Some of you might know that this is Shark Week, brainchild of the very clever marketing folks at the Discovery Channel.
This is Discovery’s 30th year of hosting Shark Week, and in honor of that milestone, we decided to talk about some funky phrases about sharks, and bonus: All of these have their origin in television.
Put on your wetsuit, and here we go.
Jumping the Shark
Let’s start with a classic: “jumping the shark.” This phrase was first used to describe the moment a TV show had clearly run out of ideas and resorted to cheap stunts to get viewers. You might assume the phrase is metaphorical, but it refers to an actual episode of the sitcom “Happy Days,” which ran from 1974 to 1984.
In one infamous episode, the entire cast takes a trip to California. In a drawn-out beach scene, the character “Fonzie” is water-skiing—wearing a leather jacket, of course—and jumps over a shark.
The expression has become ubiquitous over the years. It’s meaning has broadened to refer to just about anything—from a politician to a restaurant franchise—that has reached its peak and fails miserably in its efforts to remain relevant.
For example, a recent article discussed how the breakfast chain IHOP (International House of Pancakes) changed its name to IHOB—then revealed that it was just a stunt to promote its burgers. Get it? Because burgers start with “b”? The author of the article asked, “have branded PR stunts jumped the shark?”
In other words, are they resorting to gimmicks in a desperate attempt to sell product? I don’t know the answer to that, but it sounds likely.
Voodoo Shark
"Voodoo shark" is a lesser-known term that also has roots in pop culture. It refers to a failed attempt to fill a plot hole in a narrative. Its origins lie in “Jaws: The Revenge”—a movie so bad it killed the popular “Jaws” franchise and earned a zero percent rating on the movie-review website Rotten Tomatoes.
In the film, a shark is somehow able to locate and seek revenge on the family of its nemesis, Sheriff Martin Brody. No explanation is offered as to how, exactly, the shark acquired these superpowers.
A follow-up novelization of the movie tried to fill this gaping plot hole. It explained that the shark was under a voodoo curse. However, the author never bothered to mention by whom, how, or even why this curse was made.
Henceforth, the term “voodoo shark” has referred to a weak explanation that creates more questions than it answers.
A good example is “midi-chlorians” in the Star Wars franchise. These tiny organisms were introduced into the world in “The Phantom Menace,” the often reviled fourth movie in the series. The movie tried to explain how the Force works by pointing to midi-chlorians, tiny organisms that supposedly live in the cells of all life forms. Apparently, they are what enable Jedi warriors to channel the Force.
But this explanation introduced more questions than it answered. How exactly do midi-chlorians interact with the Force? Why do some people have more than others? And are there special midi-chlorians that connect to the Dark Side?
And so forth and so on. Midi-chlorians are a voodoo shark.
Sharknado
While we’re on the subject of silly explanations, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the "Sharknado" series. It’s currently on its fifth iteration: “Sharknado: Global Swarming.”
A sharknado is...exactly what it sounds like: a natural disaster in which a tornado scoops up sharks from the ocean and sprinkles them all over unsuspecting citizens. At once scorned and beloved, the Sharknado franchise enjoys a special status in U.S. popular culture. It’s similar to that briefly held by the movie “Snakes on a Plane.” (That one has zero sequels, by the way.)
Sharks with Laser Beams
Many of you have probably seen the 1997 movie “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.” The movie spawned countless popular quotations, and one of the most famous involves our friend the shark.
In the film, supervillain Dr. Evil has an intricate plan to destroy the hero, Austin Powers. When Dr. Evil’s plan fails, he rants, "You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!”
This moment inspired countless memes. And it’s an expression that’s still used in response to an absurd, if not impossible, request. For example, a professor at William & Mary University was quoted as describing all the blue-sky projects his team was working on using 3-D printing technology. He ended the article with this thought: "Sharks with laser beams attached to their heads? Sure. We’ll give it our best shot.”
Land Sharks
Some of our older listeners (and that includes me) might remember the Land Shark. He was featured on early episodes of “Saturday Night Live” and played by actor Chevy Chase. This silly predator would knock on the door of unsuspecting women and announce “plumber!” or “flowers!”
As Jaws-inspired music soared, the victim would open the door...only to be devoured by a giant stuffed shark. As the body count piled up, the Land Shark would use increasingly absurd ruses to get victims to fall for his scheme.
If you’ve ever heard someone inexplicably shout “Candygram!” well, now you know why.
Shark Tank
Finally, there’s the popular reality show called "Shark Tank." This show pits real-life entrepreneurs against each other in front of a panel of potential investors. The investors are referred to as “sharks” because they are ruthless in their criticism and intimidating to face.
The “sharks” offer feedback and decide which start-ups, if any, get money. The title “Shark Tank” is likely a nod to the intense and cutthroat nature of venture capitalism, as well as the risks hungry entrepreneurs face in the real world.
Today’s episode only touches the surface of the shark’s place in popular culture and language. We haven’t even talked about words like “sharkbait,” “pool shark,” or “loan shark.” Maybe next year!
Samantha Enslen runs Dragonfly Editorial. You can find her at dragonflyeditorial.com or on Twitter as @DragonflyEdit.
Shark illustration courtesy of Shutterstock.
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