"Purr, purr, purr."

Four lines. Four lines of a strangely catchy nursery rhyme first published in 1937 is behind a lawsuit.


Soft kitty, warm kitty
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty
Purr, purr, purr.


The lawsuit was filed by the children of New Hampshire poet Edith Newlin, suing over copyright infringement because the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory has routinely used the rhyme during the history of the show. Typically, the jaunty little poem is used to soothe the character Sheldon before he goes to bed.

Compounding matters is that the closing credits of the show have claimed Bill Prady, a producer on the show, wrote the poem--not Edith Newlin, who died in 2004.

As this image from a 1950's edition of Songs for the Nursery School shows, "Warm Kitty, Soft Kitty" easily predates The Big Bang Theory.

I'm confused how 'Blow, Wind, Blow' falls under the "Water" banner.

The Big Bang Theory can't be blamed though for choosing "Warm Kitty" as its nursery rhyme of choice. "Shunting Engine" and "Steam Shovel" never put any kid to a restful sleep.




photo: National Library of Australia