"Gabba Gabba Hey" is a

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

associated with the American punk rock band the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

. The phrase is included in the song " Pinhead" (1977), which contains the lyrics: "Gabba gabba, we accept you, we accept you, one of us." The song ends with: "Gabba gabba hey, gabba gabba hey!..."

History

The phrase comes from a scene in the 1932 motion picture ''

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

'', in which the title characters chant the line "Gooble, gobble, we accept her, we accept her, one of us, one of us!" The Ramones saw ''Freaks'' at an art house cinema on a rare day off when an outdoor event they were to perform at was canceled due to bad weather. One of ''Freaks'' main characters is a

microcephalic Microcephaly (from New Latin ''microcephalia'', from Ancient Greek μικρός ''mikrós'' "small" and κεφαλή ''kephalé'' "head") is a medical condition involving a smaller-than-normal head. Microcephaly may be present at birth or it m ...

, or "pinhead", named

Schlitzie Schlitzie (alternatively spelled Schlitze or Shlitze; September 10, 1901 – September 24, 1971), possibly born Simon Metz and legally Schlitze Surtees, was an American sideshow performer. He also appeared in a few films, and is best known for his ...

. In

Allan Arkush Allan Arkush (born April 30, 1948) is an American director and producer of films, television and videos. He is a collaborator of Joe Dante. Early life Arkush grew up in Fort Lee, New Jersey. He graduated in 1966 from Fort Lee High School. His ...

's film, ''

Rock 'n' Roll High School ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' is a 1979 American musical comedy film directed by Allan Arkush, produced by Michael Finnell, and starring P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard, and Dey Young. The film featured the punk rock group Ramone ...

'', during a Ramones concert at

The Roxy Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to: People * Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name Places in the United States * Roxie, Mississippi, a town * Roxie, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Music * Roxy ...

, a character in a Schlitzie mask appears on stage carrying a large sign with the phrase "Gabba Gabba Hey". Afterwards, the band wanted to relive the experience, and a

roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This catc ...

, usually Mitch "Bubbles" Keller, would appear on stage in a Pinhead mask, hand the sign to

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

, and perform a dance on stage, colloquially referred to as the "jerk dance". In later years, Keller updated the "Pinhead" with a brightly colored, mismatched, polka-dotted dress sewn together for him by an employee of the Ritz. Sometimes celebrity guests (such as

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

) would don the mask and/or costume on stage. The Pinhead would usually leave after the song was finished, but sometimes would appear for promotional purposes, such as live performances on television or music videos. To this day, the Pinhead, along with the Ramones Presidential Seal is a symbol of the band and appears on many items of Ramones merchandising. In 1991, a Ramones tribute album called '' Gabba Gabba Hey: A Tribute to the Ramones'' was released.

In other media

The title of children's show ''

Yo Gabba Gabba! ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a children's musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The series is about five costumed toys come-to-life and their friend DJ Lance Rock ( Lance Robertson). It is co-produced by Magic Stor ...

'', which debuted in 2007, pays homage to "Gabba Gabba Hey". In the 1995 PC game ''

Descent Descent may refer to: As a noun Genealogy and inheritance * Common descent, concept in evolutionary biology * Kinship, one of the major concepts of cultural anthropology **Pedigree chart or family tree **Ancestry **Lineal descendant **Heritage (d ...

'', typing the phrase "gabbagabbahey" on the keyboard during gameplay unlocks the cheat mode, after which other

cheat code Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...

s (infinite weapons, infinite health, et cetera) could be entered. In the game's sequel, ''

Descent II ''Descent II'' is a 1996 first-person shooter game developed by Parallax Software and first published for DOS by Interplay Productions. For the PlayStation, it is known as ''Descent Maximum''. It is the second installment in the ''Descent'' v ...

'', typing "gabbagabbahey" lowers a player's health and shield to 1%.Descent 2 Interactive Demo Version Cheats
/ref> In both games, typing the cheat code results in the computer announcer's voice admonishing the player with: "Cheater!" The B key by default drops a proximity mine that would shortly arm and explode if the player is still nearby, so use of the code without remapping the controls is perilous.
/ref>

References

{{Ramones Ramones Catchphrases 1977 in music 1977 neologisms Quotations from music