Auberjoobiedoobiedoobie: A Mystery Solved
It’s one of those infernal in-jokes that no one but my friends and I will get. A long time ago, just as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was getting popular, I doodled up a fake advertisement for a product sure to take America by storm: A Rene Auberjonois autographed toothbrush. Mr. Auberjonois, for those who don’t know, played the gravelly-voiced Constable Odo (pictured at right) for seven seasons of DS9. I wasn’t even a particular fan of DS9 at the time, but I found the man’s name so mystifying that he became the subject of my random cartooning.
Like, how did you even say it? I knew it was of French origins, but little else. I’m not all that good with French pronunciations. I’m much better with German, or Japanese or even Thai (admittedly a very difficult language for Americans to get right). I’m not one of those sods who says “filet” like “fill it up,” but honestly, “Auberjonois” was just not coming to me.
Even years later, my high school friends and I laughed about it, referring to good old Odo as “Auberjoobiedoobiedoobie,” our euphemism for “I have no idea how to even begin pronouncing that.” That nickname even appears in several posts on this very site. I’m sure I could have discovered the true pronunciation if I’d really wanted to, but somehow, the joke was funnier.
Well, we need wonder no more. After running across this by accident, I can say with some authority that this is how it’s pronounced.
Now where’s my autographed toothbrush?
Categorized as Randomness
Heh, we got that pronunciation way wrong, didn’t we?
And I hear you get an autographed toothbrush with every copy of High Roller you purchase from your local retailer.
Oh yeah. We sure did.
Ha, after posting that last night, I did a quick search and found the original autographed toothbrush advertisement. Amusingly, not only could I not pronounce Rene’s name, I couldn’t spell it either. Check it:
Man, I forgot about the autographed toothpaste, too. That (and the High Roller game) always did sound like bad clearance-aisle products you’d find at your local drugstore. (Hence the ad mentioning an exclusive Arbor Drugs promotion!)
I can totally see William Schallert hawking that stuff!
Also, I never knew about the autographed toothpaste tubes. That’s awesome. And a really expensive tube of toothpaste.
I said the same thing when I saw it — “$12.95 for toothpaste?!” And it looks like a travel-size tube, to boot.
Ah well, gotta pay for the celebrity endorsement!