Grammar Girl here, today I have a fun piece for you about the history of the song Little

Bunny Fufu and the urban legend that surrounds it.

Some at summer camps and preschools for generations, Little Bunny Fufu is a partly sung, partly

spoken piece of folklore.

But where did it come from?

We don't know exactly, but we'll tell you what we do know and steer you away from some

misinformation from a surprising source.

Little Bunny Fufu goes like this, Little Bunny Fufu hopping through the forest, scooping

up the field mice and popping them on the head, Down came the good fairy, and she said,

Little Bunny Fufu, I don't want to see you scooping up the field mice and popping them

on the head, I'll give you three chances, and then I'll turn you into a goon.

The words are usually accompanied by hand movements, illustrating bunny ears and

the scooping and popping.

The good fairy's prohibition, as in any folk story, is followed by a violation, three, in

fact, and the good fairy makes good on her threat.

Then this get concludes with a pun that has seemingly no relation to the morality of

the rest of the story, and the moral is, hair today, goon tomorrow.

The sung parts have the melody of the French Canadian song Aloetta, which was first published

in 1879.

Although some people also identify it with Down by the station, or Itsy Bitsy Spider,

Aloetta is the best match, because its melody matches that of Bunny Fufu all the way through

popping them on the head.

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