Does Not Translate: Dookie
“Pardon, Madame, may I help you?”
“Oh, sorry – no. I’m good. I’m just trying to get a photo of the display without a glare on the window. Is that okay?”
“Perhaps you would like to come inside and see the chair up close? Or we have some other things your son might like.”
“Oh, no, thank you. I’m really just taking a photo because the chair is kind of funny.”
“Funny, Madame?”
“Well, the chair says ‘Dookie.’ For Americans, that word is pretty funny.”
“Dookie is a very popular children’s character. She is a cow from Texas. You have never heard of her?”
“No! And she’s from Texas? Really?”
“Yes, she is a Texas cow that is abducted by aliens and then she walks on her back legs.”
“Are you serious?”
* * *
The conversation only deteriorated from there.
There was just no way I could explain that, outside of a seminal album by Green Day, Dookie was just one of those words that can make your average 4-year-old (and, perhaps, that child’s very immature Mom) giggle until their sides hurt. Add in a Frenchwoman’s natural predisposition for haughtiness as she tries to explain the concept of “Cow Power!” and I felt like I was stuck in a bad Monty Python sketch.
Once again, some things just do. not. translate.
December 28th, 2008 | by Kayt Sukel 5 comments
1. wandermom on December 29th, 2008
No fair! Can someone translate “Dookie” for me please? I don’t get the humour in this at all :(
2. Jamie Pearson on December 29th, 2008
@wandermom: Dookie = Poop. Also? It’s a reaaally sophomoric way to say poop. Not that there’s a sophisticated way or anything.
3. soultravelers3 on December 29th, 2008
Oh, I soooo understand. The LEAD character in all Spanish reading books in school is named poopie or eh Pupi. Hard to keep a straight face with that one too.
Had to do a Youtube vid on it! ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONPYysaauQM
Somethings just do not translate.
4. Dominique on December 30th, 2008
Too funny!
I was almost too afraid to click on the…um…link to the English version of Dookie’s Web site!
Pupi reminds me of going to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. There was a large dog created from greenery and flowers in front of the museum and the guide told us it’s name was Pupi (which certainly sounded like “poopie” to us!). Fortunately for us, someone on an earlier trip had already explained to the guide why that sounded so funny to folks from the U.S.
5. Sharlene on December 30th, 2008
Hilarious. I completely see myself having the exact same conversation. Stupid Americans!
5 Responses to “Does Not Translate: Dookie”