# What is this Muppets song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564 "2008-09-08T02:10:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/1 "2008-09-08T02:10:42Z")
A gruff-voiced Muppet “male” sings something that sounds like, “Munumina,” and some “female” backup singers reply in falsetto, “Doo doo didoodoo.” Repeat several times. Then the “male” goes off on an extended jazz riff on that theme, wandering off into the background, before he realizes the girls are waiting patiently for him. He hurries back and repeats, “Munumina,” to which they respond as they had earlier. No actual word is ever sung. It’s a bit of musical fluff. I’m not sure this novelty song originated with the Muppets, but I think they popularized it, either in the late Sixties or early Seventies. You’d know it if you heard it, I’ll bet. Forgive my poor phonetic transcription of it, and thanks for your help. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/2 "2008-09-08T02:14:39Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > A gruff-voiced Muppet “male” sings something that sounds like, “Munumina,” and some “female” backup singers reply in falsetto, “Doo doo didoodoo.” Repeat several times. Then the “male” goes off on an extended jazz riff on that theme, wandering off into the background, before he realizes the girls are waiting patiently for him. He hurries back and repeats, “Munumina,” to which they respond as they had earlier. No actual word is ever sung. It’s a bit of musical fluff. > > I’m not sure this novelty song originated with the Muppets, but I think they popularized it, either in the late Sixties or early Seventies. You’d know it if you heard it, I’ll bet. Forgive my poor phonetic transcription of it, and thanks for your help. [Mah Nà Mah Nà](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manamana). And the Muppet version: [You Tube link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7V5Qh7Wke8). ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/3 "2008-09-08T06:49:02Z")
A parody,ROFLMAO is [here](http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=15896244). It’s effing hysterical, or maybe that’s just me… ---
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/4 "2008-09-08T07:00:00Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > A parody,ROFLMAO is [here](http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=15896244). It’s effing hysterical, or maybe that’s just me.. You beat me. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/5 "2008-09-08T12:25:18Z")
Incidentally, I’ve always “read” that sketch differently. The poor little redheaded guy is trying desperately to break out of the stifling pink conformity represented by the 'Doo doo da doo doo" creatures by improvising jazzy riffs on his assigned part in the sketch. The pink creatures keep dragging him back into line, no matter how far he tries to run. It’s a sad little ‘1984’ world in that sketch in my head, let me tell ya… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/6 "2008-09-08T12:34:10Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > A parody,ROFLMAO is [here](http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=15896244). It’s effing hysterical, or maybe that’s just me.. Eh, it doesn’t hold a candle to [Muppet Hunter D](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfsR-XphEWg). ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/7 "2008-09-08T12:37:55Z")
I’m also fond of this Muppet self-parody. [Phenomenon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5Mc55P1i9g) ETA: **jayjay** , your view of the sketch is much the same as mine. ETAETA: And how many people had their HS science teachers going on about “Manometer. Doododidoodoo”? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/8 "2008-09-08T13:16:27Z")
The first time I saw the song preformed was on The Ed Sullivan Show. > **[Mahna Mahna](https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Mahna_Mahna)** > > Mahna Mahna is a purple Muppet with wild, orange hair and a furry, green tunic who is most famous for performing the nonsense song "Mah Na Mah Na" with the Snowths. His vocabulary is essentially limited to saying his own name and scatting. Mahna... > **[The Snowths](https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/The_Snowths)** > > The Snowths are furry pink creatures with horns and round, yellow lips who sing the "do doo do doo doo" backup vocals in versions of "Mah Na Mah Na" that have appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Muppet Show. Both Snowths were performed... ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/9 "2008-09-08T13:21:34Z")
Of course you know of our own Doper, Mahna Mahna! ---
**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:** [September 8, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/10 "2008-09-08T13:34:47Z")
I don’t understand how anyone can be on the SDMB for this long, surrounded by geeks of every kind, and not be vividly clear (even by osmosis) on the Muppets’ most famous signature song. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/11 "2008-09-08T13:35:11Z")
Great - thanks, everybody! ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/12 "2008-09-08T17:15:22Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > The first time I saw the song preformed was on The Ed Sullivan Show. You’re old. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/13 "2008-09-08T17:17:24Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Of course you know of our own Doper, Mahna Mahna! Do doo do doo doo. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/14 "2008-09-08T17:45:12Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > ETA: **jayjay** , your view of the sketch is much the same as mine. > > ? Yup–I always felt for jazzy dude and his rage against the doodoo moo cows… ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/15 "2008-09-08T17:55:47Z")
They also did a version of the song in The Office (UK) as the opening scene to the second series: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMWLNlPXcrs) Love it when Brent (Ricky Gervais) joins in. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/16 "2008-09-08T18:45:13Z")
No one posted this one yet. Lesser known, but funny if you’re a Steeler fan. Polamalu! [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wJtkJlXHOsM/hqdefault.jpg "Troy Polamalu") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJtkJlXHOsM) From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > In 2005, Pittsburgh area band Mr. Devious wrote and recorded the novelty song Puhlahmahlu, a parody of the song Mah Nà Mah Nà. Guitarist Glenn Shirey said that the song was inspired by a Fox Sports announcer’s (Dick Stockton’s) mispronunciation of Polamalu’s name. > **[Troy Polamalu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Polamalu)** > > Troy Aumua Polamalu (/ˌpoʊləˈmɑːluː/; born Troy Benjamin Aumua; April 19, 1981) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 12-year career as a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). An eight-time Pro Bowl and six-time All-Pro selection, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, his first year of eligibility. > Polamalu played college football for the USC Trojans, earning consensus All-American honors in 2002. He w... ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/17 "2008-09-08T20:14:23Z")
I love the way the “Mahna Mahna” guy’s little eye… things… blink and furrow so expressively. Kermit was a bit too mild and down-to-earth to embody Henson’s wilder side, but that little proto-Dr. Teeth guy with the hippie beard and hair vest does nicely. The earlier version performed on [Sesame Street](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYJuKX2j-Cw)was a lot more disturbing. You can just smell the bong water. “Hey, Frank! I’ve got a great idea! Remember that weird porn soundtrack I found? I was thinking that we could have some Muppets sing it on the show! Two of them could be little girls, and one of them would be the most perverted-looking little hairy deviant imaginable!” “Jim… for Christ’s sake, this is a _kid’s show_, Jim…” Henson, you magnificent furry freak. You were gone too damn soon. I confess, I thought [this version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdscCGfb62U)was pretty funny too. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/18 "2008-09-08T21:28:31Z")
[Obama Nom](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4pHbd8MekU) ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/19 "2008-09-09T01:34:55Z")
Cool, I’m glad you included that link, **Terrifel** , because I could’ve sworn it was a _Sesame Street_ bit rather than _Muppet Show_. Mainly because the latter wasn’t something I watched very often – I was about ten when it premiered – but I definitely recall loving this skit as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564/20 "2008-09-27T11:10:17Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > …“Jim… for Christ’s sake, this is a _kid’s show_, Jim…” > Henson, you magnificent furry freak. You were gone too damn soon… Amen. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-muppets-song/462564.md?page=2)