as "Bubblegum pop." However, according to Wikipedia's own article, Bubblegum pop is generally dated to 1968. Given a lack of a reference for the claim, shouldn't we change the genre to something generic like "novelty song," as used elsewhere in the article? --Larry/Traveling_Man (talk) 03:15, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Not sure whether novelty song is really a genre, but if it can be considered such, then you'd be right... AnonMoos (talk) 09:36, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

Good point. Changing it from one questionable name to another is no improvement. Given my lack of knowledge in the area, perhaps it's best to just let things be. --Larry/Traveling_Man (talk) 15:22, 1 December 2016 (UTC)