Happy camper

Origin of: Happy camper

Happy camper

Happy camper is an American phrase for a person in a generally good mood, and makes its first appearance outside the context of camping in the early 1980s. It also appears frequently in the negative ‘not a happy camper’. It derives from the popular holiday pastime of summer camp for US schoolchildren, where team spirit and togetherness create happy campers. See also Not a happy bunny.