Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - Cover Versions and Parodies

Cover Versions and Parodies

There have been cover versions in many languages, for example, a French and Italian version ("Pezzettini di bikini") by Dalida in 1960. It has also been sung in German with Club Honolulu (Caterina Valente & her brother Silvio Francesco) the same year. It was also remade in 1990 by Bombalurina which featured Timmy Mallett, star of then-popular United Kingdom children's television show, Wacaday. The song reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart on August 19, 1990, and stayed at the position for three weeks. The song was released around the world and topped the charts in over a dozen countries, selling more than a million copies. Another version was made by Devo on the CD Pioneers Who Got Scalped. The video featured Timmy Mallett along with two dancers, Dawn and Annie. Dawn later went onto marry Gary Barlow of Take That fame. The Devo version of the song had appeared in the film Revenge of the Nerds II, but was unavailable on CD until the release of the Pioneers album. Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy covered the song for the 1993 album Muppet Beach Party. Ray Stevens, in 2012, covered the song on his 9-CD Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music project.

The French singer Richard Anthony released a French language cover titled "Itsy bitsy petit bikini" in 1960.

A Brazilian version, a little faithful to the original, titled "Biquíni de Bolinha Amarelinha Tão Pequenininho," (LP Ronnie Cord, Copacabana CLP 11.164, outubro de 1960) was a hit in 1960 when it was sung by Ronnie Cord, and had some re-recordings, as Blitz's 1983 version.

In 1983, the British group Echo & The Bunnymen composed and recorded the song Do It Clean, released on Porcupine album, which lyric lines were inspired by the Hyland's hit: "Iszy bitzy witzy itzy everywhere / I've been here and I've been there".

A Bulgarian version called Tulip Themed Bathing Suit (Бански на лалета) sung by the children group Sparrows (Врабчета) contains kids-friendly comic lyrics. In the lyrics a girl falls in love with a boy impressed by his tulip themed swimming suit among other things.

Another interesting cover version is El Cohete Americano, a Cuban propaganda song sung by Las D'Aida in Album de la Revolucion Cubana (2000).

A Finnish version, titled "Pikku pikku bikinissä" was sung by Pirkko Mannola in 1961.

In Greek, it was sung by Polina (Πωλίνα), with the title "Το ροζ μπικίνι" (Roz Bikini). In Serbian, it was sung by Ljiljana Petrović with the title "Bikini sa žutim tačkicama". In Croatian, there is a cover by the group Trio Tividi, titled simply "Bikini".

A Spanish version, titled "Bikini Amarillo," very faithful to the original, was an enormous hit for Mexican singer Manolo Muñoz in the 1960s.

A parody of the song was used for a TV Easy magazine advert entitled 'I need an Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie TV Easy Magaziney'.

German punk band Die Toten Hosen covered the Club Honolulu version (in German) on their 1987 cover album Never Mind the Hosen, Here's Die Roten Rosen. It was released as a promo single under the alias Die Roten Rosen. Also, on the 2007 re-release, the English version was added as a bonus track.