# Why is Humpty Dumpty an egg? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2017, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452 "2017-02-10T11:21:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2017, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/21 "2017-02-10T22:32:02Z")
Inspired by Andrew Dice Clay: HumpMe DumpMe loved to ball HumpMe DumpMe was had by us all All the King’s horses and all the King’s men Meant HumpMe’d never be a virgin again. ---
**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:** [February 10, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/22 "2017-02-10T22:35:14Z")
Was Humpty _always_ intended to be an egg, or did an anonymous illustrator assume he was? ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/23 "2017-02-11T03:38:12Z")
> **[The Origin of Humpty Dumpty](http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/04/the-origin-of-humpty-dumpty/)** > > Nevin asks: Why is “Humpty Dumpty” always depicted as an egg? As you seem to have noticed, in the “Humpty Dumpty” nursery rhyme, nowhere does it say that Humpty is an egg, yet he is often presented as such in pictures and stories. The version of the... ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/24 "2017-02-11T08:00:23Z")
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Four-score Men and Four-score more, Could not make Humpty Dumpty where he was before. not sure the original has the same flow though hehe He does not seem to be portrayed as an egg until something like late 1700’s to mid 1800’s? Some things say it’s and allusion to king richard, or a cannon that rolled off a wall and was too heavy to pick up. since the phrase itself seems to be a reference to a clumsy or drunk person, god only knows how he became an egg. Maybe has to do with it becoming a childs nursery rhyme? A clumsy egg is more of a kid safe thing? Better question is why did he fall off the wall? Was he drunk? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/25 "2017-02-11T17:43:40Z")
I’m fond of the cannon theory; he fell off the wall when opposing cannon knocked the wall down. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/26 "2017-02-11T18:05:46Z")
thanks **epolo** that made my day! mc ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/27 "2017-02-11T19:29:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Was Humpty _always_ intended to be an egg, or did an anonymous illustrator assume he was? The original illustrator of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is hardly anonymous — [Pictures from Through the Looking-Glass - Alice-in-Wonderland.net](http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/resources/pictures/through-the-looking-glass/) It seems to me that it’s pretty clear that “Humpty Dumpty” was a well-known riddle with a well-known answer (“an egg”) long before Lewis Carroll included it in his book. That’s why he didn’t find it necessary to say explicitly that he was an egg. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/28 "2017-02-12T04:35:57Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > Better question is why did he fall off the wall? > Was he drunk? Forgotten verse: If Humpty Dumpty couldn’t be together again, Then why the fuck was he drinking gin? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452/29 "2017-02-12T17:15:10Z")
It’s a metaphor for the fall of man and the introduction of sin into the world. (Okay, bullshit, no it isn’t. But if one wanted to write a sermon on the subject, it could be made to fit. You can also drive nails with a wrench.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-humpty-dumpty-an-egg/779452.md?page=1)