Fridays' Unscientific Poll: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

[nanila]

Before Christmas, the bloke & I were amused to discover that the alternate Batman-based lyrics to "Jingle Bells" apparently percolate into the consciousness of children at a very early age.

Since Christmas, we've been amused because Humuhumu will randomly sing them whenever the fancy strikes her, no matter if Christmas is still 10 months away. (As were the elderly couple who were exiting Powis Castle at the same time as us last weekend. They applauded her, which caused her to be overcome with shyness and hide behind Daddy's legs.)

I found it intriguing that the lyrics differ from the ones I sang as a child in the US and are specifically British-English because of the use of the word "motorway". Now I'm wondering if there are other regional variations!

Poll #17326 Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 47

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As a child, I mostly sang these alternate Batman-based lyrics to the Christmas carol "Jingle Bells".

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Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg/Batmobile lost a wheel and Joker got away
20 (52.6%)

Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away/Santa Claus lost his claws on the motorway
4 (10.5%)

Something else which I shall write in the text box
14 (36.8%)

I sang these alternate Batman-based lyrics instead:

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Comments

[antisoppist]

We three kings of orient are
One in a taxi one in a car
One on a scooter bibbing his hooter
Following Ringo Starr.

[major_clanger]

The version I knew finished "He won't get very far"

There's probably a PhD, if not entire career, in tracing the evolution of these. After all, there's a Wikipedia page about the evolution of that popular wartime ditty Hitler Has Only Got One Ball.

[antisoppist]

The Opies' Lore and Language of Schoolchildren was very good. It had timelines and maps and everything. But I was getting it out of the library in the 1980s and don't know if anyone has updated it since.