Muppet Question # 14 Answered
On Sunday, January 08, 2006 8:45:30 AM, John B. said ...
A Muppet question for you Sir Bevis! What did they call the Swedish Chef in Sweden? I can assure you they did not find the idea of a bumbling, idiot chef of their nationality to be amusing for some reason, so the character was renamed there.
You know what? It turns out that Tom Gleeson is full of hot air. Yes; who woulda thunk it?!
You and I both know, John B, that when you wrote the above question you were referring to a piece of stand-up we'd both seen on TV not long beforehand, of comedian Gleeson discussing how 'The Swedish Chef' from The Muppets was referred to as The Polish Chef in Sweden. There followed an admittedly funny bit where he pretended to be Swedish tourists visiting Poland (and then in turn, Polish natives bemused by the visiting Swedes) ... each of them laughing at the other for the same reason (because, to one another, they sounded just like the character from The Muppets).
But even just a little online research will reveal that this doesn't appear to be the case at all. Indeed, I don't know where Gleeson purports to have received his information, but it doesn't seem to be anywhere on the entire Internet. However, I found several sites that informed me of the following:
1. In Sweden, The Swedish Chef is known as "Svenske Kocken" ("Swedish Chef" in Swedish).
2. In Germany, The Swedish Chef is Danish and his song is "Smørrebrød, Smørrebrød, røm, pøm, pøm, pøm".
So it would appear that the Swedes have a better sense of humour than we first suspected. Meanwhile, the Germans seem to take offense far too easily (big newsflash there!) - even when it's not actual Germans who are being insulted.
Strange.
.
posted by BEVIS @ 8:19 am
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10 Comments:
i am so using that song to impress my danish friend
... and what do they call an 'Oslo Lunch' in Oslo?
and what are Turkeys called in Turkey?
what's a Chinese Burn called in the schoolyards of China?
These, and many more questions, will be answered ... in the next enthralling episode of Piiigs Iiiin Netspaaaaace.
Hehe ... very good.
1) Lunch.
2) Native birds.
3) White-man burns.
Would I lie to you?
My question to you is: When an Indian gives another Indian a gift and then wants it back, do they have a specific term for that?
Answer: Yes. "Man-to-avoid-inviting-to-your-party."
(LittleFaerieGirl, you have a Danish friend? What does he or she call the pastries with icing and fruit that hotel buffets often serve at breakfast? "Homelands"?)
What do they call dirt on Mars?
Also, did you know I can do a way super awesome impression of Kermit the Frog?
I'm available for hire for answering machines and voice messages.
Can you do any impressions SuperBevis?
I don't know if I...or John B. had seen that Tom Gleeson bit. I work with a German guy who told me that in Europe the Swedish Chef was known by another nationality name.
Thanks for your research. I am now more interested in my other Muppet related question. So get searching. ;-)
Comedians are never ones to change a good story, for example, wil anderson's fraudulent "noel noll" bit. I can only imagine he heard that at a party and never bothered to check because (he thinks) it's hilarious.
I once knew a Danish guy who did a killer impersonation of the Chef in question. And i'm positive he introduced himself as "Danish, like the chef in the muppets". The plot thickens...
PS Hi Bevis. Thanks for your sweet *crosses out* manly comments! I was thinking you guys have quite a healthy relationship too... then I read that you watched 238 episodes of Neighbours in 2006. Healthy...? Not so sure...
Yes but was he gay? I always assumed so. In fact, I think more than half the cast were gay. What say you?
I say you crazy, girl!
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