# rikki tikki tembo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2002, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598 "2002-08-26T10:25:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robinc308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/1 "2002-08-26T10:25:05Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/2 "2002-08-26T13:16:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by robinc308 \* > \*\*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** \*\* 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. ---
**Author:** ![peasea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc79bd/32.png) [@peasea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peasea)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/3 "2002-08-26T13:25:24Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/4 "2002-08-26T15:17:10Z")
We have the first version, from the book, at home. My kids loved it, back when they were a tad bit younger. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/5 "2002-08-27T01:37:45Z")
niki niki tembo, no so rembo, ooo mah muchi, gomma gomma guchi in tulsa in the 60s. ---
**Author:** ![snac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@snac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snac)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/6 "2002-08-27T04:39:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/7 "2002-08-27T04:53:06Z")
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. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kawliga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kawliga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kawliga)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/8 "2002-08-27T07:33:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handsomeharry \* > \*\*niki niki tembo, no so rembo, ooo mah muchi, gomma gomma guchi in tulsa in the 60s. \*\* That’s the version I remember. The townspeople called him “Long name no can say.” ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/9 "2002-08-27T09:39:15Z")
Another niki niki checking in. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/10 "2002-08-27T12:51:43Z")
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._ ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/11 "2002-08-27T13:05:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kat \* > \*\*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. 😉 \*\* This is the one I remember too. (1980’s, book.) ---
**Author:** ![peasea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc79bd/32.png) [@peasea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peasea)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/12 "2002-08-27T13:42:31Z")
[Tikki Tikki Tembo](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?endeca=1&ean=9780805011661). It was my impression that this is a traditional tale, so there could be other books spelled differently. ---
**Author:** ![peasea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc79bd/32.png) [@peasea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peasea)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/13 "2002-08-27T15:45:30Z")
…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](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22rikki+tikki+tembo%22) 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](http://kadyellebee.com/mt/past/002066.php) 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. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/14 "2002-08-27T20:20:20Z")
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](http://homepage.mac.com/swiddles/.cv/swiddles/Sites/.Pictures/Other/Brooke2.GIF-thumb_122_91.gif) Seconds before this picture was taken, they were sitting next to each other like perfect little furry angels. Then BLAMO. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/15 "2002-08-27T20:33:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handsomeharry \* > \*\*niki niki tembo, no so rembo, ooo mah muchi, gomma gomma guchi in tulsa in the 60s. \*\* that’s the one i remember, but i don’t remember from what!! (Quad Cities in the 80s) ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/16 "2002-09-01T00:32:21Z")
well, i remember it from a vinyl played in our theater class in second grade. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/17 "2002-09-01T04:41:10Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/18 "2002-09-01T07:14:32Z")
I was just hinking about that the other day. My brothers and I agree it’s the first one. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rikki-tikki-tembo/125598/19 "2002-09-01T18:51:21Z")
I remember singing a folk song when I taught at a camp… Had that name in it.