John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

About

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt is an indefinitely repetitive song that dates back to around the late 19th century in vaudeville featuring lyrics about an assumedly German man named John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt who shares his name with another man. The song is often sung by children and has been featured in children's entertainment including Barney and Cocomelon. The song has inspired numerous memes about the lyrics, typically playing off of the absurdity of two people sharing such a specific name.

Origin

The origins of the song are unclear. It appears to have been written around the late 19th century or early 20th century. Researchers hypothesize that the song became popularized in vaudeville performances during a time when there was a large influx of Germans immigrating to America, explaining the German-sounding name.^[1] The song has been sung by scouts since as early as the 1920s.^[2] In modern times, it has remained well-known as a song for children and is featured in children's entertainment including Barney and Friends (shown below). There is no evidence to suggest John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt was a real person.

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
His name is my name too
When ever we go out
The people always shout
There goes
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

Spread

Memes about the song have been occasionally prominent throughout the 2010s and 2020s, though the exact first is unknown. For example, in 2017, a meme started going around Facebook^[3] warning people against adding friends named "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" (shown below, left). On January 8th, 2020 Instagram^[4] user erixworxmemes posted a meme about the song (shown below, right).

On November 27th, 2021, Facebook^[5] page Richard Cohen’s “Zen and the Art of Early Childhood Education" posted a meme showing two people talking at a bar. One says, "I'm John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, what's your name?" and the other responds, "OK, you're not going to believe this," referring to the lyrics of the song, gaining over 1,000 reactions and 390 shares in two weeks (shown below). Instagram^[6] user official.agnew reposted a version with the caption, "Buddy, you ain't gonna fuckin' believe this," on December 6th, gaining over 6,800 likes in three days. On December 6th, Instagram^[7] user trashcanpaul reposted the meme, gaining over 132,000 likes in two days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References