From: Perfect Strangers
Genre: Television
Who said it?: Balki Bartokomous
The story behind the quote: Perfect Strangers was a highly successful sitcom in the 80s. The general premise is that Balki, a foreigner from the fictional island of Mypos, goes to live with his cousin, Larry Appleton in Chicago. A lot of the humor invovles Larry’s misguided attempts to teach Balki the ways of America or his trying to take advantage of Balki’s naive personality. These will backfire and actually cause trouble for the duo. While they hardly know each other, they do eventually rely on each other as good friends and family members.
One of the signature “gimmicks” (if you can call it that) is Balki and Larry performing “the dance of joy,” usually done as a quick celebration of something successful. Before they do it, Balki will turn to his cousin and yell out the quote before they perform the dance… which you can see below.
Geek wisdom: We sometimes forget to celebrate the smaller, happy occasions and tiny achievements in our lives. Even getting in touch with a cousin who you haven’t seen in a while, making up with a person you have been fighting with for a long time or finally buying something that you’ve been saving your money on should be joyous occasions that should be shared with others.
The dance of joy that Balki and Larry do is a great example of sharing your happiness with others for a job well done. We all should actually find ways to celebrate the good things in life when they come our way. Yes, maybe dancing around with your cousin may be silly but it sure can be fun doing it.