Big Mouth Billy Bass
Forgotten Toys · 2000
Big Mouth Billy Bass was Gemmy’s singing trophy-plaque fish, publicly introduced in the United States in 2000. At the press of a red button—or when its motion sensor was enabled—the mounted bass moved its tail and mouth, turned its head towards the room and played excerpts from “Take Me to the River” or “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. The sudden break from fishing-trophy stillness made it a demonstrable gag gift in shops, bars, offices, restaurants and game rooms. Its documented 2000 market reached the United States and France. Gemmy later returned to the joke with an Alexa-compatible edition in 2018 and a Walmart-exclusive reissue in 2021, though the original production endpoint is unknown.
Why It Mattered
Its strength was the shared reveal: one person could activate the routine for a room, then reset it for the next unsuspecting viewer. That made the fish more than a novelty mechanism; it became a reusable performance and conversation piece.
Later editions changed the technology or songs while preserving the recognisable comic idea of a mounted catch suddenly coming to life.
1. From Development to Public Introduction
- Development is traced to 1998, while 2000 is the best-supported public-introduction year.
- The Washington Post reported a debut at an Atlanta gift convention in January 2000; another contemporary report said it was introduced in February 2000.
- Gemmy’s 2021 release says the fish was first sold in 1999, conflicting with its current company history and reports from 2000.
- The January and February accounts may describe different launch stages, but that distinction is not established.
3. Markets, Manufacture and Later Editions
- Reports from 2000 document retail activity in the United States and France, including a US price range of $19–$24 and a recommended French starting price of 299 francs.
- The product was manufactured in China, but the contract factory has not been identified.
- The Alexa-compatible model released in 2018 and the Walmart-exclusive edition released in 2021 were distinct later products, not proof of uninterrupted manufacture.
- Sunnylands preserves a catalogued example as collection object 2009.1.4026.
Associated With
Gemmy Industries - developer and marketer; Joe Pellettieri - product developer
Defining Feature
Mounted fish that turned towards the room and sang when activated
Status
Reintroduced - distinct editions released in 2018 and 2021
2. Credits, Materials and Mechanism
- Barbara Pellettieri suggested a singing fish on a plaque, and Gemmy product developer Joe Pellettieri pursued its development.
- Joe Pellettieri credited unnamed Gemmy engineers, artists and packaging staff, and identified Steve Haas as the vocalist for “Take Me to the River”.
- A teardown of one early-type survivor found separate head, tail and mouth motors alongside a controller, speaker, sensor and battery compartment.
- Joe Pellettieri recalled soft PVC replacing crack-prone latex, while Sunnylands catalogues its example as latex rubber; neither material applies securely to every unit.
4. Primary Records
- [**Gemmy Industries — Our Story: The Early Years & Big Mouth Billy Bass**](https://www.gemmy.com/about/our-story/)
- [**Amazon Developer — Introducing the Alexa Gadgets Toolkit**](https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/blogs/alexa/post/54e7b354-837d-4dc1-a33c-b6cf9e09a7a5/introducing-alexa-gadgets-toolkit-create-echo-connected-accessories-that-deliver-customer-deligh)
- [**Gemmy Industries — The Must-Have Holiday Item for 2018: Alexa-Compatible Big Mouth Billy Bass**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-must-have-holiday-item-for-2018-alexa-compatible-big-mouth-billy-bass-300756143.html)
- [**Gemmy Industries — Big Mouth Billy Bass Is Back with a New Song**](https://www.gemmy.com/2021/10/the-singing-sensation-big-mouth-billy-bass-is-back-with-a-new-song/)
Image Sources
- [**Image 1**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head_of_Fish.jpg) — Toby Dylan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
- [**Image 2**](https://www.historians.org/perspectives-article/big-mouth-billy-bass/) — frankieleon / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
- [**Image 3**](https://www.soliantconsulting.com/blog/filemaker-devcon-2018-billy-bass-2/) — Soliant Consulting (publisher; photographer not identified)
- [**Image 4**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billy_Bass_Adoption_Center.jpg) — Kevin Burkett / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
- [**Image 5**](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-must-have-holiday-item-for-2018-alexa-compatible-big-mouth-billy-bass-300756143.html) — Gemmy Industries (supplied press image), via PR Newswire
Rights Notice
Images are included for historical and archival reference.
Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.
Gallery and image credits
