There are also various theories of an original 'Humpty Dumpty'. The rhyme does not explicitly state that the subject is an egg, possibly because it may have been originally posed as a riddle. Poster advertising a pantomime version at the Olympic Theatre in New York 1868, starring George L. The rhyme is one of the best known in the English language.

The rhyme is listed in the Roud Folk Song Index as No. As a character and literary allusion, Humpty Dumpty has appeared or been referred to in many works of literature and popular culture, particularly English author Lewis Carroll's 1871 book Through the Looking-Glass, in which he was described as an egg. The show ran from 1868 to 1869, for a total of 483 performances. Fox in the pantomime musical Humpty Dumpty. Humpty Dumpty was popularized in the United States on Broadway by actor George L. Its origins are obscure, and several theories have been advanced to suggest original meanings.

The first recorded versions of the rhyme date from late eighteenth-century England and the tune from 1870 in James William Elliott's National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs. He is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though he is not explicitly described as such.

Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world.

Humpty dumpty through the looking glass