It was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss and first released in June 1960 by Brian Hyland, with an orchestra conducted by John Dixon.

In 1990 a version by British pop band Bombalurina, titled "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and in Ireland.

The story told through the three verses of the song is as follows: (1) the young lady is too afraid to leave the locker where she has changed into her bikini; (2) she has made it to the beach but sits on the sand wrapped in a blanket; (3) she has finally gone into the ocean, but is too afraid to come out, and stays immersed in the water – despite the fact she's "turning blue" – to hide herself from view.

"[11] The song was featured in the 1961 Billy Wilder film comedy One, Two, Three – in a key scene, the character Otto (Horst Buchholz), suspected of being a spy, is being tortured by the East German police playing the song to him repetitively, eventually with the record off-center to create a weird howling variation of pitch.

The song also spawned an answer record by Connecticut singer Jeri Lynn Fraser titled 'Poor Begonia (Got Pneumonia)'.

[27] The song was adapted into French under the title "Itsy bitsy petit bikini" by André Salvet and Lucien Morisse.

[29] Richard Anthony's version of "Itsy bitsy petit bikini" appears in the 2006 film A Good Year.

It was recorded by Club Honolulu, an alias for French-born Italian singer Caterina Valente and her brother Silvio Francesco,[30] and reached number one on the West German charts.

[34] In July 1990, a version was released by Bombalurina, titled "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", which featured Timmy Mallett, star of Wacaday, a popular UK children's television show of the time, along with two dancers, Dawn Andrews and Annie Dunkley.