Tikki Tikki Tembo is a 1968 picture book written by Arlene Mosel and illustrated by Blair Lent.[1] The book tells the story of a Chinese boy with a long name who falls into a well. It is an origin myth story about why Chinese names are so short today.
Plot
Tikki Tikki Tembo is set in ancient China and invents a fictitious ancient Chinese custom whereby parents honor their first-born sons with long, elaborate names that everyone is obliged to say completely – no nicknames, no shortening of any kind – while second-born sons are typically given short, unimportant names. A boy named Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo ("The Most Wonderful Thing in the Whole Wide World") and his little brother Chang ("Little or Nothing") are playing very close to a well at their house that their mother has warned them to avoid. Chang falls in the well and his older brother runs to their mother and tells her Chang has fallen down the well. Their mother tells him to get the Old Man with the Ladder. He goes and tells the Old Man. Chang is rescued and then recovers quickly. Some time later, the boys are again playing near the well. This time, the older brother falls in. Chang runs to their mother and tries to tell her that "Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo has fallen into the well." At first, she cannot hear him so he says it again. However, because Chang is out of breath from running, he sputters and then mispronounces the name. His mother insists that he repeat the name—but with respect. He tries repeatedly until finally, his mother tells Chang to get the Old Man with the Ladder. Chang goes to the Old Man with the Ladder. Initially, the old man does not respond because he is asleep. When Chang tries to wake him up, the Old Man with the Ladder—annoyed—tries to fall back asleep. After Chang breathlessly repeats his brother's predicament, the Old Man goes with Chang to save his brother from the well. They get Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo from the well, but because of the long time he was in the well, it takes longer for him to recover. The end of the story says that this is why the Chinese have short names.
Reception
The book received accolades upon publication. The Kirkus Review found the illustrations to be "a skillful counterpoint of diminutive detail and spacious landscape and a fine setting for a sprightly folktale."[2] The book won a 1968 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in the Picture Book category.[3]
In 1997, The New York Times selected it as one of the 59 children's books of the previous 50 years.[4] In a 1999–2000 National Education Association online survey of children, the book was one of the "Kids' Top 100 Books".[5] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".[6] In a 2008 online poll of "Top 100 Picture Books" by School Library Journal, the book ranked 35th; in a similar 2012 poll, the book ranked 89th.[7][8] According to the publisher, over one million copies of the book had been sold by 2013.[9]
Cultural activists and Chinese citizens criticized the book for "reinforc[ing] the stereotype that Asian names sound like nonsense syllables",[11] especially as the name of the title character is nothing like actual Chinese.[12][13][14]
Background
The publisher states that the author "first heard the story ... as a child" and that the book is "her own" retelling of it.[9] There are previous stories also set in China. However, the story is thought to have originated in Japan rather than China.[15]
Similar tales have been introduced to the United States several times.
drowns in the well. No sibling is mentioned in this version.[16] Jerome Davis Greene was an American born in Yokohama, Japan. He moved to the United States and later became a businessman[17] and organizer of Japanese studies.[18]
Japanese Novelist Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto introduced a tale called "The long-life name" in a 1918 issue of the children's magazine Everyland. It tells that a child was given a long name, in a wish to live for long. But the child
drowns in the well. Sugimoto notes that she learned this tale during her childhood from her nurse.[19]
Non-Japanese elements
In 1924, the National Association of Junior Chautauquas published a book that contained a story by an anonymous author entitled "Tiki-Tiki-Tembo"; the story concerned a boy "in old Japan" named:
"Tiki-tiki-tembo-no sa rembo-Hari bari broohski-Peri pen do-Hiki pon pom-Nichi no miano-Dom bori ko"[20]
and his neglected sibling "Choi". After falling into the well, the title character "never grew up to be a fine Japanese man."[20] It concludes that "And now in old [sic] Japan, boys are given tiny short names such as 'Su', 'Foy', 'Wang', or 'Sing' ".[21] There are some non-Japanese elements in this version.[22] A book published in 1968 (the same year as Tikki Tikki Tembo) reprinted the 1924 version of the story.[21]
"Nicki Nicki Tembo No So Rembo Ooma Moochi Gamma Gamma Goochi"
is fat and mean. He has 7 siblings: 6 elder sisters "Humph", "Lumph", "Mumph", "Bumph", "Dumph", "Gumph", and a younger brother "Yen". "Nicki Nicki Tembo[...]" falls into a well, but is eventually rescued.[23]
Another recording titled "Sticky Sticky Stembo" was written by Selma R. Rich in 1953.[26]
1960s
There was a wave of publications through 1959 to 1961: a song by the Brothers Four, Shari Lewis's recording, a reissue of Paul Wing's recording, a book by Bryna Untermeyer, and possibly a narration on TV.[27]
The Brothers Four's song "Sama Kama Wacky Brown" (lyrics by Ed Warren),[28] from their eponymous first album in 1960,[29] sings about
"Eddie Koochy Katcha Kama Tosa Neera Tosa Noka Sama Kama Wacky Brown"
who "fell into the deep, dark well" and drowned.[30] The song is sometimes called "Eddie Brown".[30]
A story published in 1961, called "The Little Boy With the Long Name", featured an older brother named
"Sticky Sticky Stumbo Nos E Rumbo E Pro Pennyo Hara Bara Brisko Nicky Prom Po Nish No Mennyo Dumbricko",[39][40]
named so in a belief that long name causes longevity.
The story ends with the boy's death by drowning.[40] The editor of this version is Bryna Ivens Untermeyer.
1967–1969 saw another wave: an LP record containing the 1961 Untermeyer's "Sticky Sticky Stumbo" version,[41] Mosel's book, a reprint of the 1924 anonymous version,[21] and Monty Python's TV show (1969 in UK,[42] around 1974 in the US[43]).
Criticism and subsequent versions
Since the 1980s, Mosel's version became criticized for misrepresenting Chinese culture.[44]
"Pacho Nacho" published in 2020 is a rewrite of Mosel's version with settings changed to Hispanic America.[45] One reviewer regarded this version suitable for people who hate racism.[46] The author of "Pacho Nacho" states that the protagonist's name
"Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico"
is composed from popular Spanish boys' nicknames.[45]
The Child with a Long Name
Japanese folklore studies classify Tikki Tikki Tembo-like tales as tale type NMS 638 The Child with a Long Name.[47]: 737 [48]
A typical specimen in Japanese folklore (reported in 1932):
The first child was given a convenient short name Chotto, but it soon dies. The parents think it must be because the name was too short, so they give their next child a long name:
One day the child falls into a well. His friend goes to a house nearby and asks for a ladder, but the old woman there is deaf, so by the time the friend manages to bring the ladder, the child with a long name is dead.[47]: 737–738 [49]
A precursor, fables and jokes about people with long names, appeared at least by the 15th century. A manuscript written around 1490 has a fable about a nun who made up a "long" dharma name: "Ashakumyōkan", for herself.[54] The manuscript is based on an earlier book of Buddhist fables.[55] The nun's invention is a combination of Buddhist saints, deities and concepts. The moral is that such naming is a sign of greed, which is against Buddhist teachings.[54]
An early full-formed version of The Child with a Long Name is the story published in 1703, "Yoku kara shizumu fuchi" ('Sunk down the waters for greed'), in a printed book of jokes created by rakugo comedian Yonezawa Hikohachi.[56]
A stepmother renames her sons. The stepson whom she hates is given a short name Nyozegamo, and her precious own son is given a long Anokutarasambyakusambodai. One day, Nyozegamo falls into a river, but people swiftly rescue him. Another day, the mother's own son is swept by the river. She cries "Somebody, please! Anokutarasambyakusambodai is drowning!", but the boy is lost while she was calling out.[56][57]
The punchline is a Japanese pun involving the word sambyaku.[56]
Tekitekini...
A printed book of horror stories published in 1805 contains "Isshini imyōo tsukete kōkai seshi hanashi" ('A tale of a man who named his son with a strange name, and regretted it').[58]
A man wishes to name his first son with a unique and long name. He consults a Confucian scholar, who recommends the name Mr. Daigaku shuki shouku shi teishino iwaku daigakuwa kōshino ishonishite shogaku tokuirunomon hyōe. A tutor of Japanese poetry sneers at this, opposing such use of foreign language to name a Japanese's son. The tutor proposes Nagakiyono tōnonefurino minamezame naminaminori funeno otono yoshibē, a traditional poem of good fortune. The scholar and the tutor starts quarrelling, so the father decides to make the name by himself. He solemnly declares it will be:
One day, the boy falls into a well. People panic to rescue the boy, but for every message they recite the long name. The boy dies, "blue and swollen".[59][58]
The story gives no explanation of the origin or meanings of "Tekitekini[...]". The book was written by a storywriter and storyteller with pen nameTozuisha.[58]
Other early records of this name include an 1893 book of fairy tales, where the child's name is Nīteki surionbō[...],[60] and a lullaby Tekiteki onbō[...] in an 1898 catalog of folk songs.[61] Polymath Minakata Kumagusu reported in 1913 a tongue twister Chiki chiki onbō[...] he learned 30 years ago, although this was played as a tongue twister, not a tale.[62]
Jugemu
"Jugemu" is a very popular version in Japan today as of 2005[update].[63] It is a rakugo comedy, and a 1912 document suggests that it may have existed since the mid-19th century.[64] Extant records of the name "Jugemu" date back to 1884,[65] and the full story from 1912.[66] A typical version in 2022 goes:[67]
One day he hits his friend's head, causing a bump. The friend protests to Jugemu's parents. But while reciting Jugemu's name, the bump heals, so evidence is lost.[67]
"Jugemu" differs from typical The Child with a Long Name-type tales in that Jugemu himself does not suffer at all.
According to a memoire published in 1927, there was another rakugo performed around the 1880s.[68]
The first child is named by a Shinto priest, but dies in infancy. So the parents ask a Buddhist priest to name their second child. The name is:
Systematic collection of Japanese folklore began in the 1910s.[72] A summary compilation published in 1958 lists 66 samples of The Child with a Long Name-type folktales in Japan.[47]
Motifs
Examples of the short-named child's name are Chiyori (1914, folklore)[73] and Chon (1921, children's literature).[74]
Remarks like "That's why now people won't use too long names." can be seen in Japanese versions, such as a fairytale in an 1896 children's magazine.[75]
A 1965 pop rock song "(You Got) The Gamma Goochee" by Gamma Goochee Himself[82] (John Mangiagli)[83][84] chants
"Nicki Nicki Nimbo No So Limbo Oo Ma Moochi Gamma Gamma Goochee"
of "Long-Name-No-Can-Say". The song was covered by The Kingsmen (1965)[85] which ranked #98 in Cashbox (magazine) singles.[86] It was covered by other musicians too,[84]: 23 such as The Persian Market (spelled "The Gamma Goochie"),[87] and Joe Walsh (1991).[88]
^Cai, Mingshui (1994). "Images of Chinese and Chinese Americans Mirrored in Picture Books". Children's Literature in Education. 25 (3): 169–191. doi:10.1007/BF02355394. S2CID143693966.
^ abanonymous (1924). "Tiki-Tiki-Tembo". In National Association of Junior Chautauquas (ed.). Through Story-Land with the Children. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co. pp. 31–34. LCCN24022123. OCLC8693565.
^ abcHardendorff, Jeanne B., ed. (1968). "Tiki-Tiki-Tembo". The Frog's Saddle Horse and Other Tales. Philadelphia and New York: J. B. Lippincott. pp. 40–45. LCCN68010772. OCLC436253.
Quote from Acknowledgements: "'Tiki-Tiki-Tembo' was previously published in Through Story-Land with the Children, National Association of Junior Chautauquas, copyright 1924 by Fleming H. Revell Co."
p45: "Through Story-Land with the Children, National Association of Junior Chautauquas."
^"Catalog of copyright entries". Catalogue of Copyright Entries. Part 3, Musical Compositions. series 3, volume 7, part 5B, number 1, Unpublished music, January–June 1953. Washington: Library of Congress: 1539. 1953. hdl:2027/uiug.30112058540573. Sticky Sticky Stembo; w m Selma R. Rich; (C) Sage Music, Inc.; 9Feb53; EU303370
^Catalog of copyright entries. Vol. series 3, volume 14, parts 3–4, number 2, Dramas and works prepared for oral delivery, July–December 1960. Washington: Library of Congress. 1961. p. 2132. hdl:2027/pst.000059864509. Tiki Tiki Tembo; dramatized and narrated by Shirley Brown on TV. (C) Shirley B. Brown; 23Aug60 (inner cover)
^"Catalog of copyright entries". Catalog of Copyright Entries.musical Compositions. series 3, volume 13, part 5, number 2, Music, July–December 1959. Washington: Library of Congress: 1539. 1960. hdl:2027/mdp.39015039642106. Sama Kama Wacky Brown; w Ed Warren, m George Goehring; (C) Joy Music, Inc.; 25Sep59; KU592340
^Cramer, H. Long-Name-No-Can-Say (Nicki Nicki Tembo) A Chinese fable., Wing, Paul (narrator) Featured in the omnibus LP album: Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; also Long-Name-No-Can-Say (LP recording). Children's Bluebird Records. Camden, NJ: RCA Victor. 1960. OCLC16120265. LBY-1044., Day, Dennis (narrator)
^Untermeyer, Louis (1967). Discovering rhythm and rhyme in poetry (LP record). Caedmon. Event occurs at 27:36. LCCNr67-3991. OCLC3929285. TCP 1156. Side 1: [...] The little boy with the long name (Bryna Ivens Untermeyer)
^ abcSeki, Keigo (1958-06-30). 638 長い名の子 [638 Child with a long name]. Nihon mukashibanashi shūsei 日本昔話集成 第3部 笑話 2 [Compilation of Japanese Folktales]. Vol. 3 Jokes part 2. Kadokawa Shoten. pp. 737–744. OCLC25013059. JPNO22912993.
No code is assigned in his Japanese edition: Catalog of Japanese Folktales (日本昔話名彙, Nihon mukashibanashi meii) (Yanagita 1948): "長い名の子供".
English translation by Fanny Hagin Mayer assigns an original number "234. The Child with a Long Name": The Yanagita Kunio Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale (1986)
Original paper edition: Mayer, Fanny Haggin; Yanagita, Kunio, eds. (1986). "234. The Child with a Long Name". The Yanagita Kunio Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale. Translated by Mayer, Fanny Haggin. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. pp. 232–233. ISBN0-253-36812-X. Retrieved 2022-03-12. (p.iv) This book has been produced from camera-ready copy provided by Asian Folklore Studies, Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan.
^ abInada, Koji (1988-09-15). タイプ・インデックスの比較・対照表 857 長い名の子 [Type indice comparison table. 857 Child with a long name]. Nihon mukashibanashi tsūkan 日本昔話通観 [General survey and analysis of Japanese folktales]. Vol. 28 Type index. 同朋舎. pp. 661, 718. ISBN4810407128.
The nun took her name Ashakumyōkan (阿釈妙観) from capital letters of Amitābha (阿弥陀, Amida), Gautama Buddha (釈迦, Shaka), Marvelous law of Buddha (wiktionary:妙法, Myōhō), Guanyin (観音, Kannon)
^Watanabe, Tsunaya, ed. (1966-05-06). "Commentary". Shasekishū 沙石集. 日本古典文学大系 (in Japanese). Vol. 85. Tokyo, Japan: Iwanami Shoten Publishers. p. 27. OCLC833346813. JPNO56012784.
^ abcTranscribed text: Yonezawa Hikohachi (米沢彦八) (1966-07-05) [1703]. "Karukuchi gozen otoko (軽口御前男) volume 2 欲からしづむ淵". In Odaka, Toshio (ed.). 江戸笑話集. 日本古典文学大系 (in Japanese). Vol. 100. Tokyo, Japan: Iwanami Shoten Publishers. p. 313. OCLC915506077.
p33: The book Karukuchi gozen otoko (軽口御前男) was published in Genroku 16 (1703 CE) in Osaka.
p313 Punchline: The mother remarks "My boy wouldn't have died if I threw away 'sambyaku'."
p313 Footnote 32: The sound "sambyaku" in the name can also mean "three hundreds". An old idiom "throwing away 300 mons" meant "trifle loss".
Note (not in book): Japanese mon (currency) was the smallest unit of currency, somewhat similar to a penny.
^ abcTranscription and commentary:二流間主東随舎 (2000-10-30) [1805]. 聞書雨夜友(ききがきあまよのとも) - 一子に異名を付けて後悔せし話. In Kondo, Mizuki (ed.). Shoki Edo yomihon kaidanshū 初期江戸読本怪談集 [Anthology of horror stories in early-stage 'yomihon' of Edo period]. 江戸怪異綺想文芸大系 (in Japanese). Kokusho Kankokai (国書刊行会). pp. 654–657. ISBN978-4-336-04271-2.
pp696-698 Commentary: (rough excerpt) the author 東随舎 is 栗原幸十郎. 栗原忠雄, 青雲軒 and 松壽館老人 are all his aliases.
The name by the Confucian is taken from the translation of a Chinese Confucian textbook about Great Learning. (Example: Zhu Xi (1766) [1189]. 大學 [Great Learning]. Shisho Shicchu (Sìshū Jízhù) 四書集註 (in Chinese). Vol. 1. Kyoto, Japan: 勝村治右衞門. frame 6. doi:10.11501/2583035. ndldm:2583035. A Meiwa 3 (=1766 CE) reprint of a classic Chinese textbook)
The poem that the tutor referred to, in its original form nakakiyono tōnonefurino minamesame naminori funeno otono yokikana, is a palindrome ("宝船". Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition (精選版 日本国語大辞典) via Kotobank. Shogakukan. 2006. Retrieved 2022-01-11.) of Japanese morae (similar to syllables).
^Facsimile: 郷土研究(全六冊)第一冊(復刻版) (in Japanese). Vol. 2. Tokyo, Japan: 名著出版. 1975-10-25. JPNO00028355.
Bibliographic information of the original magazine article: Minakata, Kumagusu (1913-08-10). 紀州俗伝(四) [Folk customs if Kishu (part 4)]. Kyōdo kenkyū (郷土研究) (in Japanese). 1 (6). Tokyo, Japan: Kyōdo kenkyūsha (郷土研究社): (49) 369. OCLC775579427.
p(49) 369: "I learned this 30 years ago from a person from Hyūga Province":
Fuku (ふく生) (1912-04-09). 怪談の正童(2) [Shōdō, virtuoso of horror rakugo (2)]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). Japan. p. 3.
excerpts: He received a stage-name Shōkyō. His "Jigemu Jigemu" performance was good. Master Hayashiya Shōzō [the Second] was impressed, so adopted Shōkyō as a son.
excerpts: But Shōkyō became arrogant. When he was 22 years old (in East Asian age reckoning), during around the Ansei era, he ran away from Master.
Fuku (ふく生) (1912-04-11). 怪談の正童(4) [Shōdō, virtuoso of horror rakugo (4)]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). Japan. p. 3.
excerpts: Years later, when Shōkyō came back, he found that Master Hayashiya Shōzō [the Second] had already died in Ansei 5.
Notes (not in the text):
The article describes that Shōkyō runaway was in Ansei era, approximately 1855–1860 CE. However, this does not match with his age "22", which is calculated to be roughly around 1845 (1912 CE - 89 years old + 22 years old =1845 CE). But in either case, the article is suggesting that "Jigemu Jigemu" existed before 1860.
No information about the actual storyline of the said "Jigemu Jigemu".
^Facsimile: 経済学釈義. Tōkyō keizai zasshi 東京経済雑誌 [Tokyo economist] (in Japanese). 17 明治17年7-9月 221-233号. Tokyo, Japan: Nihon Keizai Hyoronsha (日本経済評論社). issue 224 p109. 1982-01-20 [1884]. hdl:2027/uc1.c2785659. NCIDAN00329943 – via HathiTrust.
Bibliographic information of the original magazine article: 経済記者 (1884-07-26). 経済学釈義 [Lecture on economics]. Tōkyō keizai zasshi (in Japanese). 10 (224). Keizai Zasshisha: 109. NCIDAN00159377. (Meiji (era) 17 = 1884 CE)
^ abNoguchi, Fukudo (1927-11-18). 四十年前の印度旅行 [My journey to India 40 years ago]. 日印協会会報 (Bulletin of Japan-India Association) (in Japanese) (42). Tokyo, Japan: Japan-India Association: 95–96. NDLBibID 000008858223.
pp71-102: Full text of Noguchi's travelogue.
p72: Noguchi leaves Kobe, Japan, on September 9, 1888, heading India.
pp95-96: Episode of the long-name tale.
p95: At Madras, Noguchi attends an international conference. For his turn of after-dinner speech, he chooses a tale he heard before at a yose (rakugo theater) in Kyoto.
p96: "The name the priest gave was taken from the first portion of Chapter 26 Dhāraṇī in Lotus Sutra,"
p96: The original punchline is: "The father calls out his son's name. A voice is heard down from the well, bubbling 'a-dabu-dabu-dabu'." But this punchline requires knowledge of how Buddhist chants are used in Japan. So, to suit the international audience, Noguchi changed the finale to "But it was too late!"
Note (not in the article): This article indicates the original rakugo performance in Kyoto existed before 1888.
This book has no book-wide pagination. The travelogue's local pagination range is pp1–88.
p4: Noguchi leaves Kobe, Japan, on September 9, 1888, heading India.
pp68–70: Episode of the long-name tale.
p69 (corrected version of the child's name): アニマニマニママネ、シレシヤリテ、シヤミヤシヤイ、タイセンテモクテモクテ、アイシヤビソイシヤビ、シヤエアシヤエ、シヤミヤアロキヤバシヤビシヤニ、アベンダラネビテ、アタンダハレシテ、ウクレムクレ、アラレハラレ、シユギヤシアサンマサンビ、ブダビツキリヂツチ、ダルマハリシユデ、ソギヤネクシヤネ、バシヤバシヤシユダイマンダラー
^In modern Japan, Buddhism rites are mostly associated with funerals: Onishi, Norimitsu (2008-07-14). "In Japan, Buddhism May Be Dying Out". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
^"dabudabu" can mean the watery noise of drowning, or the sound of a Buddhist chant: "dabudabu" だぶだぶ. Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition (精選版 日本国語大辞典) via Kotobank. Shogakukan. 2006. Retrieved 2022-07-03. [(1-1) Depiction of sloshing; (1-5) Chanting a Buddhist chant. From "dabutsu" (from Amitābha)]
The long name: 大入道、小入道、まっぴら入道ひら入道、背高入道、播磨の別当、へいとこへいとこへいがのこ、へめたにかめた、一丁ぎりか丁ぎりか、ちよちよらのちよぎりか二丁ぎりか、丁に丁にちょうらくに、ちょう太郎びつにちょうびつに、あの山のこの山の、ああ申すこう申す、申す申すの申し子の、しきしきあんどのへいあんじ、てんもくもくのもくぞう坊、茶碗茶臼の秘々蔵の栄助
^Imoyama (芋仙) (1896). "Naganatarō" 長名太郎(ながなたろう). Shōkokumin (少国民) (in Japanese). 8 (18). Tokyo, Japan: 鳴皐書院: 5–8. doi:10.11501/1589275. JPNO00011372.
p5: The first child Hanske died of dysentery, the second Nagashi died of diphtheria, so they name the third child with a long name. The priest made the name from a dictionary, by taking the first letter on each page.
The name「ヘットコ、モッコ、ヘンメノコ、カミエンメ、エンメジヤ、大坂城ト、播磨ノ別當、茶碗茶ンコロ、テンコロ左衛門鶴龜」
p7 (excerpts): One day the child fell into the well. Calling for rescue, people recite his name. Fortunately, the name was so long that half of the name, after the "Osakajō" part, still hung outside the well. So the rescuers pulled the name to lift the boy, but it was too late. So, now people don't give too long names.
^Mosel, Arlene. Tikki Tikki Tembo (LP record). Narrated by George Rose with music by Joseph Raposo. Weston, CT: Weston Woods Studios, 1970. OCLC 2945747.
^Mosel, Arlene. Tikki Tikki Tembo (filmstrip, cassette, and booklet). Narrated by Peter Thomas with music by Howard Rovics. Weston, CT: Weston Woods Studios, 1970. OCLC 6638461.
^Mosel, Arlene. Tikki Tikki Tembo (VHS). Narrated by Peter Thomas with music by Howard Rovics. Weston, CT: Weston Woods Studios, 1985. OCLC 12055672.
^Schindel, Morton, et al. Tikki Tikki Tembo and More Favorite Tales (DVD). Narrated by Peter Thomas with music by Howard Rovics. Norwalk, CT: Weston Woods Studios, 2005. OCLC 60565621.
^Gamma Goochee Himself (1965). (You Got) The Gamma Goochee (EP record). Colpx Records. CP 786.
^"Catalog of copyright entries". Catalog of Copyright Entries.musical Compositions. series 3, volume 19, part 5, number 2, Music, July–December 1965. Washington: Library of Congress: 2132. 1967. hdl:2027/mdp.39015085477449. (You've got the) "Gamma Goochie"; w & m John Mangiagli
^ abMilstein, Phil (2003). "The Gamma Goochee Himself!". Roctober (36). Chicago, Illinois: 20–27.
^Library of Congress catalogs – Music. National union catalog :music, books on music and sound recordings. Vol. 1 A–O. Washington D.C.: Library of Congress. 1985. p. 181. hdl:2027/uiug.30112024897222. The cicadelic 60's "never existed" (vol. 4) The gamma goochie (The Persian Market)