I would like to preface this by saying I am in no way trying to make fun of my mom or Linda Belcher on Bob’s Burgers. I find both ladies hilarious, and my mom approved the idea for this article before I wrote it. But if you’ve been fortunate enough to meet my mother, you know she’s a bit of a character. There have been too many times I’ve watched Bob’s Burgers and sat there thinking about how my mom is an almost exact embodiment of Linda Belcher, the mom character on the show. It also doesn’t help that everyone who has met my mom says the same thing. There are a few quotes, in particular, though, that stand out to me every time I watch the series that are almost exclusively things I’ve heard my mom say in different words.
What Linda says: “Nonsense or MOM-sense?” What my mom says: “Jiggy jive nonsense!” So we’re starting off on a fun note. My mom loves to call everything she’s confused by “jiggy jive nonsense.” And when I say everything, I mean everything. My iPhone has been labeled jiggy jive nonsense, the Bluetooth GPS in her car, almost every Trump tweet–she just likes to call it as it is. And Linda Belcher’s notion of “mom-sense” encapsulates the same thing. Something not sounding right? Well of course not, it’s mom-sense! Or is it jiggy jive nonsense?
What Linda says: “Mommy doesn’t get drunk. She just has fun.” What my mom says: “I don’t get drunk. I just like to have a drink with my good time.” I’d like someone to try and tell me my mom didn’t essentially say the exact same thing Linda was saying in this quote. Linda, on the show, canonically loves all things wine and all things dancing. My mom, canonically in real life, loves the same things and has the same outlook on wine and having fun. Besides, moms don’t get drunk anyway (according to my mother, of course).
What Linda says: [in reference to Halloween decorations] “This year, I got the bats that were smiling. It’s more realistic.” What my mom says: [in reference to the tapestry with a cow on it in my living room] “I love the quote on this flag. It really seems realistic to something a cow would say.” For context, the quote on the cow tapestry says, “Live like someone left the gate open.” Personally, I don’t think it’s something that a cow would say, but I also don’t think it’s all that realistic to have smiling bats. There’s a certain sense of cute optimism, however, with thinking so. I find that the cute optimistic energy is generally unmatched unless you’re Linda Belcher or my mom.
What Linda says: “When I die, cremate me and throw my ashes in Tom Selleck’s face.” What my mom says: “Tom Selleck is just one of those pretty men.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my mom talk about Tom Selleck. Whether he’s playing Richard in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. or starring in Magnum P.I., she just adores Tom Selleck in all of his mustached glory. You can only imagine my hysterics when Linda started raving about Tom Selleck during an episode of Bob’s Burgers. I guess if they’re the same person, they have to have the same taste.
What Linda says: “No boys, no parties, no summoning spirits.” What my mom says: “Parties and boys are jiggyjive nonsense.” My mom may not have said “no summoning spirits,” but you know, it’s something she would agree with. Linda and my mother have very similar social rules for their kids, both of which look down upon parties and boys. Linda particularly bans summoning spirits where my mom will ban everything she deems as “hinky business.” And yes, the word used is always “hinky.”
What Linda says: “All right!” What my mom says: “Hot diggity dog!” With the number of times Linda says “all right” throughout the show, the only equivalent phrase for my mom is “hot diggity dog.” They use it in all the same sentiments, so essentially, “hot diggity dog” and “all right” are synonymous.
My mom is one of my favorite ladies. Her self-proclaimed “Phyllis-isms” are held very near and dear to my heart, and I felt like it was a little unfair to keep all of her fun sayings to myself. Not to mention, it’s hard to ignore the similarities between her and Linda. All jokes aside, though, my mom’s funny quips are just one of the many reasons she’s a great person. We have a great relationship, even though she puts up with a lot of stuff from me and my sisters. Not to mention getting compared to Linda Belcher on the internet.