# Was "The Littlest Hobo" pin the UK or Ireland?opular **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282 "2015-04-10T00:43:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/1 "2015-04-10T00:43:28Z")
I was watching some episodes of “Moone Boy” this week, and in one of them (Boylé, Boylé, Boylé) Martin Moone is trying to hitchhike back home. In the background, [the theme to “The Littlest Hobo”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGKSjiw0HQ) is playing. Of course, being a Canadian of a certain age I recognized the song instantly. But was that show popular in either the UK or in Ireland, to the extent that people would recognise the theme song? ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/2 "2015-04-10T06:49:28Z")
_Maybe tomorrow, I’ll want to settle down, until tomorrow, I’ll just keep moving on…’_ Yeah, instantly recognisable to me - it played on children’s tv regularly in the UK. Given that there were only 3 channels in those days, tv shows of that era seem more memorable. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/3 "2015-04-10T07:15:34Z")
It was definitely popular in New Zealand when I was a kid. And rightly so, too, as it was great. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/4 "2015-04-10T08:45:35Z")
I didn’t have a TV growing up — parental choice, for which I am grateful — and never once heard of _The Littlest Hobo_ in popular culture or otherwise until I saw _Corner Gas_. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/5 "2015-04-10T08:48:11Z")
It was popular enough in the UK. The memorable theme tune would have certain connotations to people of a certain age. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/6 "2015-04-10T08:59:35Z")
First time I’ve ever heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/7 "2015-04-10T09:13:51Z")
People in the UK might also recognize the theme tune from the three TV ads which have used it, all of which - of course - feature dogs. I knew I’d heard it in an ad myself, but couldn’t remember which one, so did a search which turned up this: [http://www.littlesthobo.com/home/commercial-tracks](http://www.littlesthobo.com/home/commercial-tracks) Don’t remember the show itself though I must admit. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/8 "2015-04-10T10:39:47Z")
I was vaguely aware of the show and theme tune but I think I was watching it while too old so if I saw it I soon switched off or switched over. It was certainly not regular viewing for me. I can confirm watching _ **Champion the Wonder Horse** _ and _ **Casey Jones** _ - both of which had memorable theme tunes. As did Australian show _ **Skippy the Bush Kangaroo** _. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/9 "2015-04-10T10:52:23Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > First time I’ve ever heard of it. I remember the show. It was a fairly regular after school show on when I was a kid in the early to mid 1980’s (in Canberra so I would think most of NSW would have seen it as well). ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/10 "2015-04-10T10:52:57Z")
It was certainly well known in the UK, to the point that when I was at University I used to hear the song played in nightclubs! A certain kind of nightclub to be sure, but the crowd used to love it! ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/11 "2015-04-10T11:02:44Z")
Growing up in Scotland, the original 1960s show was one of my favouritesl! Never bothered with the 1970s remake though. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/12 "2015-04-10T11:12:57Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > Growing up in Scotland, the original 1960s show was one of my favouritesl! > Never bothered with the 1970s remake though. [I enjoyed the original, too.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzYJBoDq6jw) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/13 "2015-04-10T11:13:46Z")
It was a popular show in South Africa, too (Around the same time as _Grizzly Adams_, IIRC. Although we only had the latter dubbed into Afrikaans). ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/14 "2015-04-10T11:34:29Z")
Oh yes. I watched it a lot as a kid in the eighties in the UK. I am also a proud owner of this t-shirt: > **[Funny T Shirts](https://www.8ball.co.uk/collections/funny-t-shirts)** > > Funny t shirts from the Ultimate T-Shirt Shop in UK - 8Ball. Browse custom made funny tees at the click of a button. Create your own one-of-a-kind novelty shirt. (Yellow on brown is the killer combo) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/15 "2015-04-10T12:08:19Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > I remember the show. It was a fairly regular after school show on when I was a kid in the early to mid 1980’s (in Canberra so I would think most of NSW would have seen it as well). I was well past after-school television by the early to mid 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/16 "2015-04-10T18:53:56Z")
Oddly enough I was just thinking of that TV show a couple days ago, I remember the tune but had forgotten what the dog looked like. Northern Ireland here, 80’s kid. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/17 "2015-04-10T23:48:10Z")
Huh! I just naturally assume that all Canadian TV shows are/were unpopular (compared to U.S. shows, naturally). Live and learn. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/18 "2015-04-11T07:05:26Z")
I had to really work to unscramble the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/19 "2015-04-11T09:57:50Z")
Yep would know it instantly. Degrassi Junior High was also played here. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282/20 "2015-04-11T23:10:56Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I was watching some episodes of “Moone Boy” this week, and in one of them (Boylé, Boylé, Boylé) Martin Moone is trying to hitchhike back home. In the background, [the theme to “The Littlest Hobo”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGKSjiw0HQ) is playing. > > Of course, being a Canadian of a certain age I recognized the song instantly. But was that show popular in either the UK or in Ireland, to the extent that people would recognise the theme song? Was hugely popular here in Ireland when I was a kid in the '80s. The theme tune was used in an ad campaign in recent years too. I sing it to myself all the time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-littlest-hobo-pin-the-uk-or-ireland-opular/717282.md?page=2)