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May 18, 2026

Tiny Tim ~ Tiptoe through the Tulips

On Saturday, May 18, 1968, the Tiny Tim song Tiptoe Through the Tulips, was released. It was originally a number one hit for Nick Lucas in 1929.

Nick Lucas - 1929

photographer unknown

Tiptoe Through the Tulips published in 1929, was written by Al Dubin (lyrics) and Joe Burke and made popular by guitarist Nick Lucas. On February 5, 1968, Tiny Tim made the song a novelty hit by singing it on the popular American television show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

It was in the musical "talkie" film Gold Diggers of Broadway. Lucas's recording held the number 1 position for 10 weeks. Other artists charted with the song in 1929, including Jean Goldkette (number 5), Johnny Marvin (number 11), and Roy Fox (number 18).

The Tiny Tim version of the song plays in Insidious, the first installment of the titular franchise of the same name, as well as the fifth film of the series, Insidious: The Red Door. A cover version by American rock band Cherry Glazerr is played in the trailer of the franchise's third installment and prequel, Insidious: Chapter 3.

Tiny Tim's last words immediately before collapsing from a fatal heart attack on stage were: "No, I'm not." These final words occurred after a November 30, 1996, benefit gala performance at the Women's Club of Minneapolis. Feeling ill, he left the stage to join his wife, Susan. When she asked if he was all right, he replied with "No, I'm not" before collapsing. He later passed away at a local hospital. On November 30, 1996, Tiny Tim died. He was 64 years Old.

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Joe Burke

Cherry Glazerr

Al Dubin

Nick Lucas

Tiny Tim

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Tiptoe through the Tulips ~

Cherry Glazerr

Roy Fox

Jean Goldkette

Johnny Marvin

Tiny Tim

Styrous® ~ Monday, May 18, 2026

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December 17, 2021

The Wedding of Tiny Tim & "Miss Vicki"

Victoria May Budinger & Tiny Tim

photographer unknown

Fifty-two years ago today, on Wednesday, December 17, in 1969, television history was made when Tiny Tim and Victoria Budinger were married by Rev. William Glenesk on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show.

Rev. William Glenesk, Tiny Tim & Victoria May Budinge - 1969

Tonight Show

photo: Getty Images

The wedding of Tiny Tim to "Miss Vicki", as he called her, was a huge television event, viewed in more than 21 million households with 40 million people watching, a Tonight Show record at the time. In attendance on the show were the episode’s other guests: Florence Henderson, Phyllis Diller, and Nick Lucas.

Florence Henderson, Nick Lucas, Phyllis Diller,

Victoria May Budinge, Tiny Tim and Johnny Carson

Tonight Show

photo: Getty Images

Nick Lucas - 1969

Tonight Show

screen shot

Victoria May "Miss Vicki" Budinger, Tiny Tim & Johnny Carson

December 17, 1969

The Tonight Show

When the couple’s engagement was announced by Tim on the Tonight Show, Carson asked, “Now, this is your first marriage, isn’t it?” Tim replied, “Yes, Mr. Carson, and last,” after which he added, “The fact that she is 17, I would like to say that a lot of prayer is involved at the moment and, of course, I’ve always loved youth, but only in the right way.”

After showing off Vicki’s engagement ring, Carson asked Tim about his past relationship history, at which point Tim admitted that he was saving himself for marriage, although he admitted, “I’m no saint: I have, to my sorrow, slipped in that, and thank God-to-Christ he’s protected me and I never had any relations with a woman.” The “slipping,” as it turned out, was merely a reference to having kissed Vicki a few times, but as Carson assured him, "A little kissing isn’t bad before marriage.”

A few minutes later, after Vicki left the stage, Carson asked Tim if he and Vicki would like to be married on TV, and Tim accepted without hesitation. Vicki had actually wanted a traditional wedding and had anticipated that their nuptials would take place at her parents’ house. The first bump in their marriage.

Although their marriage didn't last, they had one daughter, Tulip Victoria, in 1979. Tim and "Miss Vicki" largely lived apart and they divorced three years after the birth of their daughter. Tim married two more times and Budinger married several more times.

On November 30, 1996, Tim was playing at a gala benefit hosted by the Women's Club of Minneapolis. He had let his third wife ("Miss Sue") know before the show that he was not feeling well, but did not want to disappoint the fans. Before the start of his performance, most of the audience had left. While performing his last number of the evening, he suffered another heart attack on stage in the middle of a rendition of his hit, Tiptoe Through the Tulips. His wife asked him if he was feeling all right, and he said he was not; she was helping him back to their table when he collapsed, and never regained consciousness.

Victoria May Budinger died on the 30th of November in 1996 in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota; she was 64 years old.

Viewfinder links:

Victoria May Budinger

Johnny Carson

Phyllis Diller

Florence Henderson

Nick Lucas

Tiny Tim

Net links:

CBS News ~ Tiny Tim marries Miss Vicki

Classic Rockers ~ The Strange Story of Tiny Tim's TV Wedding

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