We are the Ovaltineys, Little [or Happy] girls and boys.

This jingle is associated with mid-20th-century advertising and children’s radio culture around Ovaltine, the malted drink mix. In the United States it is especially linked to the “Little Orphan Annie” radio program, where Ovaltine sponsored segments and promoted the “Ovaltineys,” a children’s fan club that encouraged listeners to send in box tops for badges, decoder pins, and other premiums. The chant functioned as a catchy, easily memorized identity-marker for young listeners, blending entertainment with brand loyalty in an era when radio sponsorships and mail-in clubs were a major marketing strategy aimed at families and children.

The couplet works as a miniature anthem: it names a group (“the Ovaltineys”) and immediately defines its members as “little/happy girls and boys,” creating a sense of belonging and innocence. Its simplicity is deliberate—short lines, a bouncy rhythm, and childlike diction make it easy to repeat and hard to forget. As advertising, it turns consumption into identity: to be an “Ovaltiney” is not merely to drink Ovaltine but to join a cheerful community. The line also reflects how early mass media blurred the boundary between children’s entertainment and commercial messaging, embedding brand affiliation in play and ritual.

1) “We are the Ovaltineys, / Little girls and boys.”
2) “We are the Ovaltineys, / Happy girls and boys.”
3) “We are the Ovaltineys, / The little girls and boys.”