In the 1980s, I saw a TV special in which a comedian roamed the streets of Chicago asking passersby: “Do you ever toddle?” The comedian couldn’t find any toddlers.

It’s been a century since Chicagoans toddled, but when they did, no city toddled more. The toddle was a partnered dance consisting of a series of hop steps, punctuated by back kicks. Along with the Charleston and the Lindy Hop, it defined the jazz culture of the Roaring Twenties.

Chicago, home of Al Capone and Louis Armstrong, roared loudly in the 1920s. In 1921, the local music company Melrose Brothers published “Take It Easy,” which it advertised as “the Toddle Tune from Toddle Town.” That same year, Chicagoans Marie Hollernan and George Offerman were married in a “toddle wedding” — even the minister toddled.

The old fuddy-duddies tried to nix it. Toddling was banned by Northwestern, the University of Illinois, and Chicago Public Schools. That inspired Fred Fisher to write “Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town),” a 1922 song that portrayed the dance as a symbol of the city’s devil-may-care spirit. Chicago, as the lyrics noted, was the town the jazz-hating preacher Billy Sunday couldn’t shut down. “I saw a man, he danced with his wife” suggested Chicago was an exciting, amorous place.

The ’20s are back, but the toddle isn’t. Dancing with your gal to a big band would be squaresville.

Send your questions about the Chicago area to emcclelland@chicagomag.com.