Schnappi das kleine Krokodil (Snappy the Little Crocodile) is a cartoon character originating from the German children's show Die Sendung mit der Maus (The Show with the Mouse). The cartoon's introductory song, "Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil," became an Internet hit before it reached #1 on the German Singles chart in January 2005 and other European countries as well, topping the singles charts in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Background Schnappi was a one-time character in a popular animated German children's TV show called Die Sendung mit der Maus (The Show With the Mouse). In the episode in which Schnappi appears, Schnappi is seen singing a song about life in Egypt using simple language in German. Joy Gruttmann (who sings the song) is the niece of composer Iris Gruttmann, and has since 1999 sung children's songs for ARD's children's broadcast Die Sendung mit der Maus. In February 2001, when she was five years old, she sang her fifth song, Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil, which in 2004 and 2005 ended up at the top of the charts in a number of countries, after first becoming popular through the internet. Commercial success In 2004 Schnappi became popular on the Internet. Radio station RauteMusik began playing Schnappi, which led to a single release of "Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil" in December 2004. The single reached number one on Germany's GfK Entertainment Chart on January 3, 2005, staying at the top for 10 weeks. The song was then released worldwide and peaked at number one in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland in early 2005. It was translated into a French version titled "Crocky le petit crocodile", a Lithuanian version called "Šnapis mažas klokodilas", and a Japanese version entitled "Togetogeshi, chiisai wani" (刺々し、小さい鰐). Belgian techno group Dynamite released a cover version that charted at number three in Belgium while the original version was still topping the chart. In April, the song began to experience success in Australasia. It made its first chart appearance on New Zealand's Recorded Music NZ (then RIANZ) chart at number 32 on April 25. The next week, it jumped to number three before reaching number two for the first time on its third week in. Between May 9 and July 18, the single fluctuated around the top 10, eventually spending five non-consecutive weeks at number two, denied the top position by Savage's "Moonshine", The Black Eyed Peas'