Humpty Dumpty is one of the best known nursery rhymes. First published in 1803, it is thought that the original poem could have originated from the term "humpty dumpty," which was both a drink of brandy boiled with ale, or a short clumsy person. Typically portrayed as an egg, he is not specifically referred to as such in the original text.

One of the most famous depictions of the poem appears in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, where the egg discusses semantics with Alice. L. Frank Baum included the egg in his 1901 book Mother Goose in Prose, and the motif of "All the King's Horses" has been used in popular music, including songs by both The Monkees and Aretha Franklin.

Adaptations

• Mother Goose Stories featured the rhyme in an episode of the series, where he was known as Prince Humpty Dumpty.

• The Muppet Show featured Humpty Dumpty in the Alice in Wonderland themed episode.

• Sesame Street has featured Humpty Dumpty on numerous occasions, with the most famous being a Sesame Street News Flash. He appeared, as a new puppet, on Episode 4263 of Sesame Street, voiced by Jerry Nelson.^[1]

• An animated Humpty Dumpty (voiced by Steve Whitmire) appears in a Journey to Ernie segment.

• Shadow tells this story in "Why Bears Can't Fly."

Recordings

• The Sesame Street Music Box Record Player by Fisher-Price features a record that plays a musical rendition of the rhyme.

References

• In a 2005 episode of Sesame Street, Baby Bear puts together a Humpty Dumpty puzzle at Storybook Community School.

• In episode 319 of The Hoobs, Tula wants to sit Humpty Dumpty on the wall, but first the floppy fellow needs stuffing.

• Eggie is a Humpty Dumpty like toy in The Christmas Toy and The Secret Life of Toys.

• A segment of Fairyland PD on episode 108 of Muppets Tonight was called "The Big Crack-up," where Clifford and Bobo the Bear attempt to solve a Humpty Dumpty-type case.

• The Muppet Babies storybook Big Book of Nursery Rhymes & Fairy Tales features the Baby Rowlf in this version of the story.

• The book Abby Cadabby's Nursery Rhymes features Abby Cadabby using her magic to help put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

• Bert plays the famous egg in Big Bird's Mother Goose.

• Abby Cadabby dressed up as Humpty Dumpty in Abby Mix & Match Nursery Rhymes.

• The Sesame Street Treasury Volume 6 tells the story of Humpty Dumpty with Ernie, Grover, Bert, Herry and Guy Smiley.

• Humpty Dumpty appears in the Muppet Babies comic book "Story Land Caper" (Issue #8, July 1986).

• Oscar suggests Slimey use an egg shell for a Humpty Dumpty costume for Wormy Gras in a 2000 episode of Sesame Street.

Humpty Dumpty in Muppet Babies comic book, "Story Land Caper."

Eggie from The Christmas Toy

Prince Humpty Dumpty

The Sesame Street Treasury Volume 6

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Sources

1. ↑ ToughPigs: Live from Sesame Street, Part 3: Three Muppeteers on a Couch