Where does the word 'yippie' come from?

Answer 1

The word 'yippie' comes from a fictitious political party of the 1960s, the Youth International Party, modeled on the word 'hippie', suggesting the rebellion of the hippie movement combined with the enthusiasm of 'yippee'.

Several friends invented the 'party' and then invented the term, or supposed acronym, 'Yippie' to go with it.

The word 'yippee' is a verbal (or vocal) exclamation or interjection; it's the written form in English of the sound a person might make when they suddenly are very happy about something.

'yippee' 1910 - 1915, informal interjection to express joy or elation. Recorded in some dictionaries as an Americanism, but with usage in the language going back much further.

Also a cattle-call, popularized in a 1936 song written by Johnny Mercer, satirizing the fake cowboy industry. The song, 'I'm an Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grande)' was written for the Bing Crosby movie 'Rythmn on the Range', and recorded by Crosby on July 17, 1936:

'I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande

But my legs ain't bowed and my cheeks ain't tanned

I'm a cowboy who never saw a cow

Never roped a steer 'cause I don't know how

Sure ain't fixin' to start in now

Oh, Yippie Yi Yo Kayah, Yippie Yi Yo Kayah...

I'm an old cowhand and I come down from the Rio Grande

And I learned to ride, ride, ride 'fore I learned to stand

I'm a ridin' fool who is up to date

I know ev'ry trail in The Lone Star State

'Cause I ride the range in a Ford V-8

Oh, Yippie Yi Yo Kayah, Yippie Yi Yo Kayah

Oh, Yippie Yi Yo Kayah,Yippie Yi Yo Kayah

We're old cowhands from the Rio Grande

And we come to town just to hear the band

We know all the songs that the cowboys know

"bout the Big Corral where the dogies go

We learned them all on the radio

Yippie Yi Yo Kayah, Yippie Yi Yo Kayah

I'm an lod cowhand down from the Rio Grande

Oh, where the West is wild all 'round The Borderland

Where the buffalo roam around the zoo

And the engines run up a rug or two

And the old Bar X is just a barbecue, yeah

Yippie Yi Yo Kayah, Yippie Yi Yo Kayah

I'm a pioneer who began from scratch

I don't bat an eye in a shootin' match

They don't call me 'Elmer', they call me 'Satch"

Yippei Yi Yo Kayah, Yippie Yi Yo Kayah

Get along little horsey, get along little horsey

Yippie Yi Yo Kayah, Oh'

Answer 2

The word 'yippie' is believed to have originated in American slang during the 1960s as a shout of joy or excitement. It is often associated with the counterculture movement of that era, particularly activists who embraced a blend of youth culture and radical politics. The term became popularized through the Youth International Party (Yippies), a group known for their political protests and theatrical demonstrations.