rikki tikki tembo

Cafe Society
1

I’m not sure that this counts as “literature” in the forum description, but it’s a story, and a book I remember… Mods please move if I got this one wrong.

I have heard at least three versions of rikki tikki’s name. Two of them online, and one of them in the story that my grandfather and mother told me. I can provide links if requested, but I hesitate to do so because the links include the full text of the story, and it could be copyrighted. Just do a google search on the variations of the names.

The story is about two brothers who each fall down the well, and because rikki tikki has such a long name, he drowns because it takes his brother so long to say his name and raise the alarm.

The first one I heard was in a picture book I had as a child. There was: tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo said to mean "the most wonderful think in the world, and his brother Chang said to mean “little or nothing”.

The second version I have heard is tikki tikki tembo no sarimbo hari kari bushki perry pembo do hai kai pom pom nikki no meeno bom barako and his brother Sam.

The final version I heard is the one my mother and grandfather use: rikki tikki tembo no sa rembo hari bari buski pip pi perido hi tee pom pom ichio mee ono dom bianko and his brother Tom. (I don’t know the spelling, and searching on this variation may not help).

My question is: What are the real names of r/tikki tikki tembo and his brother? And secondly, do the names mean anything?

2

It probably doesn’t help much, but this is the version that I remember, and it’s the only one I have ever heard of.

3

My memory is of the first one as well. A quick Google search for “Tikki Tikki Tembo” seems to back it up.

As for your Grandparents’ version, they might have gotten the “Rikki” from “Rikki Tikki Tavi”, a story about a brave little mongoose. I used to confuse those names as well.

4

We have the first version, from the book, at home. My kids loved it, back when they were a tad bit younger.

5

niki niki tembo, no so rembo, ooo mah muchi, gomma gomma guchi in tulsa in the 60s.

6

rikki tikki tembo, no sa rembo, cheri beri ruchi, pip peri pimbo, kiki pom pom, mishy may no amobo, dambo rico…

as I learned it in Chicago back in the middle sixties, during library time. Don’t recall whether it was a book, or simply a story told by the librarian.

7

I heard it as rikki tikki tembo no sa rembo cheri beri buchi pip peri pembo and his brother chang. And it was from a book, and I recall seeing the “rikki tikki” there on the page, so it’s not that I’m confusing him with a mongoose. :wink:

8

That’s the version I remember. The townspeople called him “Long name no can say.”

9

Another niki niki checking in.

10

This reminds me of the old song by The Brothers Four. A google search shows many variations of the character’s name, but I remember it as “Eddie Cootchie Catchie Kama Tosa Nara Tosa Nocka Samma Camma Wacky Brown”.

To the well
Everybody came
What a shame
It took so long to say his name that
Eddie Cootchie Catchie Kama Tosa Nara Tosa Nocka Samma Camma Wacky Brown
(Who?)
Eddie Cootchie Catchie Kama Tosa Nara Tosa Nocka Samma Camma Wacky Brown
Drowned.

11

This is the one I remember too. (1980’s, book.)

12

Tikki Tikki Tembo. It was my impression that this is a traditional tale, so there could be other books spelled differently.

13

…However, after looking on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookfinder, I find plenty of Tikki Tikki Tembo and Rikki Tikki Tavi, but not a single Rikki Tikki Tembo. Googling produces some secondary references to Rikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, but she is actually the author of Tikki Tikki Tembo.

But again, it appears this story predates the Mosel book, so spellings will probably vary. I just found a thread elsewhere that is similar to this one. Some people say Tikki Tikki Tembo, some say Rikki Tikki Tembo, and some say Nikki Nikki Tembo, which they swear was recorded to vinyl in the 60’s or so. One person even provided a link to an mp3 of it, but it didn’t work for me.

14

My eldest cat was named Tiki Tiki etc. (the picture book version), as she is a Siamese, and the Asian name thing seemed appropriate. And when my second cat adopted me, much against my and Tiki’s will, I couldn’t think of a better name then Chang. Of course, being jealous siblings, they never really learned to like each other, and the photographic evidence shows: My Tiki and Chang Seconds before this picture was taken, they were sitting next to each other like perfect little furry angels. Then BLAMO.

15

that’s the one i remember, but i don’t remember from what!! (Quad Cities in the 80s)

16

well, i remember it from a vinyl played in our theater class in second grade.

17

I seem to recall something like “rikki tikki timbo noso minbo hoy poy something something pondo hiki pan pan nikki nome adom poy” (all phonetic, of course). From a Sheri Lewis record when I was a kid in the '60’s.
StG

18

I was just hinking about that the other day. My brothers and I agree it’s the first one.

19

I remember singing a folk song when I taught at a camp… Had that name in it.