We came this close to it! Cookie Monster’s onomatopoetic “Nom” (as in “Om Nom Nom”) was the runner-up to the noticeably lamer “app” for the American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year. What the ADS has against Sesame Street is beyond me.
All this talk about Words of the Year has got me thinkin’. What other words should be considered for WotY? Not just from this year, but retroactively (since the Muppets have obviously been overlooked again and again for this prestigious honor). Let us review some of those words, shall we?
Börk/Børk/Bôrk
It doesn’t matter how you spell it, it always has the same meaning. Not that anyone knows what that meaning is. But really, “Bork” has become widely known as the key to the perfect Swedish impression. Step one: Spout some gibberish. Step two: Say “Bork Bork Bork”. Step three: Receive compliments from your friends for sounding like a real Swedish person!
Linoleum
It’s a great L word! It’s how Fritz announces his absence! It’s what you eat to avoid breaking your diet! It rhymes with “cheeseburger”! It’s kinda like Cronkite!
Mama
Possibly the most quoted line from the most popular viral video from the Muppets, people all around the world fell in love with Animal’s maternal tirade in Bohemian Rhapsody. Except for people like me, who watched the video so often, we probably ended up hearing Animal shout about his mom approximately 75,000 times.
Elephino
*rimshot*
Sewen
Only the Count could mispronounce the word “seven” and still manage to teach millions of kids about math. And make it thunder on a clear day, I guess.
Rev
You gotta floop if you wanna be rev!
Hbbbllllpphhhttttbbbblll
It’s the word that made Frazzle an internationally famous voiceover actor.
*Blahdeeblah*
Any word to be followed by “Do doo do do doo”. Feel free to insert “Phenomenon” or “Shyamalan” or possibly even the ever popular “Mahna Mahna”.
Cook
Jeff Bridges showed America that not only does he have a laid-back attitude to appearing on live television with a Muppet, but he’s also good pals with Cookie Monster by bestowing a new nickname on him: Cook. With one word, he succeeded in making us wish we were on a first name basis with a Muppet and that we were cool enough to warrant a nickname from The Dude.
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
