Fuzzy Wuzzy is a tongue twister, a nursery rhyme for kids to learn how to spell tricky words. While we don’t have the actual details of its origin, we do know a few things. The rhyme was first recorded in the 1942 edition of The Yorker magazine.
It seems like a fun little rhyme with extended lyrics added over time. However, there are hints of racism in the rhyme’s background. Though there is no definite information, the tongue twister could have been a racist reference to the Beja warriors.
Read on to get the lyrics and know more background details of Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear.
Written Lyrics
Original Version:
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair,
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t really fuzzy,
Was he?
Extended Modern Lyrics:
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy
No, by gosh, he wasn’t, was he?
Silly Willy was a worm
Silly Willy wouldn’t squirm
Silly Willy wasn’t silly
No, by gosh, he wasn’t really
Iddy Biddy was a mouse
Iddy Biddy had no spouse
Iddy Biddy wasn’t pretty
Oh, by gosh, it was a pity
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy
No, by god, he wasn’t, was he?
Printable Lyrics
Save the printable PDF file by clicking on this link. The file has the lyrics for the extended version of Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear.
Photo Lyrics
Save a copy of the image on your device.
Video Links
Watch an animated video of the modern version:
Here’s a link to the video with the original lyrics from the Mother Goose collection:
Origins and History
The original version of the Fuzzy Wuzzy rhyme had only four lines. It was a single stanza of clever wordplay to entertain kids. The extended version has four stanzas where the first and the last are about the Fuzzy Wuzzy bear. The second and third stanzas are about a worm and a mouse. The lyrics continue the wordplay to make the nursery rhyme engaging and playful.
But what is it about Fuzzy Wuzzy that reflects racism? Well, it’s the term Fuzzy Wuzzy itself. With the same title, Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem. Apparently, Fuzzy Wuzzy referred to humans.
Some say it is about the Beja warriors in Sudan who fought the British in the Mahdist Revolt in the 19th century. It was a colonial war between Madhist Sudanese, Egyptians, and the British. The Beja warriors were nomads but fought on Sudan’s side during the war. They had matted hair, thick and heavy around their heads. This made them look ‘fuzzy’. It appears that Fuzzy Wuzzy was a nickname given to the warriors by the British.
Though Kipling’s poem praises the warriors’ for their expertise, the term Fuzzy Wuzzy is derogatory and demeaning. After all, it’s nothing uncommon for white people (from those days) to make fun of indigenous tribes.
FAQs
Some people think it is a reference to African Americans. They have unruly hair that is vastly different from Caucasian hair texture. A few black tribes were called Fuzzy Wuzzy by the English settlers. The Australians used the same term to describe the people of Papua New Guineans.
The rhyme became unpopular over the years because of the interpretations. However, you can use it to explain the history and ways to avoid racism. The poem can simply refer to a fuzzy bear and not people.
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