| Yankee Doodle | |
|---|---|
 From Four Color #68 | |
|
Real Name |
Yankee Doodle |
|
First Appearance |
1755 |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
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"The Macaroni. A real Character at the late Masquerade", a 1773 mezzotint by Philip Dawe
"Yankee Doodle" is a traditional song and nursery rhyme, the early versions of which predate the Seven Years' War and American Revolutionary War. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today. It is the state song of the U.S. state of Connecticut.Its Roud Folk Song Index number is 4501. The tune shares with the English language nursery rhymes "Simple Simon", "Jack and Jill", and "Lucy Locket"
In British conversation, the term "Yankee doodle dandy" implied unsophisticated misappropriation of upper-class fashion, as though simply sticking a feather in one's cap would transform the wearer into a noble. Peter McNeil, a professor of fashion studies, claims that the British were insinuating that the colonists were lower-class men who lacked masculinity, emphasizing that the American men were womanly.
The song was a pre-Revolutionary War song originally sung by British military officers to mock the disheveled, disorganized colonial "Yankees" with whom they served in the French and Indian War. It was written at Fort Crailo around 1755 by British Army surgeon Richard Shuckburgh while campaigning in Rensselaer, New York. The British troops sang it to mock their stereotype of the American soldier as a Yankee simpleton who thought that he was stylish if he simply stuck a feather in his cap. It was also popular among the Americans as a song of defiance, and they added verses to it that mocked the British and hailed George Washington as the Commander of the Continental army.
By 1781, "Yankee Doodle" had turned from being an insult to being a song of national pride.
The full version of the song as it is known today can be viewed here.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Yankee Doodle from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Gammer Gurton's Garland: Or, The Nursery Parnassus (1810)
Public Domain Music Appearances[]
- Yankee Doodle (1755 - 1758 or possibly earlier)
- Dixie Doodle (1862)
- The Yankee Doodle Boy (1904)
Public Domain Stage Appearances[]
- The Disappointment (1762)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Four Color #68: Mother Goose has a birthday party and invites a large number of nursery rhyme characters including Yankee Doodle.
- Famous Funnies #12: The one page nonfiction feature Strange As It Seems feature the song Yankee Doodle in this issue.
Public Domain Appearances Inspired by Yankee Doodle[]
Public Domain Animated Appearances[]
- The Opry House (1929)
- Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Yankee Doodle in Berlin (1919)
Public Domain Comics Appearances[]
Appearances of Yankee Doodle Jones[]
- Yankee Comics #1-4
- Bulls Eye Comics #11 (Reprint)
- Dynamic Comics #8 (Reprint)
- Hello Pal Comics #1
Appearances of Yank & Doodle[]
- Prize Comics #13-68
Appearances of Captain Yankee Doodle[]
- Skyman #2
- Columbia Comics #1
- Big Shot Comics #29-63
Appearances of Yankee Doodle Jr.[]
- Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics #14
Appearances of Yankee Doodle Boy[]
- National Comics #1-9
Notes[]
- Yankee Doodle inspired the theme tune for the children's television series, Barney & the Backyard Gang, Barney & Friends, and the 1960s US cartoon series Roger Ramjet.