WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Humpty Dumpty

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, you welcome to the short stuff. I'm Josh. There's

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<v Speaker 1>chuck this short stuff, as I said, and that means

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<v Speaker 1>we're going to start now to talk about Humpty Hump.

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<v Speaker 1>Do the Humpty Hump Dumpty R I P what he

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<v Speaker 1>passed away recently? I didn't. I definitely did not know that. No,

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<v Speaker 1>that's sad. It was shocked. G Is that right? I

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<v Speaker 1>thought his name was Humpty. That's not Humpty. Yeah, I

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<v Speaker 1>mean I think he died just like within the past

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<v Speaker 1>couple of months even, Yeah, he din he done in April. Man,

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<v Speaker 1>that is very sad. Yeah, and I gotta say to

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<v Speaker 1>just very quickly. That's a great song. But um Digital

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<v Speaker 1>Underground was awesome, Like that was their big MTV hit.

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<v Speaker 1>But they and it was kind of joky and fun,

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<v Speaker 1>but they had they were really really good. Yeah, he

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<v Speaker 1>was like on this one song that I should say track,

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<v Speaker 1>I guess the sound hip with a rapper Nameed Merge

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<v Speaker 1>called Risky Business, and like you get a really good

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<v Speaker 1>view of what like Humpty was all about. It's pretty cool.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you liked the Humpty dancing, you want to

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<v Speaker 1>learn more? I would start there alright, So um Humpy

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<v Speaker 1>Specting that Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>need a minute? Are you good? You just go on,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll gather myself while you're talking. Humpty Dumpty sat on

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<v Speaker 1>a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the

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<v Speaker 1>king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty

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<v Speaker 1>together again. And the whole point of this episode is

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<v Speaker 1>to sort of talk about why do we think this

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<v Speaker 1>thing is an egg when it doesn't say it's an

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<v Speaker 1>egg anywhere? And what are some of the theories about

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<v Speaker 1>how this whole thing came about to begin with? Well, supposedly,

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<v Speaker 1>and I found it very confusing in the article, the

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<v Speaker 1>rhyme you just said is actually a riddle. It's meant

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<v Speaker 1>to be a riddle, and somewhere along the way the

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<v Speaker 1>riddle was answered for us. And now we don't even

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<v Speaker 1>think of this as a riddle. But that's that's one

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<v Speaker 1>thing to to bear in mind. When the nursery rhyme

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<v Speaker 1>about Humpty Dumpty first came out, it was meant to

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<v Speaker 1>apparently there was some line like what is it? And

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<v Speaker 1>you were supposed to go an egg? And then that

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<v Speaker 1>was the delight that you found in it. Yeah, And

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<v Speaker 1>It's also something that's been rewritten in different forms over

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<v Speaker 1>the years. I think the first time the rhyme itself

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<v Speaker 1>was in a book and Juvenile Amusement by Samuel Arnold,

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<v Speaker 1>and the third line, instead of all the king's horses

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<v Speaker 1>and all the king's men, it said four score men

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<v Speaker 1>and four score more. So all of a sudden, it's

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<v Speaker 1>not rhyming, right unless it's four scoreman and four score more.

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<v Speaker 1>Couldn't help get Humpty restored or something like that. Sure,

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<v Speaker 1>that's what I'm going with. I like that. But the

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<v Speaker 1>first the first rhyme, did you say, it was back

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<v Speaker 1>in when it first appeared. Yeah, And so from the

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<v Speaker 1>from the get go, I think everybody was like, what

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<v Speaker 1>is what is everybody talking about here? There's got to

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<v Speaker 1>be something to this. So people started thinking that they

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<v Speaker 1>were there were there was more to the Humpty Nursery

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<v Speaker 1>rhyme because it is so bizarre, like it gives you

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<v Speaker 1>almost no context whatsoever. It's really dumb. It's a little dumb.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, not a lot happens, and the thing that

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<v Speaker 1>does happen is very unsatisfying. So so I think people

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<v Speaker 1>after the people who understood what this was all about

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<v Speaker 1>had died off and failed to pass along with what

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<v Speaker 1>they meant. Um, those people started wondering exactly what was

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<v Speaker 1>behind all this, and so there's some theories started developing. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>one of it is that Humpty Dumpty was supposed to

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<v Speaker 1>be Richard the third, King of England. Uh And Shakespeare

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<v Speaker 1>about Richard the Third, He's depicted as a poisonous, humpback

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<v Speaker 1>toad and that's basically how history came to see him

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<v Speaker 1>thanks to Shakespeare's to fiction. Right, But King Richard was

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<v Speaker 1>only in office, ruled for a couple of years, about

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<v Speaker 1>twenty six months, and supposedly, like you know, fought for

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<v Speaker 1>the common man and was against you know, corruption and

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<v Speaker 1>bribery and enacted a bunch of laws to fight that stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>So not fair to King Richard. No, for some reason,

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<v Speaker 1>some little part of my brain is being tickled right now,

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<v Speaker 1>Like we talked about King Richard as if he was

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<v Speaker 1>and I think the Robin was there a robin Hood episode.

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<v Speaker 1>Isn't King Richard like the bad guy in that? Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>like he was like a just a lion who just

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<v Speaker 1>wanted his pudding or something weird like that. I don't remember,

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<v Speaker 1>But yeah, apparently he wasn't a bad king, but it

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<v Speaker 1>was basically Shakespeare who did that. But the point is

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<v Speaker 1>is Richard the Third was the last English king to

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<v Speaker 1>die in battle. He died at the Battle of Boswell Bosworth. Bosworth. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I've been watching a lot of Charlie's Angels lately and

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<v Speaker 1>I wanted to say Bosley at first, are you really

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<v Speaker 1>watching lunch? Yeah? Remember they keep re showing that one

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<v Speaker 1>where Sammy Davis Jr. Place that got you hooked. But yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>King Richard had a horse named Wall and supposedly fell

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<v Speaker 1>off of the horse and was bludgeoned. So you know,

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<v Speaker 1>fell off. U sat on a wall and fell off

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<v Speaker 1>the wall. So that's sort of where that connection comes in.

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<v Speaker 1>Couldn't be saved, all the king's horses and all the

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<v Speaker 1>king's men, couldn't put them back together again, So do it.

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<v Speaker 1>This is where my money is. I just want everyone

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<v Speaker 1>to know that that is where I think. That's what

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<v Speaker 1>I think Humpty Dumpty is all about. All right, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>let's take our break and we'll come back and talk

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<v Speaker 1>about Louis Carroll kind of gumming up the works and

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<v Speaker 1>some other theories right after this. All right, Chucks, is

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<v Speaker 1>where it first starts, Um, We've we see him again

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<v Speaker 1>a few years later in a book called Mother Goose's

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<v Speaker 1>Melody from eighteen oh three. Right, yeah, and that one, Um,

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<v Speaker 1>it was like a little little tubby kid because the

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<v Speaker 1>last line is couldn't set Humpty up again? I guess

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<v Speaker 1>just couldn't get him up right, kind of like an

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<v Speaker 1>Augustus Gloup type character. Yeah and um. Supposedly the British

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<v Speaker 1>satire Punch, the weekly magazine, said that Humpty was a

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<v Speaker 1>symbol for Cardinal Wolsey, and other people said that that

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<v Speaker 1>might be right too. So that's another theory. That one

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<v Speaker 1>to me. So Cardinal Wolsey was the guy who couldn't

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<v Speaker 1>get um, couldn't get a divorce from the pope for

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<v Speaker 1>Henry the eighth. Um, so we kind of went down

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<v Speaker 1>in infamy. Is not a great advisor helper to the king. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a little politically nuanced for me, because remember this

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<v Speaker 1>is a nursery rhyme. So I don't see kids like

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<v Speaker 1>singing a nursery rhyme about, you know, Cardinal Wolsey falling

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<v Speaker 1>from favor with Henry the Eighth. I do see them

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<v Speaker 1>singing a nursery rhyme about the death of King Richard.

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<v Speaker 1>Though I'm with you so far. I mean, adults don't say, like, hey, kids,

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<v Speaker 1>I got a nursery rhyme for you here it is.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't adults just like right down nursery rhymes that they

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<v Speaker 1>hear kids saying, and then that's how they become widespread

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<v Speaker 1>and popularized. But they're ultimately created by kids. I think

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<v Speaker 1>that's a deal. So yeah, all the more reason I

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<v Speaker 1>got my money on rich with the third All right, well,

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<v Speaker 1>then Lewis Carroll comes in through Alice. I'm sorry, through

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<v Speaker 1>the looking Glass in eighteen seventy one, one of the

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<v Speaker 1>more spectacularly seemingly drug fueled tones to ever be written,

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<v Speaker 1>and the Eggman has a chapter in this dedicated to him,

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<v Speaker 1>where in Alice says, she clearly saw that it was

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<v Speaker 1>Humpty Dumpty himself. It can't be anybody else. I'm as

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<v Speaker 1>certain of it as if his name were written all

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<v Speaker 1>over his face. And great and uh, you know, if

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<v Speaker 1>you've ever read that or even parts of it, it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's really out there. So the idea of a walking,

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<v Speaker 1>talking egg person human hybrid is not like far off

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<v Speaker 1>the mark, right um, and so like that was the

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<v Speaker 1>whole thing where like you and me and everybody else

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<v Speaker 1>breathing today thinks of Humpty Dumpty as an egg thanks

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<v Speaker 1>to that book, thanks to that chapter on him, thinks

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<v Speaker 1>of the fact that he was just out and out

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<v Speaker 1>an egg. There was no riddle at this point any longer.

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<v Speaker 1>It was just Humpty Dumpty is an egg. And the

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<v Speaker 1>illustrator Um for that first edition, John Tenniel or tenniel Um,

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<v Speaker 1>his illustration of Humpty Dumpty is like an egg with

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<v Speaker 1>pants on and a face and um, you know, arms

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<v Speaker 1>and legs and all that stuff. That's that's where like

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<v Speaker 1>the idea of Humpty Dumpty that we have today finds

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<v Speaker 1>a roots almost you know, visually and through our imagination, um,

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<v Speaker 1>from that book. That's right. That's the first time it

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<v Speaker 1>was like, look, it's definitely an egg. Let's just let's

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<v Speaker 1>just cut to the chase. Face. It cut to the

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<v Speaker 1>chase and there was also that was printed differently in

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<v Speaker 1>that book to the actual rhyme. The final line is

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't put Humpty Dumpty in his place again, so

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<v Speaker 1>there wasn't even an egg breaking in that version, which

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<v Speaker 1>I found kind of sweet, nice, Um, so there's one

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<v Speaker 1>more theory. There's a few more theories, some are literally

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<v Speaker 1>not even worth mentioning. But um, there's an idea that

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<v Speaker 1>a humpty dumpty was actually the name of a drink, right,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is a boy. This doesn't sound good to me,

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<v Speaker 1>but you never know? And in the old does this

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<v Speaker 1>sound good to you? Yes? So? Uh, beer boiled with brandy? Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>not the boiled part. Did you check out the recipe

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<v Speaker 1>that was revived by by bartenders today? Oh you mean

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<v Speaker 1>the modern version? Yes, now, I'm sure they made that

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<v Speaker 1>taste good. Yeah, yeah, okay, I'm talking about the original

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<v Speaker 1>version ale boiled with brandy was called and this is

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<v Speaker 1>the first time that the rhyme wasn't there. But the

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<v Speaker 1>words humpty dumpty ever appeared in print was in sixte

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<v Speaker 1>and a slang dictionary, and it was ale boiled with brandy.

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<v Speaker 1>And uh. The connection there is that, um, really, that

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<v Speaker 1>really strong beer was called hum and so humpty dumpty. Hum.

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<v Speaker 1>There you have it. So, I mean, I feel like

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<v Speaker 1>we should give the recipe for the Humpty Dumpty, don't you?

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<v Speaker 1>And I think it sounds delicious. So you take one

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<v Speaker 1>ounce of brandy one and a half ounces of ale

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<v Speaker 1>I would go with pale ale FI were you a

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<v Speaker 1>quarter ounce of lemon juice a dash of angustura, and

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<v Speaker 1>you put it in a mixing glass with some ice,

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<v Speaker 1>stir fifteen seconds and strained into a glass without the ice,

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<v Speaker 1>garne with the lemon peel and raise a glass to

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<v Speaker 1>your and humpty dumpty and Chuck g Apparently that's a great,

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<v Speaker 1>great call back. You got anything else for a great MC?

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<v Speaker 1>I got nothing else. Well, uh, since Chuck said he

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<v Speaker 1>has nothing else, I can attest that I have nothing else.

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<v Speaker 1>That means we have nothing else to share with you

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<v Speaker 1>in this episode of short Stuff, which means short stuff

0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:26.880
<v Speaker 1>is apt stuff you should know is a production of

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<v Speaker 1>I heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit

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<v Speaker 1>the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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