Ho ho ho
"Ho ho ho" is a rendition of a particular type of deep-throated laugh or chuckle which is of Irish Gaelic derivation.[citation needed] It is also used as the laugh of Santa Claus and the Jolly Green Giant.[1]
As a Canadian Postal Code
Canada Post uses the characters H0H 0H0 as the postal code for letters to be sent to Santa Claus.[2]
The full address is:
- SANTA CLAUS
- NORTH POLE H0H 0H0
- CANADA
In French, Santa's name translates as "Father Christmas", addressed as:
- PÈRE NOËL
- PÔLE NORD H0H 0H0
- CANADA
Since the postal code system has 'H0' set up to represent a tiny or rural village ('0') inside of the city of Montreal or Laval ('H'), H0 codes are quite rare and a seasonal allocation of H0H does not appear with any other normal postal codes.
Urban legends
There have been false urban legends claiming that use of this laugh is being discouraged in Australian malls by Westaff, a recruitment firm supplying many of the mall Santas. Supposedly, the firm claimed that the laugh, when used loudly, could be frightening to children and could even be considered derogatory to women, and recommended that a Santa lowering his voice and saying "ha ha ha" might be more welcoming.[3] However, these legends have been proven false.[4]
Characters associated with this laugh
- Jabba the Hutt[5]
- Jolly Green Giant
- The Happy Mask Salesman[citation needed]
- Doctor Ivo Robotnik[citation needed]
- King Harkinian[citation needed]
- Santa Claus
- Robin Goodfellow[citation needed]