Badger Badger Badger
Encyclopedia
"Badger Badger Badger" or "The Badger Song" is a Flash cartoon
by British animator Jonti Picking
. It consists of images of badgers
doing calisthenics
, a toadstool in front of a tree, and a snake in the desert. Accompanied by electronic music
, a voice repeats the word "badger" over the animation, breaking off to say either "mushroom" or "a snake".
The cartoon, published 14 February 2003, loops indefinitely. The first two badger scenes contain twelve badgers; subsequent badger scenes contain eleven badgers. After a long running time, the song becomes out of sync with the animation.
The cartoon brought Picking to the attention of MTV Europe
, for whom Picking produced Weebl and Bob
. That cartoon series, together with the dancing badgers, helped Picking's website Weebl's Stuff win a People's Choice award from users of Yahoo!
in the UK
. "Badger Badger Badger" was also listed as one of the top five internet fads of all time by PC World
.
version of the cartoon. "Badgers 2" was created in 2003 and features zombie
badgers on a black background with a scratching sound added to the music. A Christmas-themed version, with badgers dressed in Santa outifts, is also available. "Badgers On A Plane" consists of a scene from a Snakes On a Plane
trailer that includes badgers and a mushroom, which have been digitally edited into the scene, tumbling from their seats while a bit of the song plays in the background. In 2007, "Big Ass Badgers" was released to spoof the Transformers film. Also in 2007, a live action version of the cartoon called "Baby Badgers" was released to promote the new Badger toys. The word spoken is actually "magic" not "badger", making the appearance of the mushroom more logical, as well as the snake hallucination.
A "Euro 2004 Edition" was also created during the UEFA Euro 2004 football championship, where the badgers wore England
football jerseys to "footy, footy, footy" and "England! England! Goal! A goal! Oh, it's a goal, scored by England, England..."
A new version titled "Footy 2010" was created for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
with vuvuzela
s drowning out the audio.
More recently a dubstep
version called "Guess I got My Badger Back" was released based on "Swagga" by Excision & Datsik
. On April 6, 2011, he uploaded a 3D version.
A new version of the song was launched on the Moshi Monsters
website, where the Monsters appear on the screen as, "Moshi Moshi" is sung instead. Every now and then, there is a break where "Moshling" is said instead.
Flash cartoon
A Flash animation or Flash cartoon is an animated film which is created using Adobe Flash or similar animation software and often distributed in the .swf file format. The term Flash animation not only refers to the file format but to a certain kind of movement and visual style which, in many...
by British animator Jonti Picking
Jonti Picking
Jonathan "Jonti" Picking , otherwise known as Weebl, is a British Internet personality and flash animator and is the creator of Weebl's Stuff....
. It consists of images of badgers
Eurasian Badger
The European Badger is a species of badger of the genus Meles, native to almost all of Europe. It is classed as Least Concern for extinction by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and large population....
doing calisthenics
Calisthenics
Calisthenics are a form of aerobic exercise consisting of a variety of simple, often rhythmical, movements, generally using multiple equipment or apparatus. They are intended to increase body strength and flexibility with movements such as bending, jumping, swinging, twisting or kicking, using...
, a toadstool in front of a tree, and a snake in the desert. Accompanied by electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, a voice repeats the word "badger" over the animation, breaking off to say either "mushroom" or "a snake".
The cartoon, published 14 February 2003, loops indefinitely. The first two badger scenes contain twelve badgers; subsequent badger scenes contain eleven badgers. After a long running time, the song becomes out of sync with the animation.
The cartoon brought Picking to the attention of MTV Europe
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...
, for whom Picking produced Weebl and Bob
Weebl and Bob
The Everyday Happenings of Weebl is a Flash cartoon series created by Jonti Picking and co-scripted by Chris Vick .-Main summary:...
. That cartoon series, together with the dancing badgers, helped Picking's website Weebl's Stuff win a People's Choice award from users of Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. "Badger Badger Badger" was also listed as one of the top five internet fads of all time by PC World
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
.
Follow-up versions
There have been several follow ups to the "Badger Badger Badger" cartoon posted to the Weebl's stuff website. A Harry Potter version using character names was created as well as a HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
version of the cartoon. "Badgers 2" was created in 2003 and features zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
badgers on a black background with a scratching sound added to the music. A Christmas-themed version, with badgers dressed in Santa outifts, is also available. "Badgers On A Plane" consists of a scene from a Snakes On a Plane
Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American horror-action-thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006 in North America...
trailer that includes badgers and a mushroom, which have been digitally edited into the scene, tumbling from their seats while a bit of the song plays in the background. In 2007, "Big Ass Badgers" was released to spoof the Transformers film. Also in 2007, a live action version of the cartoon called "Baby Badgers" was released to promote the new Badger toys. The word spoken is actually "magic" not "badger", making the appearance of the mushroom more logical, as well as the snake hallucination.
A "Euro 2004 Edition" was also created during the UEFA Euro 2004 football championship, where the badgers wore England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
football jerseys to "footy, footy, footy" and "England! England! Goal! A goal! Oh, it's a goal, scored by England, England..."
A new version titled "Footy 2010" was created for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
with vuvuzela
Vuvuzela
The vuvuzela , also known as lepatata Mambu , colloquially known in South Africa as "Moerstripper", is a plastic horn, about long, which produces a loud monotone note, typically around B3 . Some models are made in two parts to facilitate storage, and this design also allows pitch variation...
s drowning out the audio.
More recently a dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
version called "Guess I got My Badger Back" was released based on "Swagga" by Excision & Datsik
Datsik (musician)
Datsik is the alias of Troy Beetles, a Dubstep DJ and music producer from British Columbia, Canada. He frequently works with fellow Canadian Dubstep producers Excision and Downlink. His first release was in the spring of 2009.-Biography:...
. On April 6, 2011, he uploaded a 3D version.
A new version of the song was launched on the Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters is a social networking online game and virtual pet site targeted at children aged 7 to 12. The player adopts and cares for a pet monster, solving puzzles which lead to rewards called rox; these can be used as currency to buy items for the adopted monster, such as clothing, food, and...
website, where the Monsters appear on the screen as, "Moshi Moshi" is sung instead. Every now and then, there is a break where "Moshling" is said instead.
See also
- Weebl's Stuff, the website of the creator of the badger cartoon.
- List of Internet phenomena