[4] "Minnie the Moocher" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2019 was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress.
The character "Smokey" is described as "cokey", meaning a user of cocaine; the phrase "kick the gong around" was a slang reference to smoking opium.
[11] The November 22, 1951 issue of Jet magazine claimed the song was partly inspired by a woman named Minnie Gayton who had recently died at the age of 85, and was known in the Indianapolis area due to her begging for food.
At the Cab Calloway School of the Arts, which is named for the singer, students perform "Minnie the Moocher" as a traditional part of talent showcases.
A contemporary swing band, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, recorded a cover on their 1998 album, Americana Deluxe.
The English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams is famed (and often lightheartedly ridiculed) for his frequent tendency to engage in call and response with his audience.
As a tongue in cheek retort to the criticism, he performed "Minnie the Moocher" on the Take the Crown Stadium Tour, albeit changing the lyrics to be about himself.
In 1992, rapper Positive K made a song called "Minnie the Moocher" for his 1992 album, The Skills Dat Pay da Bills.