The High 10 Banana Moments in Pop Tradition

Do you bear in mind the place you had been the primary time you heard “Hollaback Woman?” I, for one, was a wee lil fourth grader jamming out in my vibrant purple bed room to a music I positively mustn’t have been singing at that age. However, it was then and there that I spotted simply how very important the yellow fruit was not simply to meals, however to popular culture as nicely. (OK, advantageous, I spotted it simply now for the aim of this task, however I am certain I thought of it again then too. Perhaps.)

From films to music and our favourite TV exhibits, bananas have proven up in our lives in so some ways. In order a part of our latest enthusiastic banana endeavor, we’re having a look again in time on the prime banana moments—each good and never so good—in recent-ish popular culture. You recognize, those which might be so burned into our subconsciousness that we consider them each time we choose up a banana on the retailer. Those you already know made this checklist! Those we’ll little question inform our grandchildren about while rocking backwards and forwards gently. “In my day, they put pajamas on bananas and raced them down the steps,” and such. You get it! With out additional ado: the definitive banana moments of our time.

10. Bluth’s Unique Frozen Banana Stand from Arrested Growth

If you understand Arrested Growth, you understand in regards to the banana stand. “There’s all the time cash within the banana stand,” George Bluth Sr. would regularly say to his children. Seems, it wasn’t only a saying; there truly was all the time cash within the banana stand—about $250,000 of it that lined the partitions, till it was burned down by his son, Michael Bluth.

9. Andy Warhol’s Banana

What began as an interactive artwork piece for The Velvet Underground’s 1967 album The Velvet Underground and Nico ultimately grew to become considered one of Warhol’s most notable artistic endeavors (and one finally synonymous with the Pop Artwork motion). The piece was even topped greatest album cowl of all time by Billboard in 2023. Quick ahead to right now, and you may simply discover the artwork plastered on all the things from T-shirts to mock prints—and even our banana highlight’s cowl artwork—additional cementing the banana as an icon. An orange might by no means!!

8. “The Comic” Artwork Set up by Maurizio Cattelan

Miami’s annual Artwork Basel occasion is infamous for attracting every kind of artwork. In 2019, the occasion shocked all when an artwork set up merely displaying an precise banana duct-taped to a wall offered for a whopping $120,000—together with two different editions that offered for upwards of $150,000 every. The set up was titled “The Comic” and was the work of Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. It examined how materials objects turn into vital relying on their context whereas additionally poking enjoyable at artwork and capitalism. Efficiency artist David Datuna ended up peeling the banana off the wall and consuming it as a prank. Although onlookers had been shocked, on the finish of the day, it was only a common banana, and the exhibit was changed with one other piece of the fruit, additional proving its absurdity.

7. Slipping on Banana Peels

A comedy trope as previous as time—a lot in order that MythBusters even examined the idea to see how possible it’s to slide on one! Plot twist, it’s not, except you’ve bought a complete lot of bananas littered on the bottom, however that hasn’t stopped anybody from making it into a factor. The bit is believed to have originated within the twentieth century as a Vaudeville act. Vaudeville comic “Sliding” Billy Watson noticed somebody struggling to take care of their steadiness after slipping on a peel, and included it into considered one of his exhibits. The act later appeared within the silent movie “The Flirt,” and the remaining is historical past. However historical past is completely different from actuality–lmk in the event you’ve truly ever witnessed somebody slip on a banana peel. In my 29 years, I’ve not.

6. The Savannah Bananas

If there’s one group I’m all the time rooting for, it’s baseball’s Savannah Bananas. Not essentially to win, however to offer leisure. I’ve but to see them play in particular person, however it’s excessive on my bucket checklist. This group is dedicated to the bit in each means doable. First off, they play in kilts. Most notably, nevertheless, they carry out choreographed numbers at each recreation, from Mariah Carey to One Course and even songs from Aladdin. That is in all probability considered one of my favourite movies from them to this point—the suspense!!—however they all the time discover a option to preserve issues attention-grabbing.

5. Bananas in Pyjamas

This Australian kids’s tv collection from the 90s was a traditional. Who didn’t love watching these two bananas and their limitless shenanigans? OK, perhaps we didn’t love watching them—they did skew scary typically—however their theme music was catchy and the present was, nicely, bananas.

4. Britney (and Banana) on the 2001 VMAs

Whereas performing her hit “I’m a Slave 4 U,” the singer emerged on stage with an albino Burmese python named Banana wrapped round her. It was a daring transfer not seen by many, if any, performers earlier than, and Spears mirrored on it in her latest memoir:

In my head I used to be saying, Simply carry out, simply use your legs and carry out. However what no person is aware of is that as I used to be singing, the snake introduced its head proper round to my face, proper as much as me, and began hissing,” Spears writes. “I used to be considering, Are you f—ing critical proper now? The f—ing goddamn snake’s tongue is flicking out at me. Proper. Now. Lastly, I bought to the half the place I handed it again, thank God.

3. The Banana Boat Scene in Jaws

Cue the dramatic music! You recognize, the one which instantly makes you consider a shark swimming as much as you within the ocean?? On this scene from the fourth installment of the Jaws films, a gaggle of beachgoers is seen atop a banana boat when a shark all of a sudden begins swimming in direction of them, ultimately biting the leg of a lady and pulling her off the boat. Okay, so perhaps we’re not desirous to hop on a banana boat anytime quickly after watching this, however in the event you pause the film proper earlier than issues take a flip, it doesn’t appear to be such a foul time!!

2. “The Identify Recreation” by Shirley Ellis

This music originated as a rhyming recreation that makes it simple to rhyme to virtually any identify—however you in all probability comprehend it most as a option to rhyme the identify Hannah with banana. What number of dad and mom raised their Hannahs by singing this music to them? In actual fact, do you actually have a daughter named Hannah in the event you didn’t sing this music to them at the very least as soon as a day?

1. “Hollaback Woman”

In the event you did not know spell bananas, Gwen Stefani modified that within the 12 months 2004. I used to be a mere elementary college woman when this music got here out, however that didn’t cease me from belting the lyrics on the prime of my lungs. The entire thing was generation-defining hit: The singer’s music video featured a high-school theme, and this a part of the music noticed a cheerleading squad decked out in banana-themed uniforms spelling out the identify of the fruit with indicators. It made me wish to audition for the cheer squad, which I by no means did get round to, however I did use the inspiration to put on a cheerleader Halloween costume that 12 months.