On the Ning Nang Nong
| On the Ning Nang Nong | |
|---|---|
| by Spike Milligan | |
| First published in | Silly Verse for Kids |
| Illustrator | Spike Milligan |
| Genre(s) | Comedy, Nonsense poetry, Children's poetry, Tongue twisters |
| Rhyme scheme | AAB CCB DDB AA CC DD AA |
| Publisher | Dobson Books |
| Publication date | 1959 |
| Lines | 17 |
"On the Ning Nang Nong" is a children's poem by the comedian Spike Milligan first published in his 1959 book Silly Verse for Kids. A tongue twister and nonsense poem, it makes heavy use of made-up words, mismatching onomatopoeia, and alliteration. The poem was written for Milligan's children as part of his Silly Verse for Kids and has since come to be a favourite poem for young children.
In 1998 it was voted the UK's favourite comic poem in a nationwide poll, ahead of other nonsense poems by poets such as Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. It has been set to music multiple times, notably for the ABC children's programme Play School, and is one of the most taught poems in UK primary schools.