# How many young people have ever heard Tiny Tim singing "Tiptoe Through The Tulips"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242 "2005-04-26T20:39:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/41 "2005-04-27T18:48:27Z")
1. I’ve seen both him singing Tiptoe and his marriage to Miss Vicky on “Best of Carson” shows, although that was years ago. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/42 "2005-04-27T19:05:05Z")
[An excellent article](http://www.tinytim.org/articles/the_naked_truth_all.html) about Mr. Tim, from the Tiny Tim web site. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/43 "2005-04-27T21:52:03Z")
1. Have a bunch of his songs on my computer as mp3s. “Living in the Sunlight, Loving in the Moonlight” is his best piece, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/44 "2005-04-27T23:54:28Z")
57 years 361 days. I remember seeing him on Johnny Carson, though I did miss the marriage with Miss Vicky. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/45 "2005-04-28T01:49:39Z")
I’m 45, and was thus in third grade when Herbert Khoury\* released _Tiptoe Through the Tulips_. Our school bus driver played the radio, and I can remember a girl named Jodi C. hearing the opening notes of the novelty hit one day and delightedly squealing to one of her friends: “Ooh, listen, it’s Tiny Tim!” My brother Mark was three years old at the time, and our Aunt Karen tried to get him to sing the lyrics for her when she visited us. A few months later, I got my first copy of MAD magazine (after reading the satirical publication for years at the barber shop) as a birthday present. One of the features described and depicted various creatures that were created by superimposing then-current celebrities’ heads onto animal bodies. The Tiny Timpanzee was one denizen of this bestiary. A short snippet of _Tiptoe_ can be heard [here](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001AUU/104-9609457-3031928?v=glance), although the selection was apparently recorded in the mid-1980’s, long after Mr. Tim’s heyday. Still, that’s the voice we all so fondly and/or cringingly remember. - The real name of Tiny Tim, who’s one of many famous folks mentioned in [this article](http://www.bazbina.com/articles/articles-Arab-americans.htm) by his fellow Arab-American, Casey Kasem. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/46 "2005-04-28T02:26:32Z")
41 and seen snippets on clip shows. I’ve seen more of his marraige than him singing. In what year did he get married on the Tonight Show? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/47 "2005-05-07T13:51:24Z")
TT married Miss Vicki in 1969. I’ve seen clips of him on Laugh-In. Fairly ridiculous. But what really creeped me out was the context. It was a Laugh-In reunion show. Everyone else (save Dan Rowan, who was recently departed) was reminiscing about old times, really happy to see each other again. All TT talked about was himself. Not even what he’d done on the show, just his current projects, such as they were. He didn’t directly acknowledge any of the other cast members, and seemed to have no interest in anecdotes that didn’t concern him. Rarely have I seen such a level of self-absorption. And I’m well aware of how hard and far he fell from grace (I believe he couldn’t even pay off Miss Vicki’s wedding ring). Still, jeez. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/48 "2005-05-08T23:53:57Z")
Since my first post, I’ve been trying to remember what song he sang on the **Jerry Lewis Telethon** soon after his Laugh-In appearance. Today it hit me–it was Bill Haley’s **Shake, Rattle and Roll.** IIRC, he only sang the chorus in his infamous falsetto. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/49 "2005-05-09T00:01:11Z")
I’m 42. I have seen the entire tape of him singing the song. I’ve seen clips of his wedding to Miss Vicki. Weird? This is television. Lots of things are weird… Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/50 "2005-05-09T00:07:09Z")
1. I’ve seen it. I’ve also seen a porn flick that featured the song during one of the, uh, “jiggly scenes.” I don’t know what the name of the porn movie was, but it was shot on film (not video) and the “plot” had something to do with some hippies and a college campus, so I’d guess it was made in the 70s. Come to think of it, I’m not sure it was Tiny Tim’s version of the song that was in the movie, but it might have been. It was either him or a woman singing it. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/51 "2005-05-09T04:42:05Z")
30, thanks to Nick At Nite I have seen in full several of Tiny Tim’s performance on Laugh In. I also own a VHS copy of [THIS!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092671/) I believe that IMDB is wrong and he played the _Magnificent_ Mervo. Either way, you get a scene of him dressed as a clown, sobbing and singing hymns. Does anybody have his country song If You’re Gonna Leave Me (Then Leave Me Satisfied)? I heard a clip when it was released and it’s stuck with me all these years. This probably due to it being the first time I’d heard him sing in his real voice. **Eve** The only other time I’ve heard po-mo used, it mas Moe Syzlack. ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/52 "2005-05-09T05:10:30Z")
1. I’ve heard it. Kind of creepy. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/53 "2005-05-09T05:55:01Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I also own a VHS copy of [THIS!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092671/) Wow. Possibly the most obscure movie trivia question ever: “What film starred Tiny Tim and Peter Krause (from _Six Feet Under_ and _Sports Night_)?” I also can’t help noticing that very few of the cast or crew members have been involved in any other projects at all. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/54 "2005-05-09T12:31:09Z")
42…saw it all… Tiny was a fascinating interview on the Howard Stern show. He seemed borderline OCD with all of his cleaning regimine. He was evidently quite religeous, and would not allow any type of blaspheme. (Caused him to shun the show for quite some time. Tiny Was unique. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/55 "2005-05-09T13:16:48Z")
Back around 1987-88, when ‘Elvis sightings’ were first becoming frequent, a Balt/DC radio station (WAVA-FM?) played a new song by Tiny Tim: “I Saw Elvis Presley Tiptoeing Through the Tulips”. He sang it in his trademark falsetto, except for the brief passage where he quotes the King as saying, “thank you very much”. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/56 "2005-05-09T15:14:57Z")
I remember it, I think, from Laugh-in. I am 43. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/57 "2005-05-09T19:27:52Z")
I’m almost 21, and I’ve never even **heard** of Tiny Tim, except as a character in a particular Dickens novel. The phrase “tiptoe through the tulips” rings a bell, but I never knew it was a song. Could someone direct me to where I might find a video of this apparently truly eccentric character’s performance of that song? ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/58 "2005-05-09T22:21:06Z")
I’m 17 and have heard it, but was hearing Pepe Le Pew sing it when i was ~5. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242/59 "2005-05-09T22:53:02Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > I’m almost 21, and I’ve never even **heard** of Tiny Tim, except as a character in a particular Dickens novel. The phrase “tiptoe through the tulips” rings a bell, but I never knew it was a song. Could someone direct me to where I might find a video of this apparently truly eccentric character’s performance of that song? It’s disturbing, in the way that kids today will not be prepared to encounter. Sure, we have Marilyn Manson, but he learned his schtick from Alice Cooper, Like Rob Zombie and GWAR learned theirs from Kiss, King Crimson and WASP. If you can handle Tiny Tim, you might be ready for _H.R. Puffinstuff_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-young-people-have-ever-heard-tiny-tim-singing-tiptoe-through-the-tulips/301242.md?page=2)