Everything2
Near Matches
Ignore Exact
Full Text
Everything2

Big fish, little fish, cardboard box

created by scarf

(thing) by so save me (3.3 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 1 C! Mon Jan 28 2002 at 18:24:13

A dance designed to be danced by those who cannot dance, at family Christmas parties, while horribly drunk. Reminiscent of the hand jive. If you completely lack the ability to dance, which is the only possible excuse for dancing this dance, it may help to recite the maxim 'big fish...little fish...cardboard box' as you go along, to remind yourself of the moves. These are:

Preparation: Lean forward. Bend knees slightly, as if poised to run. Assume inane grin. When changing position, straighten knees and back in transit, causing the body to bob rhythmically.

Big fish: Hold hands in front of yourself at chest height, approximately shoulder width apart, fingers pointing forwards and palms facing one another, in a restrained version of the classic 'it was thiiiiiis big!' posture.

Little fish: Move the hands closer together, to about a distance of six inches.

Cardboard...: Hold hands parallel to body, one at chest height with the palm facing downwards and one six inches or so lower with the palm facing upwards.

...box: Resume the 'little fish' position.

Repeat ad infinitum, remembering to maintain at all times an expression of cheerful self-satisfaction at having Learned A Dance.


(idea) by Just_Tom (3.1 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) 5 C!s Mon May 13 2002 at 21:00:54

A kind of dancing, explained perfectly above, which goes equally well at both weddings and school discos. It was first brought to my attention by Johnny Vaughan on Channel 4's recently discontinued The Big Breakfast, as part of a sketch spoofing rave culture and happy hardcode.

To my mind, performers of the big fish, little fish, cardboard box dance should be accompanied by a shirtless man wearing raver pants beating 4-4 time on a big bass drum, and girls in fluffy moon boots with whistles and air horns.

If you're still not sure what it's all about, allow me to demonstrate...


      (1)  -  and  -  (2)  -  and  -  (3)  -  and  -  (4)

      ,,,             ,,,             ,,,             ,,,     
     (.. )           ( ..)           (.. )           ( ..)    
  ____\_/____       __\_/__         __\_/__         __\_/__   
 E___,   ,___B     /'_   _'\       (___M__,\       /'_   _'\  
     |   |         \__B E__/         | W___/       \__B E__/  
     |___|           |___|           |___|           |___|    
     | , |           | , |           | , |           | , |    
     | | |           | | |           | | |           | | |    
     | ) )           | ) )           | ) )           | ) )    
     |_|_|           |_|_|           |_|_|           |_|_|    
    (__|__)         (__|__)         (__|__)         (__|__)   

    BIG FISH      LITTLE FISH      CARDBOARD...       BOX     
 |<---------->|      |<->|    


a scar faery adds that 'big fish...' is often accompanied by 'feed the birds, feed the worms' and others of its ilk, including 'dealing cards' and 'stacking shelves' if I recall correctly.
Stealth Munchkin informs me that the term was used in a comedy routine Michael Smiley used to do in about 1994.
IainB requested permission to use the ascii art on a t-shirt - go ahead, just let me know how it turns out.


printable version
chaos

Silent calm tree dance Your neighborhood Asian computer store The birth of leadership, an ASCII pic hand jive
How to put a fish to sleep Don't Eat The Neighbours Feed the birds Raver pants
cardboard box The Big Breakfast Distance on Mars Pea soup every Thursday
Minnow Macarena Happy When It Rains Whole roast human (Long pig)
excuse Freedom Of Speech Won't Feed My Children A guide for the first time raver ad infinitum
Fear Factory Osama bin Laden moon boots Wei Chi, before completion
Y'know, if you log in, you can write something here, or contact authors directly on the site. Create a New User if you don't already have an account.
  Epicenter
Login
Password

password reminder
register

Everything2 Help

Cool Staff Picks
After stirring Everything, these nodes rose to the top:
Other things nobody tells you about the south pole
Traci Lords
Belief is nothing more than looking
tai chi
Making Herbal preparations - Infused oils
Bloodmaster Scarlet
Formatting poems and simple HTML
Mr. Clean will clean up everything you hold dear, leaving you crying, sanitized and utterly alone
Ruben Salazar
pancakes
My wife made me sexy!
It's turtles all the way down
The Amityville Horror
New Writeups
antigravpussy
One fly amongst many(person)
sam512
Moon Base Shackleton, 1978(fiction)
Pavlovna
toy boy(person)
XWiz
tear jerker(review)
Heitah
Anarchy is Order(idea)
jessicaj
July 26, 2008(dream)
Berek
ABBA(person)
devolution
k-hole(place)
Nadine_2
The Sound Of Madness(review)
SwimmingMonkey
Conversations with Fo Fo, the Loneliest dog in Purgatory(fiction)
locke baron
lynx(thing)
Simulacron3
Reality, Dimensions and the Natural Ontology(essay)
SubSane
Making Love to a 9-Foot Woman(person)
Ouzo
Thoughts(idea)
antigravpussy
I fall silent, listening. The breadcrumbs are talking about us(person)
Everything 2 is brought to you by the letter C and The Everything Development Company