Fozzie didn't make it up, did he?

February 10, 2009 7:10 AM

Where does the phrase "wakka wakka," used to punctuate a joke routine, come from?

I know it's Fozzie Bear's catchphrase, but it must be older than that, right? From old Borscht Belt comedians, or something?

posted by gleuschk to Society & Culture (5 answers total)

Fozzie didn't make it up, did he?

Of course not. Fozzie Bear is a lifeless puppet incapable of sentient thought.

.. or is he?

Seriously, though, I think it's an original phrase (presumably from Frank Oz), just evocative of that style (along with pretty much everything else about his delivery).
posted by mkultra at 8:04 AM on February 10, 2009

Frank Oz based the Fozzy Bear character on Borscht Belt comedians and Jewish humor, but I'm pretty sure the phrase itself is original.
posted by DecemberBoy at 8:20 AM on February 10, 2009

(I don't know the answer, but it might help in Googling to know that the "correct" spelling — as in, the one that Henson used and the one that serious fans on the interwub seem to be using — is "wocka wocka wocka.")
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:22 AM on February 10, 2009

It may also have some tangent relation to 1920s bandleader Ben Bernie's "yowza yowza yowza" catchphrase.
posted by The White Hat at 8:27 AM on February 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

I hear echoes of a muted trombone in the phrase -- a sort of musical rimshot.
posted by ROTFL at 8:33 AM on February 10, 2009