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I've seen the chant "One of us! One of us!" parodied in both South Park and Big Bang Theory.

Where does it come from?
Is "Gibble Gobble Gibble Gobble" (added by South Park) part of the original chant?

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    Searching "One of us! One of us!" on Google returned Freaks as the first hit.
    – Meat Trademark
    Aug 22, 2014 at 1:01
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    Your point? I googled for something, couldn't find it, posted here. What should I have done differently?
    – billpg
    Aug 23, 2014 at 9:27
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    I just Googled the chant exactly as you posted it, and wondered why you didn't. That's all. If you had searched "One of us! One of us!" like you asked, it's the first returned hit. (I only brought it up vis-à-vis the old adage "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." It's meant to help you in the future- to improve your Goole-Fu.)
    – Meat Trademark
    Aug 23, 2014 at 18:43
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    @MeatTrademark well now this post is the first returned hit...
    – cat
    Mar 27, 2017 at 22:49
  • 3
    Oh, internet...
    – Meat Trademark
    Mar 29, 2017 at 0:53

3 Answers 3

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Tod Browning's controversial cult horror film Freaks from 1932.

The central story is of this conniving trapeze artist Cleopatra, who seduces and marries sideshow midget Hans after learning of his large inheritance. At their wedding reception, the other "freaks" announce that they accept Cleopatra in spite of her being a "normal" outsider; they hold an initiation ceremony in which they pass a massive goblet of wine around the table while chanting, "We accept her, we accept her. One of us, one of us. Gooble-gobble, gooble-gobble."

Cleopatra tries to poison Hans, and when the circus "freaks" find out,

they take their revenge by turning her into a duck woman - into "one of them".

The dinner scene was referenced in many other films and shows. Here it is:

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It originated in the move Freaks (1932), but was actually popularized by The Ramones in the song 'Pinhead'.

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    How was it popularized by the song? This seems like just another reference, which is not what the question is about.
    – Joachim
    May 1, 2021 at 9:08
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No, it doesn't come from that movie. Most people today have never seen it. It comes from I, Robot 2004. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=I+robot+one+of+us&view=detail&&mid=037CC7793439FFC7C8DE037CC7793439FFC7C8DE

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    Not only should we give some credit to the creators of these shows and their pop culture knowledge, but please also note that the South Park episode in question aired in 2001.
    – Walt
    Dec 31, 2015 at 8:26
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    Wrong. It's in Toy Story, too... Which came out a decade earlier. Clearly this is not the first instance.
    – Catija
    Dec 31, 2015 at 13:48

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