# Swedish Chef on The Muppets: Real Swedish or Gibberish?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 13, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223 "2008-04-13T23:35:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/1 "2008-04-13T23:35:37Z")
[The Muppets’ Swedish Chef](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY_Yf4zz-yo).
Are these actual words in Swedish, or, as I suspect, Swedish-sounding gibberish?
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### Author:  [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/2 "2008-04-13T23:43:15Z")
It’s mock swedish (or as you put it “Swedish sounding gibberish”). They take typical vowel (and consonant I guess but it seems tor evolve aorund vowel sounds) sounds of Swedish and screw with it from there. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if they put a couple of actual Swedish words in there occasionally. Not that it’s hard to speak Swedish… just learn German and speak it while fully submerged in water! 😃
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### Author:  [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/3 "2008-04-13T23:46:19Z")
It may be mock Swedish, but you can tell [Google](http://www.google.com/preferences?hl=en) to present its results in the chef’s dialect.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/4 "2008-04-13T23:48:39Z")
In high school a Swedish foreign exchange student said Swedish Chef sounded Norwegian.
EDIT (because I know someone will say something): He didn’t mean that he was actually speaking Norwegian; just that he sounded Norwegian.
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### Author:  [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/5 "2008-04-13T23:51:26Z")
Wikipedia says it’s gibberish which is what I’ve read in previous threads (including responses from some actual Swedes):
> **[Swedish Chef](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swedish_Chef)**
>
> The Swedish Chef is a Muppet character from the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show, known mainly for his eccentric culinary capabilities. He was originally performed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz simultaneously, with Henson performing the head and voice in mock Swedish and Oz performing the character with real hands. The Swedish Chef is currently performed by Bill Barretta. He is best known for his ridiculous cooking methods and the phrase "Bork, bork, bork!".
> A parody of television ...
For fun on a slow day, run some of the latest email directives from your boss through the Swedish Chef Dialectizer and read them out loud.
Um bork bork bork.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/6 "2008-04-14T00:02:46Z")
We’ve been watching the old Muppet Show (we’re now midway through Season Two) and I’m surprised at how much of the Swedish Chef’s dialogue (well, monologue, mostly) is…English! He does a lot of “bord de bork de bork bork the chicken go poof!” kind of stuff.
A Swedish Doper once told us that in Sweden, the character is called “The Norwegian Chef”.
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/7 "2008-04-14T00:10:58Z")
Swedglish?
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### Author:  [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/8 "2008-04-14T00:21:42Z")
My 9th grade year, I had to do a presentation in Science class on Nutrition. Mr. Anklam, being awesome, would give bonus points if your presentation was done with flair. He suggested a chicken costume.
Well, being desperate for points, I did up my little signs on the nutritional value of a bowl of cereal (copied that morning from the side of the cereal box), brought some cereal, and some milk.
For my presentation, I ducked down behind his desk, sang the “Swedish Chef Song” and then popped up and did my best Swedish Chef imitation. Cereal flying, milk EVERYWHERE. Then a brief run down of the “witamoonsa, bery bery gooda, jaaaa!”.
Mr. Anklam had tears running down his face, he was laughing so hard. First and only A for me in the class. Hehehehe
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/9 "2008-04-14T00:26:28Z")
There was an episode where they had a Swedish guest. It was a long time ago and I’m going by memory but I recall that when someone asked the guest what the chef was saying the response was “I don’t know, I don’t speak mock Swedish”.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/10 "2008-04-14T00:32:08Z")
There’s an occassional real word, like “Ya” “mit” thrown in there, but yes, it’s 90%+ mock Swedish.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/11 "2008-04-14T00:39:37Z")
In the context of the Muppet Show universe, it is officially Mock Swedish. But it’s not his native tongue…
> [@Muppet Wiki](#):
>
> Talk Spot: [guest] Jean (Stapleton) reveals to Sam the Eagle that the Swedish Chef doesn’t speak real Swedish – but she can understand him, because she took a correspondence course in mock Swedish. Sam insists that the Chef start speaking honestly, so from now on he agees to speak in his native language – mock Japanese.
From [Muppet Wiki](http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_306:_Jean_Stapleton).
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### Author:  [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/12 "2008-04-14T02:38:48Z")
Remarkable how often we end up talking about _The Muppet Show_. Why did it go away?
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### Author:  [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/13 "2008-04-14T02:41:24Z")
A Swedish guy once told me it was gibberish, but it was Swedish gibberish.
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/14 "2008-04-14T02:51:01Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay]
In the context of the Muppet Show universe, it is officially Mock Swedish. But it’s not his native tongue…
From [Muppet Wiki](http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_306:_Jean_Stapleton).
[/QUOTE]
That’s actually the segment I was remembering. I had it totally wrong.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/15 "2008-04-14T03:04:06Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]
Remarkable how often we end up talking about _The Muppet Show_. Why did it go away?
[/QUOTE]
All the good things end too early. But we get 127 seasons of The Flavor of Love with 32 spinoffs. Go figure.
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### Author:  [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/16 "2008-04-14T03:46:15Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan]
Well, being desperate for points, I did up my little signs on the nutritional value of a bowl of cereal (copied that morning from the side of the cereal box), brought some cereal, and some milk.
[/QUOTE]
That’s basically the same thing as the commercial for the 1988 Swedish Chef cereal, [Croonchy Stars (Wiki link)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr%C3%B6onchy_Stars).
[Youtube link to commercial](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr%C3%B6onchy_Stars) Ooh..scroompshious.
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### Author:  [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/17 "2008-04-14T06:03:21Z")
[QUOTE=jnglmassiv]
That’s basically the same thing as the commercial for the 1988 Swedish Chef cereal, [Croonchy Stars (Wiki link)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr%C3%B6onchy_Stars).
[Youtube link to commercial](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr%C3%B6onchy_Stars) Ooh..scroompshious.
[/QUOTE]
Wow, if I had known that stuff existed, I would have BEGGED my mother for it. Dang it.
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### Author:  [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/18 "2008-04-14T08:33:19Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth]
There’s an occassional real word, like “Ya” “mit” thrown in there, but yes, it’s 90%+ mock Swedish.
[/QUOTE]
Of course, neither “ya”, nor “mit” are actual swedish words… 😃😃
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### Author:  [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/19 "2008-04-14T08:54:25Z")
Hey, am I completely crazy, or is the Swedish chef pretty much ripped off from a character that Arte Johnson used to do on Laugh-In? This has been bugging me for 30+ years 🙂
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### Author:  [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-chef-on-the-muppets-real-swedish-or-gibberish/445223/20 "2008-04-14T09:04:05Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool]
Swedglish?
[/QUOTE]
Or [Swenglish.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swenglish)
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