Eeny, meeny, miny, moe: Difference between revisions
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{{first pic|Eeny rhyme.jpg|The [[Fourth Doctor]] uses the rhyme to choose his path. ([[TV]]: | {{first pic|Eeny rhyme.jpg|The [[Fourth Doctor]] uses the rhyme to choose his path. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Android Invasion (TV story)}})}} | ||
'''Eeny, meeny, miny, moe''' was a traditional children's counting rhyme on [[Earth]], used to select a person to be "it" for games and similar purposes. | "'''Eeny, meeny, miny, moe'''" was a traditional children's counting rhyme on [[Earth]], used to select a person to be "it" for games and similar purposes. | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
The [[King of Hearts]] recited the rhyme: | The [[King of Hearts]] recited the rhyme: | ||
<poem>Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, | |||
Catch a n****r by his [[toe]]. | |||
If he hollers, let him go. | |||
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.</poem> | |||
He did this whilst deciding which of the seven chairs — six of which were deadly, while one remained safe — to choose. ([[TV]]: | He did this whilst deciding which of the seven chairs — six of which were deadly, while one remained safe — to choose. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Celestial Toymaker (TV story)|namedep=The Hall of Dolls (2)}}) | ||
The opening line was recited by the [[Third Doctor]] to decide which way to go while he and [[Jo Grant]] were making their way through the tunnel leading to the Royal Citadel on [[Peladon]]. ([[TV]]: | The opening line was recited by the [[Third Doctor]] to decide which way to go while he and [[Jo Grant]] were making their way through the tunnel leading to the Royal Citadel on [[Peladon]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Curse of Peladon (TV story)}}) | ||
The [[Fourth Doctor]] recited the opening line to choose the route he and [[Sarah Jane Smith]] should take through [[Devesham Woods|the wood]] in which they had landed. Sarah asked him what was "so special about eeny, meeny, miny, moe?", to which he replied that it could just have easily been "fum-fo-fee-fi". Sarah corrected this to "[[fee-fi-fo-fum]]". ([[TV]]: | The [[Fourth Doctor]] recited the opening line to choose the route he and [[Sarah Jane Smith]] should take through [[Devesham Woods|the wood]] in which they had landed. Sarah asked him what was "so special about eeny, meeny, miny, moe?", to which he replied that it could just have easily been "fum-fo-fee-fi". Sarah corrected this to "[[fee-fi-fo-fum]]". ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Android Invasion (TV story)}}) | ||
The [[Seventh Doctor]] recited a version of the rhyme, where the toe belonged to a "[[Rutan]]" which "wriggles", to decide whether to go left or right. ([[PROSE]]: | The [[Seventh Doctor]] recited a version of the rhyme, where the toe belonged to a "[[Rutan]]" which "wriggles", to decide whether to go left or right. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Lucifer Rising (novel)}}) | ||
The [[Nightmare Man]] recited a version of the rhyme, where the toe belonged to a "tiger", to decide whether to invade [[Clyde Langer]] or [[Rani Chandra]]'s dreams first. Rani ended up getting the "moe". ([[TV]]: | The [[War Doctor]] used the rhyme to decide his way around a [[Dalek flying saucer|Dalek saucer]] during the [[Last Great Time War]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Engines of War (novel)}}) | ||
The [[Nightmare Man]] recited a version of the rhyme, where the toe belonged to a "tiger", to decide whether to invade [[Clyde Langer]] or [[Rani Chandra]]'s dreams first. Rani ended up getting the "moe". ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Nightmare Man (TV story)}}) | |||
== Behind the scenes == | == Behind the scenes == | ||
* The use of the "n-word" in the King of Hearts' recitation of the rhyme in "[[The Hall of Dolls]]" was considered acceptable at the time of the original [[1966 (releases)|1966]] broadcast of ''[[The Celestial Toymaker (TV story)|The Celestial Toymaker]]''. Although the rhyme is still present on [[AudioGO|BBC Audio]]'s CD release of the story, this section has been obscured by [[Peter Purves]]'s narration | * The use of the "n-word" in the King of Hearts' recitation of the rhyme in "[[The Hall of Dolls]]" was still considered more or less acceptable in Britain at the time of the original [[1966 (releases)|1966]] broadcast of ''[[The Celestial Toymaker (TV story)|The Celestial Toymaker]]''.{{Note|On the other hand, in America the "n-word" had been widely acknowledged as a racial slur by this point, but it is impossible to know whether the authors were aware of this.}} Although the rhyme is still present on [[AudioGO|BBC Audio]]'s 2001 CD soundtrack release of the story, this section has been obscured by [[Peter Purves]]'s narration to correspond to modern views on the use of the "n-word". Due to its long history, it is now considered a racial slur. | ||
* In [[Gerry Davis]] and [[Alison Bingeman]]'s 1986 novelisation of ''[[The Celestial Toymaker (novelisation)|The Celestial Toymaker]]'', the King of Hearts recites only the opening line "Eeny, meeny, miney, mo". | |||
==Notes== | |||
{{Notelist}} | |||
[[Category:Nursery rhymes]] | [[Category:Nursery rhymes]] | ||
[[Category:Poetry from the real world]] | [[Category:Poetry from the real world]] | ||
Latest revision as of 23:26, 27 June 2024
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" was a traditional children's counting rhyme on Earth, used to select a person to be "it" for games and similar purposes.
History[[edit] | [edit source]]
The King of Hearts recited the rhyme:
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch a n****r by his toe.
If he hollers, let him go.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
He did this whilst deciding which of the seven chairs — six of which were deadly, while one remained safe — to choose. (TV: "The Hall of Dolls" [+]Part of The Celestial Toymaker, Loading...{"namedep":"The Hall of Dolls (2)","1":"The Celestial Toymaker (TV story)"})
The opening line was recited by the Third Doctor to decide which way to go while he and Jo Grant were making their way through the tunnel leading to the Royal Citadel on Peladon. (TV: The Curse of Peladon [+]Loading...["The Curse of Peladon (TV story)"])
The Fourth Doctor recited the opening line to choose the route he and Sarah Jane Smith should take through the wood in which they had landed. Sarah asked him what was "so special about eeny, meeny, miny, moe?", to which he replied that it could just have easily been "fum-fo-fee-fi". Sarah corrected this to "fee-fi-fo-fum". (TV: The Android Invasion [+]Loading...["The Android Invasion (TV story)"])
The Seventh Doctor recited a version of the rhyme, where the toe belonged to a "Rutan" which "wriggles", to decide whether to go left or right. (PROSE: Lucifer Rising [+]Loading...["Lucifer Rising (novel)"])
The War Doctor used the rhyme to decide his way around a Dalek saucer during the Last Great Time War. (PROSE: Engines of War [+]Loading...["Engines of War (novel)"])
The Nightmare Man recited a version of the rhyme, where the toe belonged to a "tiger", to decide whether to invade Clyde Langer or Rani Chandra's dreams first. Rani ended up getting the "moe". (TV: The Nightmare Man [+]Loading...["The Nightmare Man (TV story)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The use of the "n-word" in the King of Hearts' recitation of the rhyme in "The Hall of Dolls" was still considered more or less acceptable in Britain at the time of the original 1966 broadcast of The Celestial Toymaker.[nb 1] Although the rhyme is still present on BBC Audio's 2001 CD soundtrack release of the story, this section has been obscured by Peter Purves's narration to correspond to modern views on the use of the "n-word". Due to its long history, it is now considered a racial slur.
- In Gerry Davis and Alison Bingeman's 1986 novelisation of The Celestial Toymaker, the King of Hearts recites only the opening line "Eeny, meeny, miney, mo".
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- ↑ On the other hand, in America the "n-word" had been widely acknowledged as a racial slur by this point, but it is impossible to know whether the authors were aware of this.
