# Were there any weird or stupid things that were fads specific to your school/area growing up? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330 "2021-09-08T20:22:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/81 "2021-09-11T17:06:33Z")
We made chains out of gum wrappers (the colored paper sleeves that covered the foil-wrapped stick of gum). They were folded and linked together. Just about every girl I know made one. The resulting chain was supposed to be as long as your boyfriend was tall. None of us had a boyfriend, but we all made the chain. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/82 "2021-09-11T17:10:55Z")
^ I remember those; impressive dexterity to make them. I also remember chains made of pop-top tabs (must have taken forever to save up enough PTs) and paper clips. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/83 "2021-09-11T17:20:58Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Something popped into my head last night related to this thread. You know those weird little not-quite-songs that kids make up and repeat to each other? Like what the two kids do in _Big_ – how Tom Hanks convinces his friend that he’s really him? And the Laverne and Shirley rhyme in the credits of that show? > > Well, in my elementary school we had the following little nonsense verse: > > IshsSKIDilly OSHen TOSHen bo bo baDITTen DOTTen WATTen TATTen shhhhhhh. > > Anybody else have something like that? I always wondered if it was “real” that someone was repeating from somewhere or something that just someone made up. This reminded me of the B-language we had a lot of fun with as kids. The best friend of my sister made it up one day (she’s a speech talent, she also can repeat any sentence you tell her instantly in reverse speech), and after that we always used to talk in the B-language. The rule was to insert the letter ‘B’ into every word after every vowel, so “This is the B-language” becomes “Thibis ibis thebe B-B-labangubage”. You get the picture, I hope. Did anybody on earth do the same? My sister and I can still talk in perfect B-language if we are feeling silly. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/84 "2021-09-11T17:22:16Z")
You think that somehow ties in with **Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids**? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/85 "2021-09-11T17:26:50Z")
I honestly don’t know what you’re referring to, but I very much doubt it. This happened in Germany in the mid-70s, when Bill Cosby was still virtually unknown here. He only got to be famous when the Cosby show was shown on German TV in the 80s. But please set me straight, what did the Cosby kids do? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/86 "2021-09-11T17:32:37Z")
**Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids** had a character named Mushmouth who talked like that. Bad Youtube clip follows: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pMADJcimnds/hqdefault.jpg "Mushmouth") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMADJcimnds) Sorry, REALLY bad clip. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/87 "2021-09-11T17:38:11Z")
Slightly better clip: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wbvgumQqDtQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Mushmouth is THICC (MEME)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbvgumQqDtQ) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/88 "2021-09-11T17:39:45Z")
It’s kinda like the ubby dubby language they used to do on the PBS kids’ show _Zoom_. I was an adult when that show was on, but I love watching it. I liked the kids a lot…and their Boston accents. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/89 "2021-09-11T17:43:11Z")
That was common in Spanish too, in Gabriel García Márquez’ _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ there is a story about how one of the female protagonists insults the other in her face using this language so that everybody understands but she (she came to the family by marriage and was from another town, I think, and did not play those frivolous games. She was the bigot wife rather towards the end). ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/90 "2021-09-11T17:45:24Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Slightly better clip: That’s really funny, but it must have been independent cultural developments on two different continents 😆. Michi, my sister’s best friend (45 years ago and to this day) is very quirky and funny, and it doesn’t surprise me that she had the same idea as script writers of a kids cartoon show. A show that, btw., never ran in Germany, so Michi couldn’t have heard it there. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/91 "2021-09-11T17:48:21Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > That was common in Spanish too, in Gabriel García Márquez’ _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ there is a story about how one of the female protagonists insults the other in her face using this language so that everybody understands but she (she came to the family by marriage and was from another town, I think, and did not play those frivolous games. She was the bigot wife rather towards the end). Damned, I’ve read that novel about thirty years ago, but I don’t remember that bit, and I must’ve noticed because I find those similarities amusing. I wonder if it was badly translated in my German copy. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/92 "2021-09-11T17:49:44Z")
What about high school football cheers? There were two I remember that I don’t remember hearing anywhere else: Rah rah ree. Hit 'em in the knee. Rah rah rass. Hit 'em in the other knee. Blood makes the grass grow. Defense!. Defense! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/93 "2021-09-11T17:51:21Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > That’s really funny, but it must have been independent cultural developments on two different continents 😆. Michi, my sister’s best friend (45 years ago and to this day) is very quirky and funny, and it doesn’t surprise me that she had the same idea as script writers of a kids cartoon show. > > A show that, btw., never ran in Germany, so Michi couldn’t have heard it there. When will you be publishing your paper on this phenomenon? I’d like to read it. Make sure you put in some _Star Trek_ references for validity. 😂 😂 ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/94 "2021-09-11T17:55:30Z")
I never read it in German, but several times in Spanish, it is one of my favourite books, so I must recommend you read it again. 😃 And then tell me, translation issues interest me for professional reasons. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/95 "2021-09-11T17:56:07Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > When will you be publishing your paper on this phenomenon? I’d like to read it. Make sure you put in some _Star Trek_ references for validity. 😂 😂 I wonder how Klingon sounds in the B-language 😆. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/96 "2021-09-11T17:58:03Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I wonder how Klingon sounds in the B-language 😆. Can’t. Stop. Laughing! (Lunch time – gotta go. Thanks, all.) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/97 "2021-09-11T18:19:03Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I never read it in German, but several times in Spanish, it is one of my favourite books, so I must recommend you read it again. 😃 And then tell me, translation issues interest me for professional reasons. 😉 Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy anymore, I think I borrowed it from somebody back then. But I’ll look if it’s available for the Kindle, it’s an old book that shouldn’t be too expensive. I remember that I liked it, I’m a big fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez anyway and have read some of his other books, so it’s really time I’d revisit “One Hundred Years Of Solitude”. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/98 "2021-09-11T18:22:21Z")
New translation, only [9,99](https://www.amazon.de/Hundert-Jahre-Einsamkeit-Neu%C3%BCbersetzung-Roman-ebook/dp/B01N0OF0ND/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&keywords=hundert+jahre+einsamkeit&qid=1631384459&s=digital-text&sr=1-1) €! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/99 "2021-09-11T18:25:26Z")
Ah, that’s interesting, I wondered if there was a new translation after all these years. I’ve added it to my wishlist, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330/100 "2021-09-12T02:53:34Z")
When I was in Junior High school, poncho shirts were in style. They were shirts with pointy hems that were to be worn outside of your pants. But the school’s rules were that your shirt had to be tucked in, so the pointy hem wasn’t allowed. So we retaliated by wearing our belts with the buckle on the side instead of on the front. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-weird-or-stupid-things-that-were-fads-specific-to-your-school-area-growing-up/950330.md?page=6)