Holy exclamations

A holy exclamation, such as "Holy cow!", is an exclamation of surprise or disbelief prefixed with the word "holy". The idiom derives from a minced oath or euphemism for more profane or blasphemous exclamations. Frequent variations uttered by the Muppets include such exclamations as "holy maracas," "holy guacamole," and "holy mackerel."

Robin of the Batman television series is noted for his catchphrase of overly-used "holy" exclamations.

Below is a list of instances in which the line has been used, or something similar with the same meaning.

The Muppet Show[]

Dom DeLuise says "Holy Toledo! Something's afoot!" when confronted with a Merdlidop in episode 211. He later exclaims "Holy mackerel!" when fending off Doglion and Mean Mama.

Miss Piggy says "Holy maracas!" when Rudolf Nureyev enters the sauna and disrobes except for his towel in episode 213.

Miss Piggy says "Holy maracas!" when she first sees Big Bird in episode 318.

Miss Piggy says "Holy guacamole!" when she sees a giant chicken in episode 419.

Rowlf the Dog says "Holy guacamole!" when bunnies keep coming out of the operating table in the Veterinarian's Hospital of episode 421.

Gonzo says "Holy rigatoni" when "Big Jimmy" enters the bar in episode 505.

Miss Piggy says "Holy guacamole!" when Buddy suddenly chops a plank in half with his elbow in episode 522.

The Newsman exclaims "Holy mackerel" at a mackerel in episode 524.

Sesame Street[]

In the audio version of "The People in Your Neighborhood," when Bob tells one Muppet man who he could be with some special added touches, he says, "a fireman? Holy smoke!"

In one sketch, Ernie looks out the window and exclaims "Holy cow!", telling Bert he sees an elephant on Sesame Street.

In the cartoon "Why Bears Smile" (First: Episode 1109), when the bear sneezes her much smaller animal friends away, they exclaim, "holy Moses! Cover your noses!"

In a Sesame Street News Flash, Cinderella summons someone with the biggest foot of all. Reporter Kermit says "Holy cow!" as it is Gladys the Cow who fits the glass slipper.

In Episode 1316, when Oscar the Grouch first lays eyes on Osvaldo, el Gruñón, he says "Holy maracas! I thought I'd seen ugly."

In Episode 1911, Big Bird says "Holy smoke!" when he sees a Snuffleupagus-sized trash can across from Oscar's. Oscar himself then says "Holy moly!" upon seeing it himself.

In Episode 2164, Hoots the Owl exclaims "Holy smokes!" after seeing the craziness of Oscar's morning routine.

Alistair Cookie says "Holy guacamole!" when a giant four almost crashes down on him in Monsterpiece Theater: Lethal Weapon 3.

Muppets Tonight[]

The Elvises exclaim, "Holy grail!," when Merlin appears with Lady Guenevere in the "Great Moments in Elvis History" sketch in episode 106.
Gonzo says "Holy Toledo!" when Dennis Quaid tells him he should dance with himself since Gonzo was supposed to sing "Dancing with My Chickens," but unfortunately his chickens "flew the coop."

Miscellaneous[]

In a 1966 sketch on The Jimmy Dean Show, Dobbin (Jimmy Dean) utters assorted "Holy" exclamations (including "Holy Howdy Doody," "Holy goodness," "Holy golly," "Holy schmoly," and "Holy mackerel") in a parody of Robin from Batman.

In a Land of Gortch sketch, King Ploobis says "Holy guacamole!" when The Mighty Favog asks for "three chickens, two swans, and a duck."

In A Muppet Family Christmas, when the Snowman says, "did you hear about the church that burned down?", Statler and Waldorf mockingly respond "holy smoke!"

"Holy cow" is uttered in The Jim Henson Hour episode "Power." (transcript)

Twitter[]

In early 2014, while live-tweeting episodes of The Bachelor, Pepe the King Prawn used the exclamation "Holy moly" multiple times in his tweets. (Tweet #1, Tweet #2)

Pepe reacted to the announcement of The Muppets television series in 2015 by starting his tweet off with an excited "Holy frijoles!!" (Tweet)

Fozzie Bear joked about the origins of the expression "Holy cow" in September 2015, tweeting: "The other day, I saw a priest blessing a cow. I guess that's where the expression 'Holy cow!' comes from! Ahhhh! #WockaWocka!" (Tweet)

A September 2016 tweet from Gonzo reads: "Holy cow!! I slept for 14 hours last night! That's what happens when my latest stunt is breaking the record for counting the most sheep." (Tweet)

Miss Piggy tweeted in April 2017 that "Your outfits should always make a statement... and hopefully that statement is not "Holy maracas, why would you ever wear that?!?!"" (Tweet)

In an April 2018 tweet, Rizzo the Rat wrote: "Holy Havarti! Today is #NationalCaramelDay AND #NationalDeepDishPizzaDay!! Talk about a delicious dream come true. Just don’t mix ‘em together." (Tweet)