Today’s One Big Happy has Ruthie, once again, coping with an unfamiliar expression whose meaning is at least roughly clear to her:
She and her brother Joe need someone who can help settle their fight by treating each of them equally, and she’s got the /mídi/ initial part and the /étǝr/ final part, but the combination of the two isn’t familiar to her, so she fills a middle part in to make the whole familiar: /ǝm/ to complete /mídi/ and the minimal consonant /h/ to precede /étǝr/. To give /mídiǝm hétǝr/.
I’m immensely entertained by Ruthie’s eggcornish reinterpretations (sometimes, probably, mishearings), though I’m dubious they all come from real kids. But they’re ingenious.
The minimal Wikipedia entry tells us that in addition to drawing OBH, the artist, Rick Detorie, has
written and illustrated several children’s books, among them The Haunted House Activity Book and the soon-to-be-released Haunted House Storybooks and Magic Answer Books.
Detorie’s illustrations have appeared in motion pictures, record albums, greeting cards, jigsaw puzzles, toys, games, kites, posters, pencils, lunch boxes, napkins and Burger King Meal Packs.
I was intrigued by the BK connection, but eventually found the explanation in an Alpha Comedy writeup of Detorie:
He drew Alvin & The Chipmunks for Bagdasarian Productions during the height of their popularity surge from 1981-1986. In addition to their storybooks and record album covers, he designed and illustrated most of The Chipmunks’ merchandise, from paper dolls and stickers to backpacks and Burger King Meal Packs.
Oh dear, we’re now into the Christmas commercial season (and, in two days, into the Christmas religious season: this Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent), so the Chipmunks are about to assault us once again. From Wikipedia:
The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual; and Theodore, the chubby, impressionable one.
… The Chipmunks first officially appeared on the scene in a novelty record released in late fall 1958 by [Ross] Bagdasarian. The song, originally listed on the record label (Liberty F-55168) as “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”, featured the singing skills of the chipmunk trio.
Squeak, squeak.
Leave a Reply