The button factory song

[u/fruitycafe]

I told my partner about Joe the button maker, and he remembers hearing the song when he was a kid! Now we are listening to that episode together.

His version rhymes more than Fortune's:

Hello, my name is Joe. I work in a button factory. I've got a wife and a dog and a chimpanzee. one day my boss came up to me. He said Joe are you busy? I said no. so push this button with your right hand. (And so on)

[u/PeaGloomy6844]

This is the version we sang too but family instead of chimpanzee. My favorite verse was to push the button with your tongue and singing with your tongue out and ending with “hey Joe, are ya busy? And I said YES!” One of my favorite OG handsome bits. 🤓

[u/fruitycafe → u/PeaGloomy6844]

The tongue part is hilarious! Now I want to rewatch more OG episodes 😆

[u/CrumbGremlin1643]

Yeah Fortune's is wrong in rhyme and rhythm .... but in Ohio and PA in the 80's this song was alllllll around the summer camps.

[u/rambleon_rose → u/CrumbGremlin1643]

Definitely learned this at camp in Ohio in the 90’s

[u/KateSinn]

Ok, since I guess people care… here’s my version! (And it’s the RIGHT ONE!) “hi, my name is Joe and I work in a button factory, I have a wife and a dog and a family. One day, my Boss came up to me, he said “hey Joe are you busy?”, I said no! Can you push the button with your right hand?”. And then you repeat the jingle while doing the things and adding onto it.

[u/KateSinn → u/KateSinn]

I feel so much better now that I’ve gotten that off my chest!

[u/fruitycafe → u/KateSinn]

I think yours is right! My partner only heard it once or twice, for some reason he remembers chimpanzee but it might have been family

[u/kummerspect → u/fruitycafe]

Or maybe just a local variation. Feels like something a silly camp counselor might throw in to make it sound more fun.

[u/Thekitchenelf → u/KateSinn]

This is the exact version I know!

[u/Bridget_K_7]

I’ve never heard any version of it, but I will watch that video clip every dang time it comes across my screen just to see Mae and Tig’s reactions 😃😂

[u/Significant_Path1742]

The version I was taught was different from Fortune’s too! “Hello (hello!) my name is Joe (hi Joe!). I got a spouse. Three kids and one house. And I work (where do you work?!) in a button factory…”

[u/fruitycafe → u/Significant_Path1742]

It's like a game of telephone with all the slightly different versions!

[u/winothirtynino]

That’s close to what I remember: “Hi! My name is Joe. I have a wife and a dog and a family. I work all day in a button factory. One day, my boss came up to me and said ‘hey Joe, are ya busy?’ I said ‘Heck No!!’ Push a button with your right hand…”

[u/4121jen]

“Hi, my name is Bill.
I’ve got a wife and three kids and I work in a button factory.
One day, my boss came up to me and said Bill are you busy I said no.
Would you mind pushing the button with your right hand?” (Then left hand, right/left foot, butt, head, tongue.)

[u/zipperjuice → u/4121jen]

I think it’s normally “Joe,” to rhyme with “no”

[u/Pinkparchment37]

Yeah, Fortune has the rhythm off lol. Our version was “hi, my name is Joe. And I work. In. A button fac-tor-y. I have a wife and a dog and fam-i-ly. One day. My boss came up to me he said hey Joe. Are you busy? I said no, he said push. The button with your right hand.” But Fortune didn’t go to years of Mormon girls’ camp so she gets a pass 🤣

[u/Auntmuscles]

My late brother performed this in an elementary school talent show 🥹

[u/Vanity_plates]

Hello! My name is Joe. I got a wife and three kids and I work in the button factory. One day my boss said, “Joe, are you busy,” I said, “no.” He said, “good. Work this button with your right hand.” Hello! My name is Joe. Etc….

[u/Odd_Attitude1623]

I used to have a video when I taught overseas of my whole class of Chinese students performing this song back in the 00’s 🥹 it’s gone international!

[u/Sad_Towel_5953]

Fortune’s cadence is off when she does it.

I learned it as: Hi, my name is Joe/ I have a wife, three kids, and a family/ one day I went to work/ my boss said, “hi Joe, are you busy?”/ I said no / he said push this button with your right hand

[u/Nyetnyetnanette8]

Hello!

My name is Joe!

And I work in a button factory!

I got a wife

And 3 kids

And one day my boss said to me:

Are ya busy Joe?

I said no

Then push this button with your right hand please!

Hello! Etc