Hot Diggity Dog
Sorry in advance.
To have a child is to be forever changed in ways you never expected. For example, all the brain space you once allotted to remembering 2000s rap lyrics gets reallocated, and in the place of all those Usher and Nelly jams, you’ll find the words to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song. Whoever they are, the people who write songs for kids’ shows and movies know just how to do it so that as soon as you hear them, their tunes rattle around in your head for days afterward. And some of the catchiest songs from kids’ shows and movies will stay with you long after your children have outgrown them themselves.
So, which song is your personal earworm? If your little one loves all things Disney, there’s a strong possibility that “Let It Go” and anything from the Encanto soundtrack are always playing in the house (and therefore in your brain, even when all else is silent). Maybe your child is deeply into Blippi and the “blue and orange demon’s” theme song haunts your every waking moment. Whatever your kid’s latest show or movie obsession is will dictate what’s currently stuck in your head. But there are some songs that seem to become earworms for every parent at some point.
1“Hot Dog!” from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Before “Baby Shark” and Frozen, even before Bluey, there was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And once you hear the “Hot Dog!” song at the end of each episode, well, that sh*t never leaves you. This show is full of earworms, but “hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog” is the line your brain will sing you on repeat anytime you’re not actively thinking about something else.
2The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme
While we’re here, we can’t not address the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song. What is it about that catchy little M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E spelling portion that just burrows into your mind?
3The Bluey theme song
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo, MUM! You really only have to hear the Bluey theme song once to learn all the words, and something about the tune just fits right into the folds of the brain, never to be extracted again. But because it’s Bluey, you actually won’t mind (and also because it’s Bluey, the theme song is actually a game).
4“We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
All of Encanto’s soundtrack is Disney gold, but “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” really took on a life of its own back when the movie debuted. Chances are “seven-foot frame, rats along his back” has absolutely plagued you if you’ve seen this movie.
5The theme song from Puppy Dog Pals
Listen, whoever wrote this song deserves an award and a prison sentence. It’s so catchy and clever, but there’s a portion that’s just barking to the beat, and you will absolutely find yourself yipping melodically around the house while it’s stuck in your head.
6“Let It Go”
Nothing is cuter than your kids belting out this song about being courageous and expressing who you really are. Even though the film turned 10 this year, Frozen’s songs remain some of the catchiest, most-oft-hummed-around-the-house from Disney’s catalog.
7That one part of the Spirit Rangers theme
You know the “hup, hup, hup” in the background of the Spirit Rangers theme? You don’t have to know any of the rest of the words for that little tidbit to really stick in your mind. But the show is so beautifully animated and fun for kids, you’ll watch it enough to learn the rest of the lyrics in no time.
8Spidey and His Amazing Friends theme song
OK, the song itself is incredibly catchy, but emo millennial parents will also instantly recognize the voice of Patrick Stump, lead singer of literal Fall Out Boy, singing the words. At least there’s that fun little Easter egg for parents who will absolutely be singing this song while doing the dishes. And folding clothes. And...anytime they’re awake.
9“Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie
On its face, The Super Mario Bros. Movie didn’t seem like a film we’d celebrate for its soundtrack. But along came Jack Black, playing Bowser, and inserting his infamous musical comedy into the character perfectly with “Peaches.” This ballad from haughty cartoon dragon to beautiful princess is hilarious and too catchy to forget anytime soon.
10“Creature Report” from The Octonauts
“FACTS.” Captain Barnacles is really at his noble-undersea-leader best in “Creature Report,” which changes each episode depending on the animal of the day. But the earworm-y parts stay the same every time, and you’ll find they stay the same when your brain sings them to you as you’re trying to fall asleep.
11The Puffin Rock theme song
That dinging little xylophone, the long vowels, the general upbeat message — there are far worse songs you could have stuck in your head than the Puffin Rock theme. It’s everything you could want from a gentle TV show tune.
12The Little Einsteins theme song
The Little Einsteins theme has been haunting parents since it debuted in 2005, and many a mom and dad’s brain as taken a trip in their favorite rocket ship since. Now that the series is available on Disney+ it’s reaching a new audience of kids and parents alike, set to brainwash yet another generation of Little Einsteins.
13“Better Place” from Trolls Band Together
A Trolls song? Catchy. A Trolls song sung by actual, real-life *NSYNC? That’s quite literally unforgettable. The vocals are obviously top-notch, and the lyrics are happy and nonsensical enough for your brain to sing in the background of your other thoughts for days on end.
14Sesame Street’s “Letter of the Day”
“Clap clap, it’s the letter of the day!” Parents on Reddit agree that the letter of the day song from Sesame Street is the one tune that will always live in their head rent-free. If you’ve never heard it before, one listen will be enough to understand why (but hear it once and you may never know freedom from it again).
15The PAW Patrol theme song
“No job’s too big, no pup’s too small!” It’s a miracle to escape having a young kid these days without memorizing the PAW Patrol theme, down to the last “ooh-woah-oh-oh.”
16Dinosaur Train’s theme song
If a song were ever to actually drive you out of your mind, it’s the theme song from Dinosaur Train. It’s not the most popular kids’ show, but we guarantee if you hear this song even once it’ll bother you for days. This twang-y tune about a pteranodon mom and chicks is catchy enough for your mind to latch on to, and so viscerally annoying you’ll wish you’d never heard it, according to countless parents online.
Here’s hoping these songs don’t play on loop in your head for days (or weeks) to come now.