# Were budgerigars a design influence for R2D2? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673 "2010-12-29T02:11:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/1 "2010-12-29T02:11:06Z")
The trills, chirps and whistles emitted by everyone’s favourite Star Wars droid are very similar to the sorts of sounds made by budgerigars, furthermore, blue and white is one of the most popular colour combinations for budgies, and they also have somewhat dome-shaped heads that they can rotate a full 360 degrees. Is there any documentary anywhere that suggests budgies were one of the influences that shaped Artoo, or is it just coincidence? Seriously, though, the sounds are so uncannily budgie-like that my pet bird flew down and landed on the keyboard of my laptop when I was playing them, which is an unusually bold move for him (He’s tame, but usually very wary of all unfamiliar objects) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/2 "2010-12-29T15:41:45Z")
Just me then? Budgie/parrakeet owners! Have you at least noticed the similarity? ---
**Author:** ![dmatsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/3 "2010-12-29T15:47:45Z")
These are not the droids you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/4 "2010-12-29T16:37:32Z")
The only specific things I recall about the sound design for R2 is that it blends output from an analog synth with recordings of a baby cooing and chirping and some of Burtt’s own vocalizations. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/5 "2010-12-29T16:49:23Z")
[Cite for above](http://synth.me/music-gear/sounds-star-wars-new-book-legendary-sound-designer-ben-burtt). > [@](#): > > Initially, the idea was to record babies and then somehow alter their sounds. But it was hard to persuade babies to perform properly. “Once you put a microphone on a baby, they usually cry, go silent, or fall asleep,” says Burtt. “So, out of necessity, I started making the sounds myself. I started imitating babies and babylike noises, and then combining those sounds with the electronic noises that I’d been making.” > > Burtt spent many lonely days isolated in the sound design basement of Park Way huddled over a warm Movieola, endlessly chopping and splicing 35mm magnetic film into R2-D2 phrases. > > “I would close my editing room door and curl up in a quiet corner with the tape recorder and mic and generate baby talk,” Burtt says. "I put myself into the mind of an infant and acted out a scene with a droid’s intentions. I’d whistle and coo, I would sigh and groan, and at the same time I’d move the oscillators of the synthesizer. Doesn’t look like budgies entered into it at all. [bit sad] OOOO00oooooh [/bit sad] ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/6 "2010-12-29T16:52:11Z")
It’s \*not \*just you, though. There are scads of YouTube videos of people’s parakeets (budgies) doing R2D2 impressions, and at least one African Grey (parrot) named R2. Many people have seen the similarity, just not, it seems, the creators. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GreenHell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@GreenHell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenHell)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/7 "2010-12-29T17:08:22Z")
Either way, I still think R2’s finest moment was when he got to sing vocals for “Frankenstein” with the Edgar Winter band. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/8 "2010-12-29T17:49:49Z")
I never knew that “budgie” was foreign for “parakeet”! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/9 "2010-12-29T18:54:07Z")
> [@GreenHell](#): > > Either way, I still think R2’s finest moment was when he got to sing vocals for “Frankenstein” with the Edgar Winter band. Yeah, [He really threw himself into it.](http://scifiblock.com/images/swcv/droids/white.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/10 "2010-12-29T19:33:03Z")
You threw me when you said, “everyone’s favourite Star Wars droid”. I kept trying to figure out how you could even think that a budgie sounded like C3PO. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/11 "2010-12-29T21:48:20Z")
I hadn’t noticed that connection, but it’s given me an addition to the letter talk with Brian the Bolshie Budgie. “L o b! R u o k? A b, u R2D2?” The kid’s away on holiday, I’m bored. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/12 "2010-12-29T22:02:39Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > It’s \*not \*just you, though. There are scads of YouTube videos of people’s parakeets (budgies) doing R2D2 impressions, and at least one African Grey (parrot) named R2. Many people have seen the similarity, just not, it seems, the creators. 🙂 True, although most of these appear to be cases where the birds have been explicitly taught to mimic R2. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/13 "2010-12-29T22:05:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I never knew that “budgie” was foreign for “parakeet”! It’s the other way around. Parrakeet is the foreign for budgie. (actually, all budgies are parrakeets, but not all parrakeets are budgies. Budgies are a species. Parrakeets are a collection of many species of small parrot, including budgies.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/14 "2010-12-29T22:14:03Z")
For reference, here’s a video of some budgies making natural budgie sounds, that I think demonstrate some of the similarities I’m talking about (it’s important to note that this video still doesn’t portray the full range of possible budgie sounds. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/15 "2010-12-29T22:30:25Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s the other way around. Parrakeet is the foreign for budgie. > > (actually, all budgies are parrakeets, but not all parrakeets are budgies. Budgies are a species. Parrakeets are a collection of many species of small parrot, including budgies.) The way you rroll yourr rrs makes me think you must be a Scotsman. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/16 "2010-12-30T15:28:13Z")
Parrakeet with the double R does seem to be a valid variant of the word ([cite](http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=parrakeet)). I think I must have picked up the usage when I was in publishing. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/17 "2010-12-30T21:10:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > For reference, here’s a video of some budgies making natural budgie sounds, that I think demonstrate some of the similarities I’m talking about (it’s important to note that this video still doesn’t portray the full range of possible budgie sounds. I’m not seeing a link to a video… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/18 "2010-12-30T21:26:19Z")
Ooops. Sorry. Here it is: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGaJNJgGxgI) ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-budgerigars-a-design-influence-for-r2d2/565673/19 "2010-12-30T21:57:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Just me then? > > Budgie/parrakeet owners! Have you at least noticed the similarity? I don’t know about parakeet owners but every time I watch SWs my cockatiel just sings, talks, whistles, and tweets up a storm whenever R2D2 comes on.