# Who or what is "Sloopy"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2003, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713 "2003-01-10T09:21:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/1 "2003-01-10T09:21:13Z")
Mr. Rilch and I both know that it’s “Hang On, S **l** oopy”, not “Hang On, S **n** oopy”. But it occured to us last night, when the song came on the radio, that for all that, we don’t know why this young lady is **called** “Sloopy”. Is she affiliated with the “Sloop John B”? That makes some sense: one would, indeed, live in a “very bad part of town” if one’s father is a drunken sailor. It would also explain the name. But that’s a tenuous connection, at best. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![HeatMiser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecd19e/32.png) [@HeatMiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeatMiser)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/2 "2003-01-10T10:26:46Z")
The author of [this page](http://members.aol.com/sloopyo/song.html) claims that the song was inspired by a woman named Dorothy Sloop, a 50’s singer who sometimes used the stage name of “Sloopy”. Admittedly I cannot verify this in any way, and I never thought about the subject until your post prompted some googling on my part, but it doesn’t seem too unreasonable an explanation. I actually prefer your take on it; let’s hope it turns out to be correct. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/3 "2003-01-10T10:41:31Z")
The singer Dorothy Sloop was born on 26 September 1913, the daughter of Frederick and Jane (McGinnis) Sloop. She died (as Dorothy Heflick) on 28 July 1998 while living in Pass Christian, Mississippi. There’s an obituary of her in _International Musician_, v. 98, no. 1, July 1999. Also in _The Sun Herald_ (Biloxi, Miss.), 31 July 1998, p. A7. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/4 "2003-01-10T11:06:47Z")
I see. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/5 "2003-01-11T02:41:10Z")
something tells me that that explanation is far from the truth. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/6 "2003-01-11T06:34:46Z")
“Hang on Sloopy” has been declared by the Ohio State Legislature as the **Official Rock Song of the State of Ohio**. As the [proclamation](http://www.thewritegallery.com/hangonsloopy.html) says, “In 1965, an Ohio-based rock group known as the McCoys reached the top of the national record charts with “Hang On Sloopy,” composed by Bert Russell and Wes Farrell . . .” _From an index to the 1930 U.S. census:_ Sloop, Dorothy F Age: 16 Microfilm T626, roll 1824 State: Ohio County: Jefferson City: Steubenville Enumeration District: 36 Page: 7-B Relationship: Daughter Father: Fred Sloop Mother: Jane Sloop (Another singer from Steubenville: Dean Martin.) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/7 "2003-01-11T06:53:19Z")
I remember driving through central Ohio circa 1970, and at a gas station I saw a lot of inflated plastic figures for sale that looked exactly like Charles M. Schultz’s character Snoopy from _Peanuts_. But the sign read “Sloopy dolls for sale.” It looked like they had deliberately misspelled Snoopy’s name, and the only reason for that I could think of was to avoid copyright or trademark infringement. But when “Hang On Sloopy” was declared the official rock song of Ohio some years ago, the newspaper that it was because the song had long been popular at Ohio State football games. So I guessed the Snoopy figures were on sale for display by fans at Ohio State games, and the _Peanuts_ character had been drafted for use as a sort of visual pun. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/8 "2003-01-11T21:36:14Z")
From _The Columbus Dispatch_ (Columbus, Ohio), September 2, 1998, p. 1-B: > [@](#): > > According to published information, the song was named for Dorothy Sloop Heflick, who died in July [1998]. Heflick was formerly of Steubenville, Ohio, and more recently of Biloxi, Miss. Two Ohioans, Bert Russell and the late Wes Farrell, wrote the song and named it My Girl Sloopy after they saw an act called ‘‘Dixie and Sloopy’’ in which Heflick played the piano. > > The authors switched the title to just Sloopy, then changed it again to Hang on Sloopy. > > That was after the pair watched a rather nervous Heflick take the stage in New Orleans. Farrell yelled out: ‘‘Hang on, Sloopy!’’ ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/9 "2003-01-12T00:59:34Z")
oh, i didn’t know that the information was “published”! boy, that puts an end to all controversy! ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/10 "2003-01-13T02:00:40Z")
trying to be less obnoxious, my point is that a song can have a title with a similar name to a person without being ‘inspired’ by that person. hope i didn’t ruffle any feathers. wasn’t meaning to. i was trying to be witty. ---
**Author:** ![Philosophocles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Philosophocles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philosophocles)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-or-what-is-sloopy/147713/11 "2003-01-13T05:21:52Z")
At least the legislature didn’t choose “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy” by Ohio Express.