What is the origin of the urban slang cowabunga?
The exclamation “cowabunga” was invented for use in the 1950s era children’s program, “The Howdy Doody Show.” One of the characters, Chief Thunderthud, used it in place of more well known exclamations such as “s**t!” or “Jesus!”, which would have been completely unacceptable on any television show of the period, let alone one intended for children.
