Talk:Itsy Bitsy Spider

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Setting of story[edit]

It's been quite a while, but ISTR that the events of the rhyme occurred in the rain-gutter system of the roof of a house, rather than a teapot. Would seem likelier for rain to occur there. - knoodelhed 18:04, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

The Itsy Bitsy Spider as Irony[edit]

The itsy bitsy spider can be viewed as a metaphor for the failure of urination as a female method of birth control. The story is sweetly ironic where a mother lovingly teaches the child the nursery rhyme as the child demonstrates the mistake of not using a more effective contraceptive method. This instruction is now given by mothers to adolescent girls more directly and is reinforced by the girl realizing, finally, that she exists because of that misconception (sic). The joke is on her and, is her. I can still hear the mother's call as a young woman leaves on a date; "Don't forget the Itsy Bitsy Spider!"

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Are you a vandal or something? Give me a break!

Yet ever so creative, for which I give credit. Ha! :) Fieryrogue 22:44, 15 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

wow...that's ridiculous. Are you on an acid trip?

actually it would make sense really... —Preceding unsigned comment added by *ninjaate* (talk • contribs) 10:06, 17 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Actually no, it wouldn't make any sense. This sounds like something you hear in sociology or gender studies classes: Absurd, offensive garbage that is nothing except one person interpreting something in an unpleasant way. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Eelnomtih (talk • contribs) 02:33, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Ringtone[edit]

In The Spectacular Spider-Man (TV series), the first several notes of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" form the ringtone programmed into Peter Parker's mobile phone. On one occasion, the ringtone ironically foils Spider-Man's sneak attack of the Lizard. Glenn L (talk) 02:06, 2 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Name or description?[edit]

The first version given here talks of "The itsy bitsy spider", thereby giving "itsy bitsy" as an adjective describing the spider. The second version ("Incy Wincy spider") implies that "Incy Wincy" is the spider's name, which is how I've always interpreted it. Does anybody have any idea which is the correct or original interpretation? — Smjg (talk) 18:45, 16 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Rock And Roll[edit]

On The Pony Rider Series Episode Nightmare Moon Strikes Again (2007) The Nightmare Band (Nightmare Moon Celestea Cadence And Shining Armor) Performed A Rock And Roll Version Of The Itsy Bitsy Spider (Alt Lyrics Climbed Up The Walter Spout) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.134.2.193 (talk) 18:57, 26 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Regional variations[edit]

During a talkback on (Australian) ABC radio Trevor Chappell's Overnights program 22 July in which a number of callers discussed this song, an overwhelming majority (including the presenter) knew the words as "Incy Wincy". Is this version unique to Oz? Doug butler (talk) 12:58, 23 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Just came across a CD "Favourite Activity Songs Vol. 1" (Jumping Jack JJCD 486) published in Ipswich, Suffolk. Track 8 is "Incy Wincy Spider", so this version may belong to the English canon. Doug butler (talk) 03:09, 12 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I grew up in Great Britain and in my childhood the name for the rhyme we were taught was the Incy Wincy Spider, sometimes without the definite article, and it was on the nursery rhyme cassettes. In stories based on the rhyme Incy Wincy was the name of the spider. Sometimes, less often than not, the word water was dropped so the spider climbed up the spout. I had heard Itsy Bitsy in American videos so the name of the rhyme probably varies with dialect and I know Australian English is closer to British than American English so the name Incy Wincy might have come from Britain.Tk420 (talk) 22:09, 4 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It's always been Incy Wincy Spider for me in the UK. I came here after being marked wrong in a quiz when I referred to Incy Wincy Spider. Despite years of consuming US media I had no idea it could be itsy bitsy. My 37 year old world view is shaken!

I do have a question as to whether both Incy Wincy and Itsy Bitsy should be used in the title and there should be an explaination that the North American lyrics and total are being used throughout the article for clarification.

Origin[edit]

What about the Hungarian origin? I'm a native Hungarian speaker, and the we have "ici-pici" and "icike-picike", "piciri", "pirinyó", "piti", etc words. You can find these in more hundred years old Hungarian books, newspapers, fabulas, songs and poems too. These are very common used Hungarian words. For example if you want a coffee in a restaurant and the waiter ask you about the sugar and you want just a few, you can say that: "Csak egy picit" or "ici-picit". There are a few Hungarian origin words in every European language, the English is not an exception. — Preceding unsigned comment added by H Miki (talk • contribs) 01:12, 18 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Opinion Fancruft?[edit]

I was about to "revert" an edit of mine, but I realized I should probably ask first. To quote the summary I was gonna use, "I could see where User:Doug butler is coming from (deleting that much is a bad idea [he called my edit 'indiscriminate wholesale blanking']). However, mentioning a song's cover versions is unnecessary."

I do agree to a point. Itsy Bitsy Spider is not Here Comes the Sun, but it's a popular article, and a lot of people come to Wikipedia for that sort of information. I'm not particularly concerned with nursery rhymes, but got involved because only the American version (Itsy Bitsy) was mentioned, and I knew nothing but "Incey Wincey". And it's fascinating how pointless little things permeate popular culture. "Memes" I think it's called. Doug butler (talk) 22:35, 8 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]