“I want to be a dentist” and other holiday misfit moments
Hi, it’s Eric O’Shea here, and I’m putting up this post because I felt like continuing a bit of a holiday tradition – and that means busting out the ol’ Hermey the Elf impression for the camera. To be honest, this isn’t really a “post” – it’s more of a tradition that I’m still in the process of building.
holiday clip
Hermey the Elf: “i want to be a dentist”
Quick stand-up bit where I’ve got Hermey’s voice dialed in, that obsessive focus on dentistry & the holiday misfit vibes that make him such a fun character to play around with.
If you’ve seen Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – the classic stop-motion Christmas special that’s been kicking around on TVs since pretty much the dawn of time – you’ll already know who Hermey is. He’s the elf who looks around the North Pole toy shop and thinks: “You know, wouldn’t it be great to trade in the factory floor for a steady 9 to 5 in dentistry?”
Sounds like the kind of ballsy ambition that gets you promoted to middle management round here.
Who is Hermey the Elf? Rudolph’s lovable original anti-hero
Hermey the Elf – one of the beloved characters from Rankin/Bass’s 1964 stop-motion Christmas special – is a misfit of old, and he’s been that way for a long time now. He’s voiced by Paul Soles in the original, and he’s the “misfit elf” because he’s the only one with the guts to come out and say what we’re all thinking – that “I want to be a dentist.”
Some things that make Hermey so uniquely Hermey.
- That super-keen, super-earnest vibe like he’s pitching dentistry to the sharks on Shark Tank.
- An unmistakable look that screams “I’m just one HR complaint away from making a break for it.”
- We’ve all got a Hermey at work somewhere: technically on the team, but quietly planning a dental practice in a strip mall.
Hermey is the holiday reminder that you can be surrounded by toy-making elves and still think, “Nah. Molars.”
The voice and how I found my Hermey the elf impression
Right, the craft. My Hermey the Elf voice is all about capturing youthful enthusiasm, earnest sincerity, and a dash of panic and peppermint-flavored madness.
If you’re looking to master the Hermey the Elf voice, try focusing on this:
1) Speed and urgency
Hermey talks fast, especially when he’s on about dentistry or getting the better of his boss elf. It’s like he’s saying, “I know I’m about to get fired, but I’ve still got to get in one last word about molars.”
2) Placement: high, forward and a bit nasal
Imagine a voice stuck right in the front of your face, like it’s trying to escape through the nostrils for tax reasons. This is the secret to a good Hermey voice impression.
3) Emotional tone: pure simplicity with a whine
When Hermey gets fed up, he’s got that tiny whine that says, “I’m not being awkward, I’m just being me.” That’s the magic. He’s not trying to be funny, he’s just authentically stressed.
4) Delivering the line
When you hit the famous “I want to be a dentist” line, do not punch it like a one-liner in a stand-up routine. Play it like a genuine career counselling session:
“I want to be a dentist.”
Treat it like it comes from your heart, or at least from that dental textbook you’ve been sneaking peeks at during your toy-making shift. Yes, Hermey studies dentistry in his spare time. He is basically a tiny dental resident in the North Pole.
Quick tip: If you sound too confident, you are doing it wrong. Hermey is confident about teeth, but emotionally one peppermint away from a breakdown.
Watch the impression video from my stand-up set
And now, you get to watch me absolutely nail that “I want to be a dentist” Hermey line and decide whether I’m a comedic genius or just a seasonal nuisance. If you skipped to the good part, the clip is right up top.
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