The Littlest Meme

I saw the L'il GnR site today, and emailed the link to a friend who I know doesn't read this blog or check MetaFilter regularly, with the subject "The Littlest Axl..."

Now that's an odd phrase. And, as a native English speaker, "littlest" looks unnatural. I thought I taken to it after seeing "the littlest ninja", but I most have been thinking of Ninjai: The Little Ninja. Though someone else thought of a "Littlest Ninja". He's so adorable when he flips out and kills the whole town.

There was a Canadian TV show that started in 1979 called The Littlest Hobo, based on a 1958 B&W movie of the same name. It ran for six years, too. The only constant recurring character was the German shepherd.

The "the littlest foo" phrasing probably gained popularity after the Shirley Temple movie, The Littlest Rebel, based on a play of the same name that had opened on Broadway over 82 years ago today, and written by one Edward Peple. "Rebel" as in Southern Confederacy. Can't you hear it know? "Aw, please Mr. Lincoln..."

No really, there's actually a point in the movie where she talks to the then-President. Also, it has Mr. Bojangles. I'm guessing he plays a slave. I know, it's a long shot.