What is the origin of the phrase look ma no hands?

Answer 1

It probably was an evolution of the phrase, "Look... no hands!" of which references exist going back to at least the 1930s, but probably earlier. It possibly has origins in the rise of machines and appliances which automated or simplified certain tasks, and which were in turn made possible by the rise of electrification, especially household electrification. A good example is the washing machine. Washing clothes was an extremely laborious task prior to electric machines. It was a big deal to simply add your clothes, soap and turn on the machine. "Look... no hands!"

"Look ma, no hands!" as mentioned, was probably an evolution of the phrase, and has references going back to the 1940s. In the most literal sense, a boy riding his bike with no hands calls to his mother, who is either delighted and amused, or worried and panicked. It then became a common humorous phrase for any sort of hands-free operation.

Answer 2

The origin of " look ma no hands" is believe to have come from The Joker on Batman the animated series when he uploaded the money to his account via internet instead of physically robbing the bank. After transmitting the money to his account he said "Look Ma No Hands".