I’ve been reading Games and Songs of American Children by William Wells Newell, a Dover reprint of the 1903 edition. I find it fascinating how games are transmitted from generation to generation, games like “Tag”, “Button button who has the button?”, “The church and the steeple” or “Odd or even?” These games are not learned from teachers in a school, or read in a book, or typically even taught from parents. For the most part they are transmitted from child to child, from an older sibling, or a peer, through the most casual pathways. Games like this have spread across the country and beyond without any overt effort. In a way, it is like language.
So, that made me think about the “classic” children’s Christmas parody of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells”. I assume there is no part of this country where these words are not known to every child. But it exists in no songbook. Who first sang these words, and when and where was it done? How fast did it travel? I think if a sufficient survey was done of adults of various ages, as to when and where they recall first hearing these lyrics, one could reconstruct the migration of this bit of modern folklore. Those who heard it earliest would have heard it closer to its source.
It would help my little research if any old-timers (say over 40 years old) left a comment indicating what version you heard first, where you heard it (town and state) and approximately what year you heard it. I’d like to figure out what the original version truly was, and where it came from and how fast it spread.
There are several variants of this song. The one I grew up with was:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
Other commonly reported versions include:
Shotgun shells, Santa smells,
Rudolf ran away,
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a beat-up Chevrolet!
or
Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf got a .22
and shot him in the head.
or
Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells,
BB’s in the air.
Oh, what fun it is to ride
in Santa’s underwear!”
or
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg,
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
and the Joker joined ballet , Hey!
Check the comments for other variations. Some have alternate lyrics to the verse as well as the chorus.
Also, if you are interesting in crazy Christmas music, then here are two CD’s, filled with zany holiday classics, for your consideration:
12 December 2015 Update
Nine years after I wrote this post I was prompted by Robert Evans over at Cracked to offer updated thoughts on the question of the origins of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.” We both went through the comments on this post, correlated the dates and places, and I then did further research in newspaper archives to try to locate the earliest printed occurrence of these lines. What we found out might surprise you. More over at The Secret True History of “Jingle Bells Batman Smells.”
Southeast PA, early 70’s, Your version, and also two other parodies of Jingle Bells:
1.
Shotgun shells, Santa smells, Rudolf ran away, Oh what fun it is to ride in a beat-up Chevrolet!
2. Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf got a .22 and shot him in the head.
Scary Eyes,batman scares
Santa Runs away
someone helped the elves on the way ,
jump up and say hey!
Jingle bells batman smell Robin did a fart joker came sniffed it in and almost lost his heart
Jingle bells batman smell robin flew away Wonder Woman lost her buzums and this all happened on Christmas Day hayp
Jiggle bells ,Batman smells
Robin laid a egg
Shot a tree and made it pee in 1961
Hey!
Jingle Bells, shotgun shells Santa Claus is dead. G.I. Joe and the Eskimo shot him in the head
I’m researching this, too, and happened upon this post. Thought I’d add that growing up, we always sang…
“Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells, BeeBees in the air. Oh, what fun it is to ride in Santa’s underwear!”
Creepy, I know.
well me and my bff sings this 1
jingle bells , batman smells
robin flew away
uncle billy lost his willy
on a motorway
hey
Me and My BFF sing Jingle Bells Batman Smells, Robin Laid an Egg….Uncle Billy lost his little Jimmy on the More Reay HEY!
Same! We sing it every Christmas.
Well, what is new is to say “Jingle Bells ,batman smells Robin laid an egg, the batmobile lost a wheel ,and joker joined ballet , Hey!”
My friend and I sing: Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. I shot a tree and made it pee in 1883! Hey!
My husband’s contribution, Vancouver BC, ca 1965?? Only the first part is certain, the rest is now in scraps and tatters, and if anyone can help ?
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Santa Claus is dead,
Someone took a beebee gun and shot him in the head, hey!
Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh,
Hunting down the elves, laughing all the way
(Bells on bob-tail ring,
making spirits bright — there MAY have been something in this phrase about blood on the snow, but that’s one of the lost parts)
Oh what fun it is to ride and sing a slaying song tonight, hey!
Anybody recognize this one?
We had something about blood on the snow, although the other lyrics are different…
Dashing through the snow
On a pair of broken skis
Through the fields we go
Crashing into trees
The snow is turning red
It’s coming from my head
Someone phone an ambulance
I think I’m almost dead!
(Then we segued into the old Batman one, not sure why)
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin flew away
The Batmobile lost a wheel
on the motorway
That one is hilarious
mine is similar it’s:
dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skis
through the fields we go
crashing into trees
my face is turning red
i think im almost dead
i woke up in the hospital with stitches in my head
We did something similar, it was
Dashing through the snow
On a pair of broken skies
Ore the fields we go
Crashing into trees
The snow it turning red
I think I might be dead
I woke up in the hospital with stitches in my head!
Jingle Bells
Batman smells
A million miles away
blew his nose
On cheerios
and at them everyday (or anyway)
This is the one I know that had some of that in it
Dashing through the snow with a pair of broken skies over the hills we go crashing into trees the snow is glowing red I think I’m almost dead I woke up in the hospital with stitches in my head oooh 9 1 1 9 1 1 Santa Claus is dead rodolph took a .44 and shot him in the head oh Barbie doll Barbie doll tries to save his life but g.i. Joe from Mexico staped him with a knife
Jingle bells,Batman smells,Robin Laid A gun,Then Shot A tree and made it pee in 1983 (AYE)
this is one i learned when i was about 7 or 8, “jingle bells batman smells, robin laid an egg! batmobile lost a wheel and joker took ballet hey! dashing through the snow on a broken pair of skis over hills we go, crashing into trees hahaha the snow is turning red, i think im almost dead, will someone call an ambulance before i lose my head hey! not a very good song to be singing at 7 years old i kno but what can you do?
I wish I could remember the whole song,
Jingle bells Jingle bells robin laid an egg, the bat mobile lost a wheel and the joker got away, (the verse or verses next is what I can’t remember but it ends with) Barbie doll Barbie doll tried to save his life but GI Joe the eskimo stabbed her with a knife.
I grew up in a small place called ElCajon California in the mid to early 70’s I am thinking
That’s the one I grew up with in Alaska!
the last song goes
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis and crashing into trees the snow is turning red i think im almost dead but i wake up in a hospital bed with stiches in my head Hey 911 911 barneys on the run and i forget the rest of the song so am gonna say HEY
there’s this one:
dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skiis
oner the hills we go
crashing throgh the trees
the snow is really red
i think im almost dead
they rushed me to the hospital
i almost lost my head!
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis
Over the hills we go crashing through the trees
The snow is turning red
I think I’m almost dead
I woke up in the hospital with stitches in my head (hey!)
911 911 babies robbing the bank!
Gi-joe from Mexico
Shot her with a tank!
Oh! Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel and the joker got away…..
The first part is what we sang too
I sing
Jingle bells bat man smells robin laid a gun
Shot himself in pizza hut in 1981
Oh Barbie girl Barbie girl tried to save his life
But teddy bear teddy bear stabbed her with a knife😊
jingle bells, jingle bells, santa clause is dead rudolph took a 22 and shot him in the head barbie doll barbie doll tried to save his life but GI joe from mexico stabed her with a knife. That’s a pretty bad one.
Another one
Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Granny got a gun
shot that deer in the rear
Unknown
jingle bells, shot gun shells there is a bombing run i play call of so i dont get done for my duty
Jingle bell shotgun shells grandmas for a gun pulled the trigger shot at figure now she’s on the run
jingle bells, shot gun shells there is a bombing run i play call of so i dont get done for my duty
Our Rural Australian Version went along the same lines with
Jingle bells
Batman Smells
Robin laid an egg
Santa got his 22
and shot him in the head
woo
Barbie doll Barbie doll (also sometimes teddy bear teddy bear)
Tried to save his life
Cat-woman, Cat-woman
stabbed him with a knife
I got one and here it is:
Dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skis
over the hills we go
crashing through the trees!
Oh my god!
The snow is turnin’ red
I think I’m almost dead
I woke up in a hospital bed
with stitches in my head!
911,
911,
Calling 911,
while I’m on my broken skis,
I’m saying “Oh what fun”
Hey!
that doesint make sense only the 1v does
That doesn’t make sense you doing to much 😂😆😄🤐
ahah ok heres one
jingle bells
batman smells robbin layed an egg,
batmobil lost its wheel and joker got away
hey!
batmans in the kitchen
robbins in the hall
jokers in the bathroom peeing on the wall !…
ahah i just heard that one
I remember ‘thinking’ that I had writen:
“Batmans in the kitchen,
Robins in the hall,
Jokers in the bathroom, peeing on the wall” in response to ‘jingle bells, batman smells” around 1988 in GA. A year or so later, I remember having an argument with a friend that I had written that, but he claimed to hear it in KY around the same time I ‘wrote it’. I found this site because I had the same question.. how quickly do these spread? And, perhaps, I subconsciously heard it before that, but I can remember working out the rhyme and feeling accomplish as a 5 or 6 year old.
Human memory inserting details is a funny thing 8) I used to sing that with my second grade class, which would have been 1981. It was sung to the opening tune of “Lulu Had a Baby”.
HERE’S 1!!!
dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis over the cliffs I go, crashing into trees
the snow is turning red, I think I’m almost dead. I woke up in the hospital with stitches in my head
O
911 911 call it all the way
O what fun it is to ride in an ambulance all day HEY
911 911 call it all the way O. what. fun. it. is. to. ride. in. a.
one
horse
o-pen
sleeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
When doing the broken pair of skis version, be sure to add “ow, ow, ow” after crashing into trees.
I first heard it (the first version you list) in Minneapolis around 1974 while in 6th grade
Batman’s in the kitchen,
Robin’s in the hall,
Joker’s in the bathroom
peeing on the wall.
Penguin’s on the potty,
His arms too short to wipe,
Catwoman’s in the litter box
And the Riddler smokes a pipe.
O, Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg,
The Batmobile lost a wheel and the Joker got away!
This is the one I learned in 1975
jingle bells,
batman smells,
robin layed an egg!
the batmobile lost a wheel,
and joker`s song is gay!
oooooh..
jingle bells,
shotgun shells,
mad hatter is dead!
robin got a .22,
and shot him in the head!
ooooooooh!
*chorus*
prancing through the snow,
joker has his day,
taking all the jewls,
laughing all the way!
mwa hah hah!
next verse:
batmans in the kitchen,
robins in the hall,
jokers on the porch,
peeing on the wall! penguins on the potty, his arms too short to wipe,
catwomans in the litter box,
and robin smokes a pipe!
theres more but i cant remember…
Deck the Halls with laughing gases
mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
watch batman kick those guys asses
mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
cant they see im geting away?
mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
robins too busy being gay
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
jokers leaving in a haste
dun da da dun da, da da da da.
not fast enuff, they smashed his face
Fa la la la la la, la la la.
in arkum they give a toast
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
to the clown with a smashed nose
ha ha ha ha haaa ha ha ha haaaaa!
Robin the red dressed hero
batmans very first sidekick
he never took good orders
prolly why his name is dick
bruce was a bit strict on him
while they kept crime at bay
he always bossed poor Robin
ever since that one day
That one day at the trapeze
that Brucey came to say:
“Robin with your mind so bright
wont you try on these cool tights?”
Then how the villions hated him
stressed him out til he was angry
left the roll to tim drake
then came the night wing!!
Jingle bells batman smells
Robin laid a gun
Shot a deer in the rear
in 1981
I first heard the classic:
Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile
Lost its wheel
And the Joker ran away-hey!
In the early ’70s growing up in Rhode Island. I heard it throughout my childhood, next in New Hampshire, and then in Virginia. Hope this helps track it down…I’m curious too!
In Massachusetts, in the early ’70s, I learned:
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
shot him in the leg
Barbie doll, barbie doll
Tried to save his life, but
G I Joe the eskimo
Stabbed her with his knife
(note: found this site while searching online for the missing lyric. Haven’t seen anything like this yet!)
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Santa Claus is dead,
GI Joe the Eskimo,
Shot him in the head
Barbie Doll, Barbie Doll,
Tried to save his life,
GI Joe the Eskimo
Stabbed her with his knife
its obvious where the carols stemmed from! in the actual series joker sings the song in a christmas episode. then other ppl made thier own versions and then on and so forth
Are you referring to the animated series? I recall the song from elementary school in the 70’s, long before the cartoon series was created.
Here’s one we sang back in the 70s growing up in Australia……….
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin flew away
Father Christmas lost his whiskers
Flying TAA – Hey!
FYI – TAA stands for Trans Australia Airlines and was the national airline of Oz back in those days.
1960s Australia we sang
Jingle bells Batman smells Robin ran away. Father Christmas lost his whiskers smoking Craven A.
(Craven Awas a brand of cigarettes available at that time).
Doubt it’ll be much help, but in the 90s the definitive version in PA, NJ, and NY was
“Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
And Joker took ballet”
Also another one from Australia from the 70’s that I learnt was
Jingle Bells, Batman smells Robin Ran away, Wonder Woman lost her bosoms flying T.A.A
I grew up in the 80’s,
and I also recall something very similar,
‘Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away,
Wonder Woman lost her boobs flying T.A.A’
TAA = (Trans Australian Airlines)
Another +1 for this version in Australia. I grew up in Melbourne, and this is what we sang in primary school (circa 1978). There were other verses, but too rude for my sensitive little ears to remember :)
when i was 8 wen i herd one that goes like this: jingle bells batman smells robin flew away uncle billy lost his willy on the motorway hey!
but very rude:(
Jingel Bells, Shotgun Shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
tried to steal my sneakers
so I shot him in the head.
Ohio. Late 70’s/early 80’s.
Dashing through the snow,on a pair of broken skis,down the hill we go,crashing into trees. The snow is turning red,oh my gosh santa claus he’s dead! Oh, 911,911 santa’s really dead! Oh barbie doll,barbie doll tried yo save his life. But GI Joe from Mexico stabbed her with a knife!
Here’s the Sesame Street version:
Jingle bells, Oscar smells,
Bid Bird laid an egg.
Mr. Hooper had a pooper,
On Christmas day, Hey!
JINGLE BELLS, SANTA SMELLS,
50 MILES AWAY
BLOWS HIS NOSE, IN CHERIOS,
AND EATS THEM EVERYDAY, HEY
I heard this Cheerios version, as well as Joker got away/joined ballet in Salem, OR in 1981.
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin laid a leg.
That leg once belonged to the joker
Hey!
Scropion’s attacking Batman
Burning him to hell
how did he get here hey
He’s supposed to be in Mortal Kombat
With Barraka
While getting sliced
with those giant sword things!
Now it’s 2045
Batman can’t even see
and joker’s on a killing spree!
Hey!
(I just made it up as I went along!)
North Alabama, early 80s
Jingle Bells, Shotgun shells
Granny has a gun!
Shot me in the underwear
and boy I had to run!
Anyone know teh last woprds to this one I remember from school/
Jungle bells Batman smells Robyn ran away. Wonder Woman lost her busoms….
I seem to remember that it list a few other “heroes as well
jingle bells batman smells
robin laid an egg!
batmobile lost its wheel
and joker played ballet! hey!
Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Granny had a gun,
Pulled that trigger and
Shot that N*****
in 1961.
I heard it end with “Look at granny run”.
Silght variation on the Batman one where I grew up.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile just lost a wheel, and now the Batman’s dead!
Thanks!! we found this site after hearing a child say
“Jingle Bells Batman smells
Robin got a gun
Shot a tree Made it pee
And Joker got away”
and wondering what was up with that.
Jingle bells,
batman smells,
robin layed a gun,
shot a tree and
made it pee in
1981
MY PARODY
Santa Claus, Santa Claus,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf jacked a 4.4
And shot him in the head,
Oh,
Barbie doll, Barbie doll,
Tried to save his life,
But Scrooge’s son grabbed her thin neck
And stabbed her with a knife.
Escaping through the snow,
On two pairs of broken skis,
Over huge hills they go,
Smashing into trees,
Snow ‘round them ‘s turning red,
Rudolf (literally) lost his head,
They end up in a hospital
Chained tightly to their bed,
‘Cause
Santa Claus, Santa Claus,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf jacked a 4.4
And shot him in the head,
And
Barbie doll, Barbie doll,
Tried to save his life,
But Scrooge’s son grabbed her thin neck
And stabbed her with a knife.
Dashing through the snow,
On two old broken skiis.
I think I broke my knees.
The snow is turning red.
I think I’m almost dead.
Ten years in the hospital with stitches in my head.
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells,
granny got a gun.
Shot a deer, in the rear in 1941. HEY!
This was how me and my son sing it.Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Bat Mobil lost its wheel and crashed in to hedge
HEY!
Batman’s is a so camp.
And Robin is a fool.
The Jokers in the Batman’s house peeing on the walls
HEY!
Dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skis
over the hills he goes
crashing through the trees.
HEY!
The snow is really red
I think he’s almost dead
Batman’s rushed to hospital
he almost lost his head.
HEY!
Jingle bells, Jingle bells
Jingle all the way.
O what fun it is to ride
in batman’s Chevrolet.
From Tim and James UK
Hi Rob,
I'm 51, and the first version I remember is the first one you posted. I'm sue I first heard it in '66… I was 8, and the Batman TV show was brand new.
Thanks for posting
Caby Smith
The VErsion I know goes
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin layed an egg
rudolph got a 22. and shot
him in the head
We also sang in Mississippi:
Jingle Bells,Shotgun Shells
Grandma's got a gun
Shot me in the underwear and boy I had to run!
Someone from Alabama made the same post. I guess it's a Southern thing! We sang this version as children in the 80's, but I'm sure it was around before then.
we used to say it that way in the mid 70s in Memphis
Kids on the West Side of Manhattan have taught me:
Dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skis
o'er the fields we go
And crashing into trees
The sno is turning red
I think Im almost dead
All I want for Christmas is an artificial head
oh 9-1-1-, 9-1-1
Someone call the cops
Take me to the hospital and feed me lollipops!
But as a child on Long Island in the 70's we sang
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile broke it's wheel and the Joker got away!
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg,
Uncle Billy lost his willy,
on the motorway hey!
Jingle Hell
Jingle bells, Santa smells,
The reindeers flew away;
The elves are sick
The snow is thick:
We all hate Christmas Day.
Jingle Bells, the turkey smells,
The stuffing's thick and grey;
The sprouts are old,
The sauce is cold:
We all hate Christmas Day.
Jingle Bells, the rector smells,
The curate he looks gay;
The church bell rings,
The choir sings:
We all hate Christmas Day.
Jingle bells, Granddad smells,
Grandma wants her way,
Dad is mad,
Mum is sad:
We all hate Christmas Day.
Zymosian. 12th December, 2009
By me
That is the most wonderful jingle bells ever. I appreciate your genius.
the x-factor version, courtesy of my 10 yr old brother-
jingle bells, jedward smells,
simon cowell's gay,
oh what fun it is to screech
and ignore what the judges say!
first heard round belfast, 2009
Early 70’s, NE Pennsylvania:
Joker “RAN” away version.
This is all really interesting. But the only time I can remember hearing it was on The Simpsons in one of their Christmas shows. And it was:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
And the Joker got away.
Another version, as if sung by an auctioneer at a fast tempo:
Jingle Bells, but-a-Batman smells but-a-
Robin laid an egg.
Frank Sinatra sang this song but it
Didn’t go this way, hey!
Jingle Bells, but-a-Batman smells but-a-
Robin laid an egg.
Sammy Spear, drank a beer and the
Band refused to play.
I have one:
Jiggle bells bat man smells robin has a gun, he shot himself at pizza hut in 1981!
Try this:
Jingle bells, dasher smells
Elfy ran away
Santa thinks, that Elfy stinks
I forgot what to say! Hey!
the one that i remember lerning when i was a kid is:
jingle bells
batman smell
robin laid an egg
batmobile lost a weel and
joker played ballet hey
dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skiis
over the hill we go
crashing into trees ow ow ow
the snow is turning red
i think im gonna die
and all i want for christmas is a bloodshot through the eye ooh,
jingle bells
jingle bells
Robin flew away
santa claws lost his balls on the m6 moterway , HEY!
heres a good version..
Jingle balls jingle balls
my balls are made of brass
every time the rub together
sparks fly out my ass
What’s with all the guns??
We always sang the 70’s version about Wonder woman losing her bosoms.
Thought I would try a new version for my son- Think I’ll go with a ‘clean’ no-gun one- Thanks!
I remember this but I never understood it. I always thought it’s be a “when you get older …” thing but still nothing
jingle bells jingle bells grandma got a ak47 and shot plum to heaven
then he fell and he hit his head and now he is dead
Jingle bells jingle bells grandma lost her way found a gun and now he is done now she is laughin all way hey hey hey jingle bells jingle bells the police came by one day where did ya find tht gun he asked oh wait i left it here yesterday
This is the version we were singing in 1970
Jingle Bells Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
Commissioner lost a leg
Chief OHare shot himself
With a .44
Batgirl fell in pit of tar
And then there were no more
same one you grew up with, Overland Park, Kansas, late 60’s.
I assume also, that it coincided with the tv show
I’m 57 and I have NEVER heard any of these, only the first line of “Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells,” I guess I just wasn’t cool enough to be included in those “rain deer games…”
Jingle Bells, Santa smells
Rudolph broke his nose
Mrs. Clause showed her gauze
And the elves all ran away
HEY!!!!!
the version I grew up with in the late 70’s early 80’s and this is an Australian version as it refers to TAA which was a old Australian airline
jingle bells
batman smells
robin flew away
wonder woman lost her bosom flying TAA
The version I sang was just a little different. On the last line we would sing “And joker turned out gay.”
@BreeS We sang that one too
Here is one
Jingle bells
Batman smells 50 miles away
Oh what fun it is to ride in a 50’s chevorlet!
“Joker ran away” 1970s England
My version, which I heard when I was 5:
Jingle Bells,
Something smells,
Santa Claus is dead
G.I. Joe and Mickey Mouse,
Shot him in the head,
HEY!
jingle bells, rachel smells, georgiaa is an egg!!!!
… they lost there pants in the midle of france and pranced and danced and climbed mount everast and bopped around wales!! then fared!:)
Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
G.I. Joe, the eskimo,
Shot him in the head, (Oh!)
Barbie doll, Barbie doll,
Tried to save his life,
But G.I. Joe, the eskimo,
Stabbed her with a knife.
i heard a song that went, jingel bells, batman smells, robin laid an egg, the batmobile lost a wheel, and joker got away, batmans in the kitchen, robins in the hall, jokers in the bathroom peeing on the wall
In 1960’s California, we sang:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg,
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a beat up Chevrolet.
I got a good one all of you
Jingle bells
Shotgun she’ll
Rudalf ran away
OH what now
I think batman likes
To kick jokers d***
i first heard the “joker got away” version around 1970 in pheonix arizona. i’ve never heard the other versions listed here
December 13, 2010
this one goes way back – I heard it in the early 1950’s but can’t remember all of it
“Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Sheriff’s on his way.
———————–
In a beat-up Chevrolet.”
does anyone remember the third line? might have been something like “Grandpa’s kissin’ grandma”
Got one
Crashing to the sleigh,
The snow is turning gray,
I think the world is going to end in 2010 ole!
Hey!
Jingle bells, Dora smells,
Boots laid an egg, oh what what it is to ride on Dora”s butt,
hEy
jingle bells my sister smells,
i don’t really like her,
she punches me in the face,
then runs away with grace hey!
jingle bells jingle bells
Rudolph is near,
crap this is getting really really queer
i think my death is coming near hey!
Here are two versions we used to sing as children in the 1970s in Massachusetts:
Jingle bells
Stinker smells
Rudolph ran away
Stuffed his nose
With Cheerios
And ate ’em on the way
And the Batman version was:
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile
Lost it’s wheel
And joker got away
(According to my husband who grew up on Long Island in the same era, the last lime of this version should be “A hundred miles away” instead of “And Joker got away”–I’ve never heard that version until I met him in 2001)
Vaguely familiar with most of these versions but the one I remember from my childhood in England went:
Jingle bells, batman smells,
Robin flew away,
The batmobile lost it’s wheel,
And landed in the hay, hey! x2
As a kid in the mid-late ’60s in Indianapolis, the version we sang was, “Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. The Batmobile lost a wheel & the Joker got away.” My husband, who was a kid in Port Arthur, TX, around the same time, substituted Penguin for Joker, but otherwise the same version. However, I do recall 1 of the versions which included shotgun shells, too, but only vaguely.
dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis down the hill we go crashing into trees ow ow ow the snow is turning red i think im almost dead all i wanted for christmas is a hospital bed ooooooooohhhhhhh 911 911 calling 911 while im on broken skis say oh wat fun hey
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skiis,
Over hills we go,
bashing into trees!
Now the snow is red,
I think I’m almost dead,
now I’m at the hospital with stitches in my head!
Oh, Santa Claus, Santa Claus,
You are very fat!
I was sleeping peacefully,
And now my bed is flat, HEY!
Oh, Santa Claus, Santa Claus,
How much do you weigh?
I’m glad I’m not a reindeer,
That has to pull your sleigh!
In my grade school in the mid ’60s when BATMAN was on TV, it was:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin ran away.
The Batmobile lost its wheel
and the Commisioner died that day.
(Later on, I heard it “Robin flew away”, which I thought was stupid since Robin couldn’t fly)
“Robin flew away” is there to be an amusing pun, because a robin is also a type of bird.
I’ve heard a few of these but not:
Deck the halls with gasoline (falalalalalalalala)
Light a match and run and scream(falalalalalalalala)
Watch the school burn down in ashes(falalalalalalalala)
Aren’t u glad I played with matches(falalalalalalalala)
There’s another one:
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skiis falling off the cliffs breaking botth my knees the snow is turning red I think I might be dead all I wasn’t for christmas is a hospital bed
OH
Jingle bells batman smells robin laid a gun
Shot his but in pizza hut in 1981
I heard a very racists one when I was really young probably 7-8 and did not know what all the words meant at the time.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Grandpa’s got a gun,
Pulled the trigger,
Shot a n****r,
Now he’s on the run
HEY!
I hope that my kids never learn this one before they know all the words. I got such a beating when I sang this one at home.
when i was 8 i heard this jingle bells,shotgun shells,robin laid an egg,oh what fun it is to ride in santa’s underwear
As a child in Louisville, KY, in the 1960s, I heard:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost its wheel
and Penguin got away.
It seems most folks have heard ‘the Joker got away’ and only one person’s husband from Texas had heard the Penguin version. I’d love to see a map showing the areas that learned ‘Penguin’ and the ones that learned ‘Joker’. Would be most interesting!
I can’t believe that nobody posted the version I grew up with:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost its wheel
And Batgirl lost her head.
dashing through the snow, on a pair of brocken skiis. bumping into trees ,knocking out my teeth.
i take 10 pills each day, and stiches in my brain. and now im lying in my bed with pinecones in my head. hey! jingle bells……
Okay… I went a’googling to find the lyics.
I thought there must be only one, or at least an original version…
After scanning through the lists I gave up trying to to find the one I learned as a child.
I also now have a new perspective on the hassels various Prelates went through when codifying the final version(s) of the Psalms…
Merry Christmas 2010!
just came up with a version last night. let me know what you think :)) :
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Batman no more smells.
Oh, how fun it is to drive
My car into the lake!
Hey!
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Robin ate an egg,
When you’re waiting on the tree
With presents in your brains.
Hey!
Jingle bells batman smells Robin laid an egg Shot a tree
Made him pee in 1983!
did anyone else notice the all the verses with “laid an egg” don’t rhyme ??? i remember hearing it in the 70’s here in Australia but it was one of the “robin flew away”versions… cant remember it all . my kids had not heard it 8 and 5 .
I heard version #1 in Toronto Canada when I was a kid about 1969
Dashing through the snow
On a broken pair of skiis
Over the hills we go
Crashing into trees
The snow is turning red
I think Im almost dead
Woke up in the hospital
With stiches in my head!
Jingle Bells Batman Smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
And Joker got away!
Hey!
Jingle Bells Batman Smells
Robin had a gun
Shot his butt to Pizza Hut
In 1981!
Dashing through the snow,
On a pair of broken skis.
All the way we go,
Crashing into trees.
The snow is turning red,
I think I’m almost dead,
I wake up in the hospital with ski poles in my head.
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells,
Santa Claus is dead.
Rudolph took a .22 and shot him in the head.
Oh, Barbie doll, Barbie doll,
Tried to save his life
But G.I. Joe from Mexico stabbed her with a knife.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And the Joker got away
All through Gotham City
Racing day and night
Where-ever there is Batman
There’s sure to be a fight
Jingle bells batman smells robin laid an egg the batmobile lost a wheel and the joker turned out gay hey
Mid to late 70’s in North Wales we’d sing:
Jingle bells Batman smells
Robin flew away
Kojak lost his lollipop
So he bought a milkyway
The one I grew up with:
Dashing through the snow,
On a broken pair of skies.
Over the hills we go,
Crashing into trees!
The snow s turning red,
I think I’m almost dead,
I almost lost my head!
Oh! Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The MIB belongs to me,
And Joker got away.. Hey!
Oh! Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The batmobile lost a wheel,
And Joker got away… Hey!
From Maryland when I was 6 or 7
This is the version I heard growing up in Basingstoke, Hampshire in the UK in ’78/’79.
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin flew away
The Batmobile lost a wheel
On the M1 motorway
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin flew away.
Uncle Billy lost his Willy,
On the motorway, hey!
This is the 90’s version in england >.<
jingle bells batman smells… is an old cartoon network jingle
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Uncle Billy lost his pants in the USA
I learned the first version — verbatim — in 1997, at age 7. I had no idea these were this old!
Sorry, I forgot — heard it first in Queens, New York.
jingle bells, batman smells
robin laid an egg
uncle billy lost his Willy on the motorway
hey
The “Christmas with the Joker” episode of Batman: The Animated Series (originally aired November 13, 1992) opens with the Joker singing the first version of the song verbatim (without the Hey! at the end). It’s also the version that was around in the late ’80s / early ’90s when I was growing up in Northeast Ohio. But from reading all the replies, it seems it was the definitive version almost from the very beginning.
I have a hard time believing this wasn’t in the original ’60s cartoon, or part of something supplementing it, or on a cereal box, or something! It’s always bothered me that it doesn’t really seem to go together very well at all. How did this catch on over other possible variants that were more, well, catchy? No one has reported hearing it before the cartoon was on. And how did so many people first hear it when the cartoon was new–shouldn’t it have taken some time to spread? I hoped to find an answer to the origin after seeing this episode, but now all I have is more questions…
The one I know is:
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Uncle Billy lost his willy
In front of all the town
Hey Hey
One of the very first time I heard the song, was in that simpsons episode, one of my favorites, when Bart set up a casino in his treehouse and get Robert Goulet and then after the song he hits Milhouse with the microphone so hard…hahahahahaha…
Australia, 1993.
“Jingle bells, batman smells,
Robin layed an egg,
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
Driving to LA, HEY!”
I invented this one in 1977 in Leamington Spa, England-
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin ran away.
Catwoman stinks and Jez always winks
at people who are gay.
Jez was a friend of ours.
I’m now 50 and no longer make homophobic songs up.
JINGLEBELLS,SANTA SWELL,EASTERS ON THE WAY,OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE IN A BEAT-UP CHEVELET
jingle bells jingle bells
grandma lost her head.
my aunt is sick
my nice is slick
and i am in bed.
all on Christmas day.
HEY!
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away……….First heard this in 4th grade (1976) Chicago…..Man does this bring back memories!!!! We used to sing this all the time on the bus while going home near Christmastime……sweet sweet memories!!
In North East England in the 1980s the lyrics we used were:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
Robin flew away
Lost his pants in the middle of France
And found them in Bombay – hey!
so what im not 40 but here’s the one we sing at school:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
Robin flew away,
Uncle Billy lost his willy
on the motorway – HEY!
hey, i read your post or whatever they call it here and figured i’d let you know where i heard it. i’m not sure if this is the first time the “batman smells” song was ever sung, but i heard it sung by the joker in a batman christmas special from the batman animated series. (the old one, not the new batman superman aventures) the episode is called christmas with the joker. it was made around 1992. i’m only a teen so i’m not sure what came first (the chicken or the egg lol). i was just *interested* (*obsessed) in batman so i bought the series. i hope this helps!
Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg,
Batmobile lost its’ wheel
and joker got away
hey!
*repeat*
Batman’s in the kitchen,
robin’s in the hall,
joker’s in the bathroom,
peeing on the wall
hahaha!
Batman’s going swimming
Robins in a dance
Joker’s sitting in the sun
peeing in his pants!
*chorus*
atleast from what I remember joker had urinary problems XD possibly a prostate exam was due >l
I first heard it in the Batman: The Animated Series episode (the old series). I can’t remember which one it was, but it was a Christmas one on rerun on some random channel. The Joker sang it and then flew away on a Christmas tree (it sounds weird written down) I heard it on a Simpsons episode as well. “Simpsons roasting on an open fire”.
Jingle bells,
Mortar shells,
VC in the grass
Take your merry Christmas and shove it up your ass!
(Sung by soldiers in Viet Nam, where it was 100 F, sunny and very humid at Christmas time. VC = Viet Cong.)
Here’s a version from London, England in the early 90’s:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile ran out of fuel,
And the Joker got away,
HEY!
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
On the M6 motorway!
I heard the following parody in high school circa 1989, Las Vegas NV from my best friend…..
Jingle Bells, Santa Smellls
Reindeer in the grass.
Take your merry Christmas tree and shove it up
your ass.
Jingle bells,
Batman smells,
Robin flew away,
Santa Clause,
lost his balls,
on the m6 motorway
(Hey!)
Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away, uncle Billy has lost his willy. Martin and Luke are gay!
Here’s a good one:
Jingle bells batman smells
robin layed a gun shot a tree
mayed it pee in 1981.
or
jingle bells shotgun shells,
robin layed a gun shot a tree
mayed it pee in 1981.
santa claus santa claus
fell of the slay.
Barbie doll barbie doll
tried to save his life.
but robin sat on her.
Sorry I forgot to say hey
in my songs oh well.
(ti pickle)
Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
The Batmobile lost a wheel*
On the motorway. England 1960’s
* Uncle Billy lost his willy – England 1990’s
Jingle Bells, Piglet Smell,
Pooh Bear lay some eggs.
Hundred Aced Woods has smell Pooh’s gas,
And fell down in the ground Hey,
Jingle Bells, Piglet Smell,
Pooh Bear lay some eggs,
Oh my lord! Pooh’s butt is rip,
And fart at Gargamel, Hey!
Captain Sabertooth was shipwreck at Dog City,
What kind of storm it was,
It’s Winnie the Pooh pas gas!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Snag by Don KArnage and his crew of air pirates, from Tale Spin,
Escaped from Disney to Jim Henson’s Dog City!
Growing up on the South Coast of England in the Early 80’s, i always remember it being:
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin Flew Away
The Batmobile
Has Lost It’s Wheel
On The M1 Motorway.
I have heard other versions though. ‘Robin Flew Away’ rhymes much better than ‘Robin Laid An Egg’. Someone in another post mentioned that Robin Couldn’t fly so he was unsure why kids sang it. TBH i think it less likely that Robin could lay an egg but that’s just me!
Seriously though, i always understood it that it was a play on words, Robin the DC Character cannot fly, but the more famously known Robin (the actual Bird) can.
With regards to ‘My Uncle Billy’s Lost His Willy On The Motorway’, that is a variation taken from mixing the ‘Jingle Bells Batman Smells’ Rhyme, and the Rhyme:
My mate Billy has a 10 foot willy,
He showed it to the girl next door,
She thought it was a snake,
And cut it with a rake,
And now it’s only 4 foot 4 (4’4″)
Oh the inventiveness of kids rhyming the words Billy and Willy!
I doubt i’ll be teaching the latter rhyme to my 5yr old, i’ll let the kids at his school teach him if they havn’t come up with ruder ones by now.
This is one for I’m a Celebrity get me Out of here 2011:
Jingle bells, Fatima smells, Willie ruled the camp. Marks ok and Antonys gay. Dougie all the way, HEY!
ok, heres the jingle bells song i heard in grade school almost 45 years ago.
Riding through metropolis, in the batmobile today, in pursuit of the joker, nothings going their way, as our heroes get close, the joker flips them the bird, the batmobile spins out of control and wipes out by the curb OHH, jingle bells batman smells, robin laid an egg, the batmobile lost its wheel and the joker got away, ehh, jingle bells batman smells robin got out the jack, he placed it under the batmobile, but it slipped and crushed his back. Now the batmans sad ,cause robin’s laid to rest, the joker finnaly got revenge for gothom city’s best!
THAT IS THE WHOLE SONG!
king and queen
shit a bean
bent over and
painted it green!
or
holy moses king of the jews
made his wife a pair of shoes
when the shoes began to wear
holy moses started to swear.
and the lords prayer one, my dad told me this one, it was the whole thing about 8 verses its driving me nuts trying to remember it, so i just remember some parts of it, this is something he heard of back in the 1920’s so its old, masybe your grand father heard of it
our father who art in vain,
drove cattle across the plain,
then came moses in a ray of sun,
banging out thunder on a big bass drum
thats all i remember
dave
There’s a scene in “The Simpsons Christmas Special” where Bart’s in the 4th grade class singing the alternative lyrics, and just as he sings “the Joker’s got away”, he gets yanked out by one of the teachers. Talk about comedic genius.
By my beautiful step daughter
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin is a Gay
He ran away
with a willy, on the motorway
I always knew one when i was younger:
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Robin laid an egg
uncle billy lost his willy
on the motorway, HEY!
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile lost its wheel
And Santa lost a leg
Heard this one in the 80’s in Los Angeles: jingle bells shotgun shells Tom Bradley’s our Mayor Shuck and Jive give me Five burn a little hair (Michael Jackson)
Amazing how many people missed the part of this post where it asks you to say WHERE and WHAT YEAR you learned your Jingle Bells parody. :-P
I learned the “Jingle Bells/Batman smells/Robin laid an egg/Batmobile broke its wheel/And Joker got away” version in elementary school in Las Vegas, Nevada in the mid-1980s (I was born in 1980).
the actual “jingle bells, batman smells” is from the 80’s or 90’s batman animated series (sorry, it’s been well over a decade since i’ve last heard it). it went something like this:
“jingle bells, batman smells
and robin’s laid an egg
the batmobile lost a wheel
and the joker got away! HEY!
dashing through the roof,
in a one horse open tree,
busting out i go,
laughing al the WEEEEE!!!”
i think it was a Christmas special or something like that, don’t remember exactly. yet even here, in the eastern europe, there isn’t a kid above the age of 7 that doesn’t know these lyrics.
The batman smells version existed waaay before the 80’s or 90’s cartoon as the comments here show.
911 911 Santa clause is dead, Rudolph found a 44. and shot him in the head BANG
barbie doll barbie doll tried to save his life but G. I. Joe from mexico stabbed her in the head OW!
It was probably around 1990 or 1991 and I first heard the Batman smells version sung by Bart Simpson while he was in his Christmas play!
i made up a version about the christmas carol, it goes:
“jingle bells jingle bells
tiny tim is dead
scrooge got a butchers knife and stabbed him in his bed oh
cratchit was upset so he got a gun
he shot a bullet in his rear and the gun up scrooges bum”
jingle bells shotgun shells
rudolphs nose is broke
blitzen smashed it with some wine
and santa makes him choke
oh dashing through the snow
in a sliegh with no’ light
since rudolphs nose is broke
they are left without any sight
so,
jingle bells shotgun shells
all the deer are dead
so mrs clause no spends all her time in bed
thats what i made up :)
jingle bells shotgun shells
rudolphs nose is broke
blizen broke in with some glass
and now blitzen might choke
*chorus*
dashing through the snow
on a sliegh without no light
santa ran away
as he was with a fright
he didnt see a tree bumping into me
now i woke up under wood in the middle of the night
*end of chorus*
jingle bells shotgun shells
santa ran away
now i woke in hospital with
my my tonsils in a tray
Here’s a clip from batman,
pretty self-explanatory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veju4PxhuGc
That song was already well known by the animators of this show. I heard in elementary school in San Diego California in the mid 1960’s when the Batman TV show was the only thing any kids talked about in school. We sang this over and over and everyone tried to change it, but we always settled on the basic ending the Joker got away – hey!
“I Like Christmas” — that clip is from 1992, people have been singing this since the late 60s at least.
I’m almost positive I heard the Batman Smells version by the first Christmas after the TV show premiered in January, 1966. This was in Nashville, TN, and I was in fifth grade that Christmas.
Your first version. Austin, TX. Late 60’s. I am surprised that this was national. I thought that it was just something we made up as a kid. I don’t know why I decided to look up something so silly 40 years later.
Does anyone recognize this!!!
Jingle Bells
Twilight Smells
Edward ran away!!
Bella Dies, Jacob Cries,
Harry potter all the way!!!!!!! (Hey!)
I heard this song when I was a kid growing up in australia, I would’ve been about 6 years old and Batman was on TV. The song went like this:
Jingle Bells Batman smells
Robyn fleww away
The bat mobile lost its wheel
So they all flew TAA Trans Australia Airlines)
the version I learned was:
jingle bells, batman smells
robin laid an egg
batmobile lost its wheel
and joker broke his leg
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Wonder Woman lost her bussoms
Flying TAA
I heard the first one in the early 80’s. My daughter, who is now 10, has some really long gory version going around her school (there’s several verses all ending up in the hospital and Santa Claus is dead)
Jingle Bells
Arsenal smells!
City go away!
Liverpool suck!
Chelsea yuck!
United all the way ♥
I wasn’t 40 when you posted this but I *cough*am*cough* now… LOL! I was looking up the lyrics and found your post. I first heard the first version around the mid/late 70s (~75-77), in Los Angeles, CA.
jingle bells, batman smells, roben laid an egg! wonder woman did a fart and blew of santas head yay!…..
Angry Birds version
Jingle bells, piggies smell, the White Bird laid an egg…
I first heard some kids singing the “Jingle bells batman smells …” version in 1993 in Tucson. When I was a kid back in the late 50’s early 60’s we pretty much stuck to the regular lyrics except for “oh what fun it is to ride in grandma’s chevrolet” although when ever my sister and I sang the song together we had to race to see who could sing the song the fastest regardless of who was singing with us or where we were singing.
dashing throw the snow
riding piggy-back on flash
o’er fantastic four
we left flames on his ash
they got super mad
and tried to beat us up
wolveren made a scene
and really cut us up
jingle bells batman smells
robin layed an egg
the batmobele lost a wheel
the joker got away
(x2)
last summer i went to the south
to viset the north pole
spiderman was there and
played santa’s role
he wraped the toys in web
and shiped them all in bulk
to all the heros except incredebul hulk
jingle bells batman smells
robin layed an egg
the batmobele lost a wheel
the joker got away
(x2)
a year or two ago
i thought id take a bride
soon miss wonder woman
lassoed me bye her side
i thought it was true love
but she had another plan
i saw her under the misletoe
and kissing superman
jingle bells batman smells
robin layed an egg
the batmobele lost a wheel
the joker got away
(x2)
p.s sorry if any spelling mistake
North West England:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin flew away
The Batmobile lost its wheels
On the M6 Motorway
I’ve always heard it as:
Jingle Bells
Shotgun Shells
Shootin’ all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a Brand New Chevrolet!
Robin in the kitchen,
Batman in the hall,
Joker in the bathroom,
Peeing on the wall..
:} mwahaha
i heard this one when i was young, back in the day…..
jingle bells, batman smells,
robin flew away,
lost his pants in the middle of France,
and found them in Pompeii.
In the south of England in the early 80s I sang this version:
Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
Batmobile,
Lost a wheel,
On the motorway- hey!
The version I remember hearing was almost exactly like the last one on the post:
“Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost its wheel
And Joker took ballet, hey!”
And the version you learned came from an actual Batman episode, so I think your version wins :).
here is one
jingle bells batman smells
robin got a gun
he shot a tree
and made it pee in 1981
Dumb, but I recall Junie B. Jones Book called ” Jingle Bells Batman smells P.S so does May!!!!!! ” verry merry funny!!! Sincerily, Juan Jose Martinez
Hey! I think i heard this in a Batman the animated series christmas episode! Joker sang it then flew away on the Arkam Asylam christmas tree! The christmas tree was actually a rocket though. OK this sounds weird written down.
Here i have that part on youtube… Please watch it! then you will understand what the heck i am talking about!
http://www.superheroeslives.com/indexbatman.htm
P.s. I’m 13 right now and live in Austin, Texas i remember the lyrics being…
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
and the joker got away!
i also remember…
Jinglebells, Batman smells
robin flew away
the invisible boatmobile (from spongebob) lost a wheel
and manray got away! (again from spongebob)
been wondering this for years , who the heck came up with this ? who sang it first ? questions I ask every xmas . the version I heard was , jingle bells , batman smells , robin laid an egg , bat mobile lost its wheel and robin flew away , or the joker got away , first heard it when I was around 5 years old , which would be in 1974 . I wanna know the answer , please e-mail if you find out where this originated .
Probably first heard the jingle bells Batman parody as a 6 year old girl when I was living just outside London in Croydon. (UK). So would have been 1994 and the version I grew up with was:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away,
The Batmobile lost a wheel
on the M4 motorway – hey!
I’ve never heard any of the shotgun ones. Maybe that’s because I’m in the UK!
jingle bells
batman smells
robin made a slave
the batmobile,
ran over a seal
and the joker lost his head
ay
first heard today by me
jingle bells, batman smells
robiun laid an egg,the batmobile lost a wheel and the joker turned out gay
first heard st.marys p.s n.i
Growing up in Georgia, born ’97.
I heard
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile has lost a wheel
And Joker got away, hey!
And
Batman’s in the kitchen
Robin’s in the hall
Joker’s in the bathroom peeing on the wall
And
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile has lost a wheel
And Joker thinks he’s gay, hey’
What I learned in Bethesda, md in early 1970’s was;
Jingle bells
batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
And the joker got away
it started with one of the original animated animated batman videos called Christmas with the Joker where the joker sings it
Mine is a very recent contribution, as I heard it in 2000-2001, but here goes…
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The batmobile lost a wheel (or Mr. Freeze cut the cheese)
And the Joker got away!
Batman’s in the kitchen,
Robin’s in the hall,
Joker’s in the bathroom,
Peeing on the wall!
(Hahaha!)
Oh, I’m sorry! That was in California. :)
Or this one. I made this one up. No lie.
Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Loki flew away,
Hulk sucks,
Hitler yuck,
Thor all the way,
HAY!
this is one I heard somewhere:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin flew away
Uncle Billy lost his willy
On the motorway
The earliest I’ve seen the batman version is on Mystery Science Theater 3000
I can tell you what my kids sing now:
Jingle bells!
Batman smells!
Robin laid an egg!
He stuck his butt in Pizza Hut,
And blew them all away! Hey!
i heard this version growing up in the 1990s in sunderland, england:
jingle bells
batman smell
robin laid an egg
he lost his pants in the middle of france
and found them in bombay!!! hey!!
First one I heard back in 1977.
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin Laid An Egg.
Commissioner Died of Suicide
And Joker Got Away………
Here’s another one, keeping with the spirit of the subversion of Christmas
We Three Kings Of Orient Are (?)
Tried to Smoke a Rubber Cigar.
It was loaded and Exploded….BANG!!
Silent Night, Holy Night
O.k., kids, it was 1966-67 , growing up on post at Fort Knox, KY, when I heard the full rendition with Robin in the hall and the chorus where the joker got away in part to the bat mobile’s lost wheel. But the only part my 2nd grade brain remembered was the chorus because the intro was too long winded. Besides the chorus was the funniest part to sing to our parents.
The Batman smells version was what we learned in Maine during the 1970’s, and Maine was pretty backwoods during this time. My friends uncle was Adam West, who played batman in the TV show. I always assumed in came from highschoolers at this time, because of the reruns of the TV show, but many people remember it earlier. We didn’t have the other verses or the ones about Santa in my school. Hey! Robin laid an egg. Where the hell did that come from?
It is also interesting to note that before the internet, things like this and urban legends spread rather well through the school systems. You couldn’t research then like you can now – there is something freeing about that, something special. Interesting that this x gen is the generation that was without and then the start of internet, the start of home comBooters.
We used to sing in the 80’s/90’s in Durham
Uk:
Jingle bells batman smells
Robin flew away
List his pants in the middle of France
And found them
In Bombay!
I too remember this jingle vivdly, growing up in Boston in the 1970s. As a Batman fan, my friends and I used to debate whether or not we should sing this song, which obviously was not very kind to Batman! In the end, we couldn’t help ourselves – it was irresistable. Do wonder where it started…
“Crashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis, jumping over rocks crashing into trees, my world is turning red I think I am dead. I woke up and this is what I said, “Jingle Bells batman smells robin laid a gun, he shot in a pizza hut in 1981!”
The beginning is not mine but the rest is…
Jingle bells Batman smells,Robin lays an egg, joker stole the bat mobile and penguin ran away.
Cat-woman doesn`t do baths, the riddler got gas.Two face always wears a mask.Gotham never sleeps,Ivy never eats and Mr. freeze heats.Jingle bells, jingle bells scarecrow lives in hell, Bane always fails, Harley takes some pills and batwomen always kills. Alfred`s in jail, Clay-face melts in pail and Killer Croc chases his tail. So Jingle belle, Hush always yells, Professor Strange is blackmailed, Man-bat kills Grundy and Mad hatter is madder—–For he takes a bomb—sets his alarm–to blow them all away. This is the part where everyone starts, to not notice— to save the day.
The parody actually first appeared in the 1990 episode of Batman: The Animated Series entitled “Christmas with the Joker”
The lyrics are as follows:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile lost a wheel
And the Joker got away!
(The Joker laughs maniacally, escaping Arkham Asylum via a rocket disguised as a Christmas tree)
Crashing through the roof
In a one horse open tree
Busting out I go
Laughing all the way!
I swear to high heaven that I came up with this variation in the early to mid 90’s (Illinois, USA):
Jingle bells, taco shells
Granny had a gun
Shot me in the underwear
And, boy, I had to run
When I was young I didn’t, and still don’t, enjoy being like everyone else. So while the “batman smells” version was popular with us kids, I experimented with other rhymes. There was a “jingle bells, taco bell…” version someone spouted out one day. That’s when I “created” my version. Even back then some friend of my brother’s didn’t believe me when I said I made it up, because he had heard it from somewhere else. Whether or not I am responsible for the existence of this version of the song is up for debate. But I did come up with it myself, without influence.
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin ran away
Father Christmas
Burned his whiskers
Smoking weed in May
Hey!
Jingle Bells
Batman smells
Robin layed an egg
Santa’s drinking Fanta
Eat fruit cake with no nutmeg
Crashing through the snow
On a pair of broken skis
Over the hills we go
Crashing into trees
(Ow! Ow! Ow!)
The snow is turning red
I think I’m nearly dead
I’m gonna spend the rest of Christmas
In a hospital bed!
The one I heard in Ohio in 1978 was this:
Jingle Bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Penguin fell
And broke his tail
And the Joker got away
Hey!
(there may have been more to it, but this was all I could remember at the time)
i herd some children sing the same words over and over again. unfortunetly when i started to pay attention they stopped so can only come up with the first bit. any one know why they would not compete this
jingle bells, batman smells
robin is [so?] gay
oh what fun it ………..[this is where they stopped]
i know they mentioned the sleigh
Heard this from my dad
Jingle bells, Hitler smells
Pee pee in the air
Oh what fun it is to ride
In hitlers underwear
Baldwin, NY 1960s
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
1977 (4th grade), Sterling Heights, MI.
One my dad passed on to us (Circa California in the 60’s)
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Easter’s in its way
Oh what fun it is to ride
in Grandma’s Chevrolet
The one I heard as a kid in the 90’s was
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
And Joker played ballet. Hey!
Some of these are rude, disturbing, and downright gruesome! of course rude songs that kids sings have been around since the beginning of time. Another unrelated song my mom sang was this:
Mine eyes have seen the glory
of the burning of the school
We have tortured every teacher
We have broken all the rules
We have shot the secratary and we hung the principal
As brats go marching in
Glory, glory how peculiar
Teacher hit me with a ruler
Bopped her on the bean with a rotten tangerine
And boy did she turn green
My feeling about how this song spread around the world is the children of US military familes. I first heard it back in Christmas of 1966 when the Batman TV series started in September of 1966. That was the only thing elementary school kids talked about and the toys were all we wanted for Christmas. I lived in San Diego California and our school was half military kids. Our city was a big military hub at the height of the Vietnam War. Every branch of the services was active there. I remember we sang the original chorus over and over. Kids tried to add versions, but the original ending was always the Joker got away – Hey!. My assumption was that as military kids were suddenly moved around the country they would arrive in a new school and that silly song was a familiar memory of their former friends. Once it was heard by the new group they would be “Kool” and other kids would copy their new song. I think the original chorus was tried and true and whatever you learn first is your memory of the right way. When another comes along it is quickly rejected. It takes a kid to move with a different version for that one to be known as the original. That is my guess how it migrated around the world and did not change very much. I went to research this song version after walking kids to school and hearing a 7 year old claim it was new. I am 54 and I remember it felt new when I was 7. The version we were singing was “Jingle Bells, Santa smells, Rudolph lost his way. Blah blah blah in a one horse Chevrolet. hey! This version was popular in school, because the 1960’s commerical hit song was “See the USA in your Chevrolet” played on every TV channel during kids shows. Christmas of 1966 is when I first heard it switch to Batman Smells, Robin layed an egg and the Batmobile logically replaced the sleigh and our Chevrolet. Please post a reply if you heard this version before Christmas 1966 and where you were.
1976 Minnesota. The standard version, ending with “Joker got away, hey” not “took ballet”. Hope this helps!
“Jingle bells, shotgun shells, bb’s in the air, oh what fun it is to shoot santa’s reindeer! Deer guts in the trees, bloodstains in the snow…” and i don’t quite remember the rest. Florida, late 80’s.
Jingle bells, batman smells
robin flew away
lost his pants in the middle of france
and found them in bombay HAY
aunty ruby lost her booby on the motarway hey
I’m 30 and from Bristol, England. I remember a version of this song from my childhood. It went as follows:
Jingle bells, batman smells,
Robin flew away.
Uncle Billy lost his willy
on the M4 motorway.
I used to say the rhyme when I was a kid in the 1970s, in the suburbs of NY City. Our version was the “Batman smells, Robin laid an egg” variation. Here it is in the Batman television cartoon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSCN48XReMU
In Australia, in the early ’70s, we sang this version at primary school:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
Father Christmas burnt his whiskers,
smoking “Craven ‘A'”.
There was also a version:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
which hit the Joker’s head.
although that last line was sometimes “and ran into a shed”.
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Dummies all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride
In Grandma’s Chevrolet, HEY!!
Jingle Bells Shotgun Shells
Granny had a gun
shot a rabbit up the ass
and boy did it run
Following those crazy lines, after “Joker got away”, it ends with the words: “And that’s the end of the day.”
First time I hear the last verse “Joker ran away”!
Our last verse in Montreal 30 years ago was always “Commisioner had to pay,hey”
Jingle bells Batman smells
Robin laid and egg
The Batmobile lost its wheel
and Joker got away
Denver 1985
New version jingle bells batman smells robin flew away batmans in a football field and scored a penalty dashing thru the snow on a pair of broken skies over the fields we go bashing into trees hahaha the snow is turning red I think I might be dead now I’m in hospital with stitches in my head oh jingle bells batman smells robin flew away yeah
Your version, New Zealand, late 70s would be my guess.
Jingle bells Batman smells
Robin laid and egg
The Batmobile lost its wheel
and Joker got away
Idaho 1979 (was 5, definitely remember singing it at my first home before I moved when I was 6)
Jingle Bells Batman Smells
Robin Flew Away
He lost his pants in the middle of France
and found them in Bombay HEY!
Jingle Bells Batman Smells
Robin Flew Away
Wonder Woman lost her knickers
all on Christmas Day HEY!
the version i heard in mississippi in the 1950’s was
jingle bells, shotgun shells
rabbits all the way
applesauce and sauerkraut
and good old pork and beans
song is boss
jingle bells
batman smells
robbin flew away
the bat mobile
lost the weal
and he whas sad all day
that how i say it
Honestly, I would look into what GROUP started this. The trend (since this started) has been a steady decline towards making heroes uncool.
I submit to you that this was part of an opening salvo against “hero minded” types trying to save the world.
As conspiratorial as it sounds, a lot of very similar things happened at the same time and it all centered around music in our culture, possibly as a response to the powerful influence music had on organizing hippy culture…
I remember THIS ONE:
Jingle bells
Santa smells
Easter’s on its way
O what fun is to ride in a rusted Chevrolet
=8*p
Definitely “beat-up Cheverolet” in Hollwood CA ca. 1960.
No rusty cars in our dry, warm, and sunny climate, unless you lived by the beach.
The version I grew up with in Australia in the 80’s
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
Lost his pants while over France,
and found them in Bombay.
Hey.
jingle bells jingle bells robin flew a way uncle billy lost his willy on the motor way hey
The version I’ve always said is:
Jingle bells, batman smells, Robin flew away,
He landed on a football pitch and didn’t know how to play
I would have heard this in Cambridgeshire/ Suffolk UK in the mid 90’s (I’m now 25)
My fiancé from Yorkshire has never heard this version so it might just be an east Anglian version?
Jingle bells, batman smells
robin laid an egg
the batmobile lost its wheel
and joker got away.
First heard, Atlanta 1970 give or take a year.
Rochester, New York, mid 1970’s, versions 1 & 2. (Also, San José, CA, 2012)
jingle bells
batman smells
robin laid an egg
the batmobile lost a wheel
an the joker joined ballet!
HEY!!!
ive heard of this one.
jingle bells
batman smells
robin laid a gun
shot a tree and made a pee
in 1941!
My theory is that the Batman version of the “Jingle Bells” lyrics originated sometime in the late 1960’s during the run of the popular TV show of the time. Some creative kid came up with the lyrics and they went viral across the nation.
this is the Version i know of itsong
Crashing through the trees on a broken pair of skis
the snow is bloody red i think i might be dead
Oh 911 911 help is on the way
oh what fun it is to ride in an ambulance all day
Yes, the “joker got away” version is the one I learned in the 90’s in MI. From reading other posts, it looks like we learned it from the Jokers Christmas Special from the animated series (feeling pretty manipulated/unoriginal).
My hunch is that it started with the original series in 60s/70s. It would be interesting to know if it was started by a kid or if it was part of the TV series/promotions. I didn’t realize it was that old, but it makes more sense now why the language was so tame (laying an egg is a pretty lame insult). Looks like (from other posts) it started to lose popularity in the 80s, so they revived it in the 90s via animated series.
Now my nephew (also in MI) is singing the broken skis version. Don’t know which version exactly, but I know it is one of the more gory variations. I plan to have him revive the Batman version complete with Joker peeing on the wall.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
This was the version I learned in the San Fernando Valley, Southern California, as a child in the early 1970s.
I think I first heard it from the Joker himself. It was on the Batman: The Animated Series in the late 80s. “Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg; the Batmobile, lost its wheel, and the Joker got away!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzcw-UQXE5k
THe more common variation around me was the one that changed the last line to “on the motorway”, though.
Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away,
Wonderwoman did a fart and blew up the U.S.A… hey!
This is the version I remember growing up in the south of England, circa 1985. The M1 is the main north-south highway in the UK.
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
Robin ran away,
The Batmobile lost a wheel
On the M1 Motorway.
Jingle bells, batman smells,
Robin flew away,
Lost his pants,
In the middle of France,
And found them in Bombay
HEY!!!
No one has said that one
mine is:
Jingle bells,batman smells,robin hood away!mr.billy lost his willy on the motor way,hey!
If they will solved the case of the song like Jingle Bells, Batman Smells to crack the case like the detectives and the archeologists to dig the truths. I will know if it was a big answer of the mystery of the song, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells to the History of DC Comics. And the song, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells could ruin Christmas and the Holiday. From The end of Summers to the New Year Eve. For follies and such silliness.
made all villain bands of bad guys listing to us, singing Jingle Bells, Batman Smells to sing it on the superheroes to ruining its justices.
and then the worst of resinging of Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!
Jingle Bells, Piggy Smells,
Kermit lay an egg.
The Muppet Show, got a hoss,
And Fozzie got a farts!
Hey!!!
Jingle Bells, Gonzo Smells,
His chickens are fries!
Dog City dress in bikini swimsuits,
And Bert Raccoon drinking grog!
South West Washington Mid 1970’s
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
Hmmm I learned it when I was young, (18 now, I know still a baby haha) but I recall Joker singing it in “Batman: The Animated Series”. A Christmas episode.
This was the version:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg,
Batmobile lost a wheel,
And Joker got away!”
I’m originally from the LA area. I first remember hearing this parody in the mid-sixties, when the Batman television series was airing. It seemed to be a new thing back then.
Here are the next part of Jingle Bells, Batman Smells is an parts with the characters of all cartoons from around the world. as I Was saying that the peoples of American popular cultures are been using bad words and even censorships for its American culture of its popularity in America. As I don’t want the Native Americans to be a good guys and the settlers and govermnets ans troops of American to be a bad guys, and I don’t want the settlers, governments, and troops of America to be a god guys and the Native Americans to be a bad guys. Because this people between Americans and Native Americans are feuding each other for homelands by violence with prejudice and racism. So I choose Canada as a best place to set an stories to take place without any sterotypes to portraited and put a plots like Hollywood cartoon makers did. So I also used Bert Racoon refused to sing a song like the foul humrous Wes gangs sing,
Jingle Bells, Boris Smells,
Kermit lay an eggs,
Bert Raccoon in Las Vegas,
gambling with Lisa, hey!
Jingle Bells, Ariel Smells,
she married Don Karnage,
Oh what it is to drinks
at Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits, hey!
Jingle Bells, Louis Smells,
Teddy Bear lay and eggs,
Woody and Buzz got a hoots,
In Pooh Bear’s old outhouse, hey!
http://www.playgroundjungle.com/2009/12/jingle-bells-batman-smells.html
I know what the Song, Jingle Bells Batman Smells came from, the 1940s!
Joker got ran over by the reindeers,
Walking over from Gotham City prison.
You could say there no such things as Santa,
and as for Batman and Robin, they believe!
http://christmas.lovetoknow.com/Christmas_Song_Parodies
It’s just I will represented a facts, I already solved what the parody song had come from.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride a one horse open slay! ( Hey)
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride, but Santa farts today!!
Jingle Bells, Robin farts,
Kermit laid an eggs,
Rosie O’Gravy lost her bosoms
Swimming in Las Vegas, hey!
Jingle Bells, Fievel shock,
Toponi was a giant!
In San Diego, California
Swimming in San Diego Bay, hey!
Philadelphia suburbs, early 1970’s.
Besides the Batman version, we sang:
Jingle bells, Santa smells
Rudolph laid an egg
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a beat-up Chevrolet
Dashing through the Batmoblie,
On the one horse open sled,
On the field we go,
Joker gaot away, HA, HA, HA!
I’m the one with the Batmoblie,
And making spirits bright,
What fun it is to ride and sing,
And Joker got away,
Oh, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
Robin lay an egg,
The batmoblie lost all wheels
and Joker got away,
Hey!! Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
Robin lay an egg,
The Batmoblie, lost it wheels
And Joket took ballet, Hey!
This Batman pardoy Jingle Bells song is from my next door neighbor,
Mitcheal. I remeber when me and my mother sang Jingle Bells,
And then my sister Anna Westgate sang, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.
I never heard it, and I thinks it’s sounded silly for me and my mother.
Jingle Bells, Homer Smells,
Peter laid his eggs,
Rosie O’Gravy in bikini,
and married Fievel Mouse, Hey!
Jingle bells
Roscoe smells
Enis laid an egg
Old boss hog ate a frog
And the duke boys got away.
There’s a fun version where the Joker is singing in the roof,
it says:
Jingle bell, Batman’s Bell
Robin through the way,
He lost its …(I do not understand)
(other phrase that I do not understand)
and did not what they say (hey!)
joker: Hey!
Batman: Hello
it’s on youtube, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioiT5UC-59c
if someone can write it I will apreciate.
Jingle Bells, Raccoons Smells,
Nelvana laid an eggs,
Turbo Dogs went for the swims,
Wearing seashell swim suits, hey!!!
Jingle Bells, Brownies Smells,
Doesn’t take a baths.
Running around in Brownies Forest.
Cooking rotten eggs, Hey!
http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/brownies/index.html
The 1st version,
(Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)) and it was in the late ’60s in New York City. Good luck with the research!
here we sing jingle bells batman smells robin flew away uncle billy lost his willy on the motorway HAY.
Baltimore, MD – Early 1970’s
The first version you list.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
heres one my nefiew told me:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid a egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
And spongebob saved the day!
HEY!!
Jingle Bells, Snoopy spied,
Rankin and Bass’s Red Baron,
World War I meets Notrh America,
All aboard to Starlight Express, Hey!
Jingle Bells, Snoopy spied,
Rankin and Bass’s Red Baron,
World War I meets Sgt. Pepper and
his Lonely Hearts Club Band, Hey!
From Russia!
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
He-Man got his gout!
Skeletor yelled is,
You Big Whale, He-Man!
And everyone laugh at
Mister Big He-Man.
He didn’t put out a
Oscar flower!
Skeletor sang with the Gremlins from Gremilns (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990),
He-Man is an big fat old whale,
He-Man is an big fat old whale,
He-Man is an big fat old whale,
And Orko, a souter puss!
Good timing to tear an whole world, a trash,
And She-Ra is a fat bug,
And we will rule the planets!
Frosty the Yeti,
He’s a mystery beast, today,
With a smoking pipe and a golden teeth,
and he’s eyes we’re really cute,
Frosty the Yeti,
Is a detective story, they say,
He went to the famous Monsters, Inc.
To buy a boxes of cigars!
jingle bells batman smells robbing flew away uncle billy lost his willy on the moaterway
I’m 47, and I think my dad told me he remembers a version of the basic “Jingle Bells, Batman smells” from when he was a kid in the 40’s. Seriously.
jingle bells bartman smells pieman ran away bartbored lost a wheel and snake got away doh
this is a 70’s episode of Batman where who else but the joker sings this song http://youtu.be/XlPvcsnz3BA
This is the one I know.
Jingle bells, Jingle bells
Robin went to hell
thought he was the superman and tried to fly but fell
Hey!
x2
Crashing through the snow,
on a pair of broken ski’s
down the ravine we go
falling to our knees,
I think the snow is red,
I think I’m nearly dead,
so someone call the ambulance before I freeze to death,
Hey!
dashing in the snow
in a pair of roller scates over the needle i go
ahahah ow have i pasted out yyyyes
I grew up in suburbia near Augusta, GA and would have been doing schoolyard/schoolbus rhymes between about 1991 and 1996. The first version in your original post is the one I know, word for word.
I was also wondering if you had seen The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren?
Most of that book’s material was gathered from research in British rather than American schools. I studied and worked in the UK for five years after high school, and I found it really fascinating (by reading that book and talking to friends) to see which children’s rhymes and games had managed to leap from one side of the Atlantic to the other (and perhaps back) and which had not.
I made this one up
Jingle bells! jingle bells!
Santas on vacation
He took a trip on a plane almost
Across the nashion
from Australia here :) the version i heard in the school yard around 1980 was this:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin’s flown away,
Wonder Woman lost her bossom
flying TAA (hey)
i dont know any more of it
ps. TAA (Trans Australian Airlines) was an airline here up till 1992 when it was bought by Qantas
I was going to write this one! I’m from Melbourne, Australia. Seems that must be our version – although my daughter says “…lost her bra” and may have changed the TAA part. Can’t remember now.
This was the only version that I had ever heard until I read this article. My whole school used to sing this in Canberra, Australia (mid 70’s).
I grew up in the North East of England in the 1970s, and we sang:
“Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
Spider-Man got squashed like ham
On the M1 motorway – hey!”
If there were any verse lyrics, I ca no longer remember them!
A.
I remember in london in the 70s-80s singing:
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin blew away (so he farted, basically)
Wonder Woman
Lost her bosom
On the M1 motorway
(or Father Christmas lost his whiskers on the M1 motorway)
There was also a version where someone lost her knickers on the M1 motorway but I can’t remember who it was…
I have only heard the first version. My best recollection is late 60’s – maybe 1969. I heard it from a friend in Brockton Massachusetts. We made up other versions.
Edmonton Alberta in the 1970s it was:
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And Commissioner ate some hay
(Commissioner Gordon of course)
I was born in 63 in the Detroit area. Heard it first in about 1968 while throwin snowballs with the “big kids” (8-10 years old)…
and it was the first version you listed…
Batman smells. Robin laid an egg….blahblah, joker got away.
LOLOLOL… funny how that stuff sticks in your head. I can remember how hard it was snowing that night, and how muffled the cars sounded from all the snow falling!!!
My older brother (10 at the time), normally quite responsible, threw a snowball at a passing car and nailed it hard. The guy stopped, jumped out of his gray 68 Olds (I remember the car!)… and chased, and CAUGHT us!
Gave us a stern talkin to!!! We were just thrilled he didn’t bang on our parents door and tell on us!!! (Which of COURSE woulda been BAD!)
HAHAHAHA!!!! Great memories!
I grew up is Southern Louisiana, just north of Lake Pontchartrain. I’m 40 now and have to say I remember first hearing something along these lines…
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
this was around ’78…of course now my youngest who is 8 sings a variation which now includes Spongebob…go figure. Hope your research provides some laughter along the way.
I thought its
Dashing through the snow
On a pair of broken skiis
Over the hills we go
Crashing into trees
Now the snow is red
I think I’m almost dead
I woke up in the hospital with stitches in my head
911 911 someone call the cops
Take me to the hospital
And feed me lollipops
911 911 Santa clause is dead
JL ( or something like that) Joe the Eskimo shot him in the head.
Salt Lake City, Utah, late 1970s: We always sang a hybrid of the Batman and Sesame Street versions: Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. Mr. Hooper laid a pooper right on Big Bird’s leg. Yeah, we were crude little boys.
I was also in SLC and had just a slight variation from this – Mr. Hooper let a pooper, all on Christmas Day—-hey!
Also in Salt Lake City. My wife learned another Sesame Street hybrid, although similar in the early 1990’s…
Jingle Bells, Batman smells.
Robin laid an egg.
Mr. Hooper laid a pooper
Right on Santa’s sleigh!
Salt Lake City, early to mid 80s. Definitely the Hooper Pooper Santa’s Sleigh lyrics…
In Salt Lake City in the 1950s it went:
Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Hammers, nuts and screws,
Oh what fun it is to ride
In Grampa’s overshoes!
Jingle bells, jingle bells. Santa Claus is dead . Gi Joes the Eskimo shot him in the head. Barbie doll Barbie doll tried to save her life, but Gi Joe the Eskimo stabbed her with a knife…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veju4PxhuGc
Does anyone have video from the original Batman TV series where the Joker sings this or similar?
Jingle Bells
Shot gun shells
Santa Clause is dead.
Someone stole my BB gun
and shot him in the head.
Houston, Texas in the early 1970s.
I learned version 1 listed above in Webster Groves, MO (suburb of St. Louis) in about 1972/1973.
First version:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
San Francisco Bay Area, early-mid 70’s
I heard the “Santa Claus is dead” version in elementary school in the 1960s in the Dallas, Texas area. It had the feel of an old folk song even then.
I heard this one when I was about about 10 in 1967 in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an eggs
. . . and then I’m not sure . . .
Father Christmas lost his whiskers?
and something about Superman and his underwear??
Theses are the two versions I remember:
Jingle bell Robin Hood
Riding through the glen
Done a fart
Killed a rat and paralysed a hen
Jingle bell Starsky smell
Hutch has ran away
Kojak’s lost his lollipop
And bought a milkyway
Early 80’s in Columbus, Ohio; “joker got away” variation
Our children insist on joker joined ballet though, still in Columbus.
My childhood versions are:
Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin fly away
Uncle billy lost his willy on the motorway, hey!
And:
Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin fly away
Aunty ruby lost her booby on the motorway, hey!
Joker got away, mid-70’s in San Francisco Bay Area
Scary Eyes,Batman scares
santa ran away
oh what fun it is to ride
a broken sleigh today
Dashing through the snow in a
one horse open sleigh
HEY !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veju4PxhuGc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
First version; late 70s/early 80s; Peterborough, Ontario.
Cambridge, England. 1972. Taught to me by my sister who learned it in 1967.
Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin flew away.
Father Christmas lost his knickers
On the motorway.
Or
Santa Claus lost his draws (British colloquialism for underpants)
On the motorway.
Tenafly NJ 1971,72
I was 7,8 yo
Jingle Bells Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Bat mobile list a wheel
Commissioner ran away
That last line still puts me in stitches
Jingle bells,
Batman smells
Robin ran away
Wonder Woman lost her bosom
Flying TAA
Australian version mid 70s.
I know that the batman Version was sung in a Christmas Episode of the Batman Animated Series of the mid 90’s. So I assume most Kids of that era (now in their 20s) learned it from there. At least that’s the most common case in Europe.
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost its wheel, Commissioner ran away
Orange County CA circa 1970
Jingle bells jingle bells santa is saad
All because robiin calling him a pri**
HEY
Jingle bells jingle bels santa is happy
All because robin had lost his wiilly
I know a bit inappropriate but that’s what I just recently heard from kids
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis gliding up a hill santa lost his keys snowmans turning red santa feeling dead all he wants for Christmas is a hospital bed OH Santa Claus Santa Clau Santa Claus is dead Rudolph took a 44 and shot him in the head oh Barbie doll Barbie doll tried to save his life GI JOE from Mexico stabbed her with a knife
Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg
Batmobile *popped* a wheel, and blew up IGA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGA_%28supermarkets%29 – IGA is a chain of supermarkets.
Edmonton, Canada, early 1990s.
This is what I heard way back in the ’60’s as a kid. (I’m Jewish, & I have the impression that at some point some pious Christians substituted Batman instead of Santa…)
Jingle bells Santa smells 40 miles away
Here’s an Anti-Nazi version that I’m sure you’ll like.
Jingle Bells! Hitler smells!
Goering is a gay!
Eva Braun is a man
and all of them have AIDS!
Hey!
Jingle Bells! Himmler smells!
Goebbels is a gay!
Lili Marlene is a man
and all of them have AIDS!
Hey!
In the long shot someone sees this;
The song originates from an of the 1992 “Batman: The Animated Series” titled “Christmas with the Joker”. It’s episode 2 on DVD, but was actually the 38th episode to air.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
Orange County Ca, 1974
Houston Texas, 1975
Dunno if it is here already, but in Ottawa, Canada we had a two verse….
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Santa Claus is dead
Rudolph took a 44 and shot him in the head
Barbie Doll Barbie Doll
Tried to save his life
But GI Joe tippy toed
and stabbed her with his knife.
kind of morbid if you think about it.
Circa 1985/86
I know your #1 version from Panama Elementary School, Panama CA, 1966-1972-ish.
First heard it in 1971, Davis CA. In kindergarden. Always wondered who wrote it. Truly fun to think that some kid made it up and it spread by word of mouth.
I grew up with this one:
“Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And Joker played ballet”
Toronto, ON ca. 1998-2000
But I also just found this. It may help you to answer your question:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlPvcsnz3BA
the batman one,,, I first heard this in the 4th grade in 1982, I remember thinking it was kool and new and probably was old , lol like me !!!!
Jax fl 2005
Jingle bells, Batman smell
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And robin peed on a tree in 1963! Hey!
The 1st version,
(Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!))
late 70s East Coast – Arkansas, Kansas, then VA
This year my kids came home from friends in Oklahoma singing:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid a gun,
shot a tree, made it pee, in 1983
Batman in the kitchen
Robin in the hall
Jokers in the bathroom
peeing on the wall!
Catgirl in the litterbox
oh what fun it is to die in a onehorse open sleigh! (my son made up the very last line).
I like the first version better. Love that you are researching this.
Upstate New York and I learnt the first version:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
Other songs such as to Sinatra’s ‘My Way’:
Strangers in the night, exchanging d***oes
This one is too tight, I’ll take another
This is one is just right, I’ll take a dozen mooooorrrre.
Children’s culture is, unfortunately, not written down and often searching online will get no hits on a topic. It is, btw, a language unique to children.
This is, truthfully, language.
Great blog post.
I was born in 1949. It was around before the cartoon version with the Joker singing it. That’s why Batman says. “I hate that song.” It had been making the rounds before the TV show with Adam West.
The version I grew up with in the UK is “jingle bells batman smells robin FLEW away”, the rest is the same as your first version. I’ve known this version for as long as I can remember and I was born in 1980.
Hey fun to find this — I think this verse may have originated from the 1966 TV action series Batman starring Adam West. I wonder if it might have started from a character like the Joker (Cesar Romero) or the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) I know I’ve known the chorus since maybe 3/4th grade in Montana, 1969/70. That’s why I think it may have been started by a televised quip by one of the villains? I just had an argument with one of my piano students about the last line – it used to be “Joker got away … ” but now the kids say “Joker took ballet” and will argue that’s right. It travels in 1st and 2nd grade like a virus from state to state. Pretty amazing oral tradition!
All though primary school we sang:
Jingle bells batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Rudolf got a .22 and shot him in the head
Oh Barbie dolls barbie dolls tried to save his life
But GI joe from Mexico stabbed him with a knife.
My older brother and I taught our little brother it when he was 3. He thought it was hilarious.
Hubs and I are currently debating this. Heard in 80s in WA
Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
Joker took ballet.
Hubs says its
Joker got away.
Here’s one:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin Laid An Egg,
Uncle Billy Lost His Willy On The Motorway, HEY!!
I first heard this version, UK, North East late 80’s.
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin Flew away
Lost his pants flying over France
Yet he found ’em in Bombay.
Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin’s flown away
The Batmobile’s lost a wheel on the M5 motorway
…Droitwich, England, 1970s. Search streetmap.co.uk for “droitwich” to understand the M5 reference ;)
The way I remember it, from the 70’s in Massachusetts:
Jingle Bells, Santa smells
Rudolph ran away.
Blow you nose in Cherios
and eat ’em on the way.
I know, makes no sense, but that’s how I learned it. Plus I remember the alternate:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a beat-up Chevrolet!
hmmm, that makes no sense either, but we were just kids.
Hears another one
Jingle bells batman smells robin layed an egg batmobel lost a weel and the joker got away hey jingle bells joker smells harly quinn layed an egg jokermobel lost a weel and they went to jail.
I found this song, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells at Cowboy lyrics.com
And there you will sing the lyric,
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/wilson-steven/jingle-bells-batman-smells-37149.html
Batman in the kitchen,
Robin in the hall,
Joker in the bathroom,
Peeing all over the wall!
hahahahha
I’m from Dublin, Ireland and I first heard the top version (batman smells) in ’92 or ’93 (I’m 25 now) from my Dad. I didn’t really think about it too much until I heard an American talking about it recently. Everyone I know and grew up with in Dublin would be aware of the song. I find it fascinating that it seems to have become a worldwide phenomenon, at least among English speaking countries.
Also, the version I learned was:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg,
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
and The Joker got away (hey!)
The version I learned was:
Jingle bells, batman smells
Santa Claus is dead
Rudolph took a .22 and
Shot him in the head
G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe
Tried to save his life
But a Barbie doll, Barbie doll
Stabbed them with a knife
This would be around 1980, in Sweaburg, near Woodstock, Ontario, Canada.
The version I heard was in elementary school in the late 1970’s, South San Francisco, CA: Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel and the Joker got away (Hey!)
I grew up with this one:
Jingle bells, batman smells,
Robin flew away,
Wonder Woman lost her bozam
Flying TAA, HEY!!!!
jingle bells batman smells robin layed a egg bad mobile lost a wheel and joker got away…hey! Badmans in the kitchen, robins in the hall, jokes in the washroom… Peeing on the wall! The snow is turning read, I ink I’m going to be dead… WAKE Up in the morning with stiches on my head!
My version goes like this,
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (hey!)
Bane is bad, the Penguin’s worse
Mr. Freeze made snow
Gotham City on Christmas
is not a nice place to go! (ho ho ho!)
s, Auckland, New Zealand. “Jingle bells, batman smells, Robin ran away. Father Christmas lost his whiskers on the motorway, hey”. Motorway our term for freeway.
In Australia growing up it was…..
Jingle bells batman smells
Robin ran away
Wonder woman lost her bosoms
flying TAA (An Australian air line that now doesn’t exist)
I’m in 7th grade and this is how me and me friends always sing it:
Dashing through the snow, on a one broken ski
Over the hills we go,
Crashing into trees
Bum, bum
The snow is turning red,
I think I may be dead,
I wake up in the hospital with stitches in my head (Hey!)
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin layed an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel, and the Joker got away (Hey!)
The version I grew up with (1980s in the UK) was
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin ran away.
Santa lost his underpants,
On the M6 Motorway (Hey!)
Myn was jingle bells batman smells robin flew away
Couldn’t get the song: Jingle bells, Batman smells… out if my head this morning. Learned it as an elementary-school aged child in Minneapolis in the 60’s.
Almost 9 years but best I can tell no analysis or conclusions. I’ve seen the Animated Series and Simpsons but neither are the origin. Looks like it goes back to the 1960’s at least – but nobody has a better conclusion than that?
I first heard the Batman smells version in 1973 when I was in the 1st grade/Orlando Fl. The nuns at our school hated it and they often would spank us if they heard us singing it. I can remember my older brother knowing it before me, so that would put him at ’71 or ’72 when he picked it up.
I always heard:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin ran away
The Batmobile lost its wheel and landed in Bombay
I’m 53 and the only version I’ve heard is:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
And that was back in the ’60s.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells, robbin ran away
He lost his pants down in france
And found them in bombay HEY!
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin flew away
Wonder Woman lost her curls flying TAA
hey!
Here’s the rude version
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Uncle Billy
Lost his willy
On the motorway
(Hey!)
Wow! I’m amazed at all the different variations that ppl have learned thru the years!
The only one I’m familiar with is the first Batman Smells version. I heard it in early 70s in North Dakota.
In England in the 70s we used to sing:
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Kojack lost his lolly pop
And bought a Milky Way
I have heard:
Jingle bells Bat man smells
Robin layed an egg
Wonder woman lost her bosoms flying T.L.A
Salt Lake City, Utah mid-1960s:
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
And the motor ran away!
Once in first grade I heard my teacher sing Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. Bat mobile lost a wheel, and Bat Girl saved the day. The ones I usually hear end with “And joker got away” but my favorite would have to be “and Joker did ballet”.
Jingle bells shotgun shell
Granny got her gun
Shot me in my underwear
Boy did I run
The first iteration batman smells… robin laid an egg, joker got away…
I grew up east of Saginaw, Michigan. From 1978-1986.
Learned either from my younger brother or younger cousin, in Alabama in the early 60’s:
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And Commissioner broke his leg
Palo Alto, CA, ca. 1966
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
Batmobile lost a wheel and Commissioner broke his leg.
Learned from a friends in kindergarten.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel.
The Commissioner ran away, HEY!
San Antonio, Texas c. 1971
Dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skis
over the snow i go
getting stung by bees
DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!
This is what I learned at daycare around age 10 in Ca
Oooh… Jingle Bells, Alfred smells, Robin laid an egg.
The bat mobile lost a wheel, but Bat Girl saved the day.
Batman’s in the kitchen, Mad hatter’s in the hall,
Joker’s in the backyard peeing on the wall.
Penguin’s on the potty, His arms too short to wipe,
Catwoman’s in the litter box, while the Riddler smokes a pipe.
Oooh… Jingle Bells, Alfred smells, Robin laid an egg.
The bat mobile lost a wheel, but Bat Girl saved the day.
I see some people saying the words don’t make sense because Robin couldn’t lay eggs, well when I was a kid to ‘lay an egg’ meant you let a stinky one rip. So I’ve always took the words to mean he farted.
In my searches I came across this video of the Barron Knights singing some other versions of parodies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD-LAX0DxL4#t=242
I heard something like this : Jingle bells, You smell, like a rotten egg, the batmobile lost a wheel and threw it on your head! HEY
Are you in the kitchen, maybe in the hall, are you in the bathroom peeing on the wall? HEY
Zombies hate the pit, you were there too, I saw you eat a HappyMeal, and then you needed to poo. Eh?
Jingle bells, You smell, like a rotten egg, the batmobile lost a wheel and threw it on your head! HEY
Jingle bells, You smell, like a rotten egg, the batmobile lost a wheel and threw it on your head! HEY
Jingle bells, You smell, like a rotten egg, the batmobile lost a wheel and threw it on your head! HEY
Jingle bells, You smell, like a rotten egg, the batmobile lost a wheel and threw it on your head! HEY
I wrote this in the mid 70’s in class 4 for Miss Hooke as part of a school poetry exercise. We were told to write a short poem and then had to deliver it to the class. The actual first ever recital of this was as follows :-
“Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin’s run away.
The batmobile has lost its wheels,
Hooray, hooray, hooray.”
I delivered this is a stony silent class of six year olds and noone applauded and after I had finished Miss Hooke thanked me and I was asked to sit down. I don’t know if Miss Hooke is alive today but I may have a dated copy of this poem in an old school book I wrote somewhere.
Matt Blythe.
Isle of Wight, England.
Jingle bells batman smells Robin flew away. kojak lost his lollipop so he bought a milky-way. Hey.
911 911
Grammas got a gun
Shot my butt in Pizza Hut
Back in ’91
1976 minneapolis minnesota. Version 1
Jingle bells batman smells Robin flew away down come a joker and batman ran away 1st lyric of jingle bell batman was during 1930’s
If it helps in your research at all…
I first heard the same variation of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” that you mention sometime around 1993-ish in Indianapolis, Indiana — about the same time that it appeared at the beginning of episode 2 (“Christmas with the Joker”) of Batman: The Animated Series. The opening line would, of course, be referenced in the 1996 film, “Jingle All the Way,” as spoken by James Belushi.
I found this post in an attempt to learn if the rhyme predated its Batman: The Animated Series occurrence, which I am sure helped in its popularity. Best of luck in tracking this down.
jingle bells, batman died, spiderman cried, superman flied and antman sighed. my sister is 7 forgive me…
From Australia, first heard in Queensland primary school circa 1988:
Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin ran away
Wonder Woman lost her pants
Flying USA
Hey!
That’s to the best of my recollection anyway! If you find the origin let me know.
Rob, thank you so much for setting up this page. I was singing it for the first time to my 5 year old son while he screamed with laughter… but I could only remember “batman smells and robin laid an egg” – he will be so happy that I can sing the whole song now!
Batman will not going to like it! Look!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZDQtCAwoYM
&
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpyOfjsIFA4
gingle bells, batman smells
robin ran away
old man billy lost his w****
on the motorway (hey)
Here’s one
Jingle bells,batman smells Robin layed an egg and the batmobile lost its wheel in 1981
Chorus –
Dashing thru the snow on a one horse open sleigh
Shouting as we go, “will you please get out of my way”!
The words I know are:
Jingle Bells Batman Smells,
Robin Laid an Egg,
The Batmobile has one flat wheel,
and the Joker got away, hey.
I always sang this version as a kid
Jingle bells jingle balls Robin Hood is dead cause rudolf got a 44 and shot him in the head.
Barbie doll barbie doll tried to save his life but G.I Joe from Mexico stabbed her with his knife
Oh
Dashing through the snow without a hope in hell…… And on it goes as I have forgotten
Cheers
Same version as you grew up with (Robin laid an egg one). Time-frame was probably 1966-67 in Easten Townships of Québec, Canada. I was in elementary school in North Hatley, Québec – born in 1955 – sang it on playground and it still rattles around in my mind at Christmas time!
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin Flew away
Uncle Billy lost his willy
on the motorway
Hey!
England, early 2000s
I learned a completely different version as a kid. I thought it was changed to be less morbid… but apparently we were just wrong all along:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg,
Joker died, Batman cried,
Robin flew away.
Lots of shotgun references in this American one..m
I only know the 1 I learnt in the Aussie version.
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin flew away
Wonder Woman lost her bosom flying TAA-hey!
I’m a 53 year old Brooklyn native. I remember the very first version you posted. I’m pretty sure I heard it originally in the schoolyard in 1972.
I don’t recall hearing his as a child; first heard it from my son about 35-40 years ago. We lived in Casper WY.
Very interesting post. I’ve been surprised by the young “whippersnappers” who actually think they started it. My husband and I are in our early sixties and both of us remember learning it on the playground in elementary school in the mid 1960’s in Washington state. We were blessed by it again in the eighties when our kids became school age and over the past sixteen years of grandparenthood it has been ringing in our ears nearly continually, the same version you posted, with the occasional variation of Robin flying away, but laying an egg is the optimal giggle inducing choice. It amazes me that something so cheezily retro has become so ingrained in our worldwide culture, enduring the past half a century. Anyone out there expect us to evolve to a more highly refined taste any time soon? Don’t hold your breath.
This came out with the Batman TV Series in 1968, although it may have taken a year or so.
The one about Santa clause is just mest up😑😑😑
Jingle bells batman smells robin flew away
Uncle Billy’s lost his Wills on the m6 moterway
I liked the one Jingle bells batman smells robin laid an egg the bat mobile lost a wheel and the Jocker got away Hey!
batmans in the kitchen
robins in the hall
joker’s on the bathroom
peeing on the wall hey
Jingle bells
Shotgun shells
Santa Claus is dead
Rudolph got a 44
And shot him in the head
That’s the version I heard growing up. I went to an elementary school in Greenup County called Danleyton. I heard it around 1977.
I also heard Jingle Bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost it’s wheel
And the joker got away
Here’s another for fun…
You think you’re hot snot on a silver platter.
But you’re really just cold bugars on a paper plate!
Jingle bells, Batman smells, robin laid an egg, batmobile lost its wheel, and joker blew up usa.
Jingle bells jingle bells, Santa clause is dead. Rudolf got a 44 and shot him in the head.
jingle bells batman smells robin laid an egg,
oh what fun it is to sit on wonder woman’s head!
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, robin flew away! He lost his pants in the middle of France and didn’t know what to say.. HEY
During 1980 in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire it went:
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin picks his nose
Cojack lost his lollipop on the M1 motorway.
Jingle Bells Batman smells
Robin laid an egg…
I don’t remember any more of the song.
1970s in Minnesota
Our variant was…
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away,
Batmobile lost one wheel,
and landed in some hay, hey
Jingle bells,
Batman smells,
Robin layed an egg.
Joker stole the batmobile,
and got shot in the head,
Ohhhh.
Early 80’s probably.. maybe Tulsa, OK or Memphis, TN
I Googled this topic because my now 6 yr old is signing new versions I haven’t heard.
One that we sang, that I haven’t seen posted, is:
Jingle Bells, shotgun shells
Granny’s got a gun,
Shot me in the underwear,
And boy I had to run (?)
My 6 yr olds versions:
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid a gun
He shot a tree and made a pee in 1981
911, 911, someone has a gun
Kicked their butt in Pizza Hut
In 1981
Those are awful..and abviously very new. Trying to get him to stop signing! He also sings it where Robin lays an egg and Joker does ballet (Joker never did ballet for me growing up or my husband who grew up in Washington and OR.)
My husband sings it this way..He remembers it from the early 70’s
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg,
Bat mobile lost a wheel
and Alfred broke his leg
HEY!
I was trying to find an inoffensive version of the lyrics for my 5 year old son to learn – something without guns and violence, and ended up writing a couple of verses about some superheroes instead… Here he is singing them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xDpfD9Y0dA&sns=em
1966-67? Bay Area (Peninsula), California:
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Commissioner broke his leg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And Robin laid an egg.
Sorry if this is a repeat! I don’t understand why but we always sang it..
Jingle bells Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
Wonder Woman lost a boob while drinking lemonade!
The earliest I heard it was Second Grade, 1972. I presume it came from kids watching re-runs of the 1966 Batman TV Series, which in those days in New York City ran on WPIX Channel 11. The lyrics I recall went:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg…..
Batmobile lost a wheel
and Joker took Ballet, HEY!
(alternate: and Joker got away, Hey!)
This was in Co-op City, Bronx, NY. PS 178, right near the then-new Harry S. Truman High School (little kids were regularly led through the underground tunnel to the High School’s basement, where two full indoor swimming pools were.) I recall in 9th grade I took Boys’ Gymnastics in that same huge basement, where they had a trampoline set up. There was always a line for the trampoline, so Mr. Youngbluth had us use the rings, horse, and parallel bars while we waited–and I recall around Christmas 1979, the boys were still singing that old ditty from 1972!
When I was 7 (year 1995, Ottawa, Canada), I heard the first parody (i forget who sang it first):
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
and Joker took ballet
but no one really found it funny. Then later, there was another one going around the schoolyard:
Dashing through the snow
on a broken pair of skis
down the hills we go
crashing into trees
the snow is turning red
i think i lost my head
what fun it is to spend a christmas eve in bed
oh
jingle bells, jingle bells
santa claus is dead
rudolph took a .64 and shot him in the head
BANG!
barbie doll, barbie doll
tried to save his life
but g.i. joe from mexico
just stabbed him with a knife
we found that one much more hilarious. we were a bunch of morbid kids lol
CT. 1974
Jingle bells, bullet shells,
Commies in the grass;
Take your merry xmas,
And shove it up your ass.
The version we sang in upstate New York (I’m guessing maybe in the late ’50s) went like this:
Jingle bells, Batman smells.
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost its wheel,
And the Commissioner broke his leg.
jingle bells batman smells robin flew away landed in a football pitch and scored a
penalty hey
Bat man smells version Maysville Ky 1978
Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laided an egg, The Batmobile lost a wheel, And the Joker said go to H*ELL.
This is wonderful, and I love that you did a “9 years later” update. Im 46 and my first child is now 4, and I’m teaching her this son I remeber from my childhood in Toledo, OH, around 1981, or so. I learned the first version you list in the 2006 post.
I learned a different version as a kid –
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin got a gun
Shot me in the underwear
And then I had to run
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin flew away
He lost his pants
In the middle of France
And found them in Bombay
Grew up in texas in the 60′
last line was the commissioner is eating hay!
My wife grew up in north dakota last line was commissioner ran away.
Facing through the snow
On a pair of broken skis
Over the hills we go,
Smashing into trees
The snow is turning red I think I might be dead, I wake up in the hospital with stitches in my head
Oh jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg
Shoot a tree and made it pee in 1983
Jingle bells Santa smells Easter’s on its way oh what fun it is to ride in a beat-up Chevrolet hey 1965
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Joker stole the Batmobile
And Penguin got away!
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Joker died
And Batman cried
And Robin flew away
My school, South East London, mid to late 1970s:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin ran away
Kojak lost his lollipop
and didn’t know what to say
My wife’s school, New Zealand, late 1970s/early 1980s
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin ran away
Wonder Woman lost her bosoms
On the motorway
I stumbled across this looking for different jingle bell lyrics as I was trying to remember one. But as a contribution, when I was a kid in southern Queensland, Australia we had a schoolyard version that went:
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Santa clause is dead,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, shot him in the head.
Barbie Doll, Barbie Doll, tried to save his life,
But GI Joe from Mexico, stabbed her with his knife. HEY
We were pretty bloodthirsty kids.
Also, theres a ‘traditional’ Aussie version, the full song is found here if you’re interested – http://alldownunder.com/australian-music-songs/jingle-bells.htm
My kids are still singing this version in school :D
JINGLEBELLS SHOTGUN SHELLS,AL GORE RAN AWAY,,TIPPLER GOT A DIVORCE SPOT,AND AL GORE HIT THE HAY
Here”s one from the Philippines I remember hearing as a kid (late 90s, early 2000s)
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Santa Clause is dead
GI Joe from Mexico (what?)
Shot him in the head, hey!
Barbie dolls, barbie dolls, tried to save his life
But GI Joe from Mexico
Stabbed them with his knife!
As an addition to my post above:
Another New Zealander recalls a slightly different version of the Wonder Woman version:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin ran away
Wonder Woman lost her lasso
On the motorway
I’d imagine this might be the original of this version as it makes more sense than losing her bosoms. Then various kids substituted bosoms, knickers etc.
In Febaurary 2017, I’ll be 52 years old and I heard these lyrics in grade school. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Here’s one I made up about Super Bowl 51:
Jingle bells, Falcons smell
Patriots all the way
Snowflakes cry, want to die
And Gaga did ballet, hey!
And another one about current music:
Jingle bells, Bieber smells, Katy showed some leg
Bruno Mars just got SARS and Gaga did ballet, hey!
Adele is in the kitchen, making Christmas pie
Madonna’s in the living room, kissing Miley Cyrus
Beyonce’s on the potty, clenching her own botty
Ed Sheeran’s pissed, ’cause Kanye dissed his favorite Stones LP!
Dashing through the snow
On a pair of broken skis
Over the fields we go
Crashing into trees (ha ha ha)
The snow is turning red
I think I’m almost dead
Will someone call an ambulance
I think I need a bed
Ohhhhh
911
911
Someone call the cops
Take me to the hospital
And feed me lollipops
Ohhhhh
911
911
Someone call the cops
Take me to the hospital
And feed me lollipops
Can’t Smith is right. When i was younger in 62′, I’m pretty sure my uncle invented the “jingle bells, batman smells, robin layed an egg…” theme. He was a crazy batman comic. My older brother was practicing it. After that, I noticed my younger siblings generation changed it. Can’t Smith in 66′ suggested the one changed. I’m from Toronto, Ontario.
Jingle bells,
Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg
Superman did a fart and the Flash ran away, HEY!
Jingle bells, Batman smells
Fifty miles away
Blows his nose in Cheerios
And eats ’em everyday
I was a late 80’s- nineties kid and apparently we were really gross.
Dashing through the trees
And falling on my knees
The snow is turning red
I think I’m almost dead
I woke up in the hospital
With stitches on my head
So all I got for Christmas is
Lame injuries in bed
911 911
Santa Claus is dead
Rudolph took a .22
And shot him in the head
911 911
Barbie tried to help
But G.I. Joe from Mexico
Whipped her with his belt
Jingle bells Batman smells
Robyn did ballet
Lost his pants in the middle of France
And found them in LA!
jingle bells, jingle bells
robin laid an egg.
batman got in his batmobile
but joker shot him dead!
I learned this one around 11 yrs of age after coming to Australia in 1962. Jingle bells batman smells Robin ran away wonder woman lost her bosom flying TAA. TAA was an airline in Australia at the time.
jingle bells batman smells robin layed an egg wonder women hit her head and now shes nearly dead
Dashing through the snow, on a pair of broken skis, over the hills we go, crashing into trees! The snow is turning red, I think I’m almost dead, I woke in the hospital with stitches in my head, oh!
Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg!
Batmobile lost a wheel and the Joker got away, Hey!
911,
911,
Ruldoph’s on the run
He shot Santa in the head,
With a .22 gun, oh!
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolph pulled a .22 and shot him in the head!
Barbie doll, Barbie doll, tried to save his life. But GI Joe from Mexico stabbed her with a knife!
From the playground, Corvallis Montana, mid 1970s
Jingle bells shotgun shells
Santa Claus is dead
GI Joe, GI Joe
shot him in the head
Barbie Doll, Barbie Doll
tried to save his life
Teddie Bear, Teddie Bear
stabbed him with a knife
Lyric typed wrong
The last line should have beend
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear
Stabbed her with a knife
Actually, it originated when the Joker sang it in one of the old Batman DVDs.
I heard,
“Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.”
I don’t remember what the next two lines were. I also heard,
“Jingle Bells, Shotgun shells,
Santa Claus is dead.
Tried to steal my teddy bear;
I shot him in the head.”
Gruesome.
I lived in west Texas, and this would have been mid- to late 1960s.
Jingle bells batman smells robin flew away, father Christmas lost him whiskers flying T A A
TAA was an australian airline back in the early 80s
I always used to sing:
Jingle Bells, batman smells
Robin layed an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
and Joker joined ballet, Hey!
Dashing through the snow
On a pair of broken skis
Over the hills we go
Crashing into trees
The snow is turning red
I think I’m almost dead
and I woke up in the hospital
with nails in my head, Oh!
Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin layed a gun
He shot his butt in Pizzahut in 1981!
I learned this circa 1972 while living in Prince George’s (or PG as we called it) County, MD. It had the standard first verse that most people seem to have grown up with. The second verse more or less had the “Rudolph ran away” and “beat up Chevrolet” lyrics. However, one friend of mine would sing the second verse with the “shotgun shells” and “Santa’s underwear” lyrics, while another would sing the first verse with the “50 miles away” lyric. It astounds me how many variations there have been!
“Jingle Bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
He did a fart
Behind a car
And blew up the IRA!”
One of my classmates, a Gregory Addison told me this version while we were both in primary 4 (academic session 1984/85) at Mile End Primary School, Aberdeen.
Jingle Bells , Jingle Bells,I am almost dead , I lost my head by the radio and gave it to a friend.
Jingle Bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Batman’s silly,
And lost his willie,
On a motorway,
In the USA!
Here’s a version:
Jingle bells jingle bells
Santa Claus is dead
Rudolph got a 44 and shit him in the head ay
Barbie doll barbie doll tried to save his life
But teddy bear teddy bear stabbed him with a knife
Jingle bells Batman smells something got away
Eisenhower has no power something something
I learned this in the late 1950s where I lived on the Maryland side of Southern Avenue- the DC line. Don’t know eh6 it’s come back this year, but maybe there is more in it about the Cold War of the time and the uneasiness of nuclear annihilation.
mine went somthing like this…
Jingel bells batman smells robin lad a eeg the batmobile lost its wheel and the joker rann away hey Dashing through the snow, on a pair of broken skis, over the hills we go, crashing into trees! The snow is turning red, I think I’m almost dead, I woke in the hospital with stitches in my head, oh! batmans in his car robins in the hall jokers peeing acid all over the walls hey!
Circa 1974, Darien, CT.
Jingle Bells. Batman Smells.
Robin laid an egg.
Batmobile lost its wheel.
Commissioner broke his leg.
Jingle Bells. Batman Smells.
Robin laid an egg.
Batmobile lost its wheel
And The Joker got away!
jingle bells
batman smells
santa claus is dead
rudolph took a 22
and shot him in the head
barbie doll barbie doll
tried to save his life
but gi joe from mexico
stabbed her with his knife
i like Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf got a .22
and shot him in the head.
Mines is:
Jingle bells batman smells
Robin flew away
Landed in a football pitch and scored a penalty
Or
Jingle bells batman smell
Robin flew away
The bat mobile lost its wheel
And the Joker got away
( I’ve never heard of the other ones)
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile lost a wheel
And the Joker got away
This is a classic of course, another one I heard as a kid…
Jingle Bells, shotgun shells
Granny had a gun
Shot Saint Nick in his dick
In 1981
1994/1995 Valdosta, Georgia
It’s funny that we find ourselves thinking of these types of things later on in life. I’m over 30 now and found this site by googling “Jingle Bells, Batman smells” because I remember singing it as a kid
What’s up all, here every one is sharing such familiarity, thus it’s nice to
read this blog, and I used to visit this blog everyday.
My older brother sings:
Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells
Bullets All The Way
Oh What Fun It Is To Ride
In Detroit On Christmas Day!
He has forgotten the next verse.
Probably circa 1950.
To the tune of Jingle Bells:
Washington – D-C-Trump
To Putin’s Great Delight!
Such A Relief It Is
That Trump’s Impeached Tonight!!
Please Tell Moscow Mitch
To Do The Trial Right!
Guard the Constitution,
Remove That Bum Tonight!!
Oh, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle All The Way!
Save The Constitution,
Do It Right Away
Hey!
Please Tell Moscow Mitch
To Do The Trial Right!
Guard That Constitution,
Remove That Bum Tonight!!!
— December 15, 2019 — by me —
Jingle Bells,
Batman Smells,
Robin laid an egg
He did a fart
Behind a kart
And blew up USA!
I remember hearing this on the playground; perhaps I was around 12 at the time?
So this was around 2000. Nottingham, UK (or Leeds)
Whoops – “Robin laid an egg” was meant to be “Robin flew away” — of course, so that it rhymes with USA! I must have gotten my wires crossed somehow.
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis, falling off a cliff, crashing through the trees. The baker gonna die I think i’m gonna cry…. that all i know another version is;
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis, falling off a cliff, crashing through the trees. The snow is turning red i think i’m almost dead i woke up in the hospital i think..
I hope this helps
Jingle bells,
batman smells,
robin layed an egg.
they thought he was a
chicken so they
shot him in the head, hey!