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Our mom loved Shirley Temple movies. When the new one, Animal Crackers, came out, my brother decided to take Mom to see it at the movie house in Midland, about thirty miles from Beaverton. My sister and I rode along in the rumble seat. The weather was good, and we had a smooth trip to and from the theater.

Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop
Gosh oh gee but I have fun
Swallowing animals one by one
In every bowl of soup I see
Lions and Tigers watching me
I make ‘em jump right through a hoop
Those animal crackers in my soup
When I get hold of the big bad wolf
I just push him under to drown
Then I bite him in a million bits
And I gobble him right down
When they’re inside me where it’s dark
I walk around like Noah’s Ark
I stuff my tummy like a goop
With animal crackers in my soup…

Lyrics/Music T.Koehler & I.Caesar/R.Henderson

The three of us kids were pleased that my mom enjoyed the movie so much. For days afterward, she would hum or sing the title song, “Animal Crackers in My Soup,” as she worked around the house.