The Ukulele is a stringed instrument usually played with bare fingertips, or sometimes a felt pick . It originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of a small guitar-like instrument which had actually been brought to Hawaii by the Portuguese. Much of the instrument's popularity was cultivated via The Arthur Godfrey Show on television years later. Finally, singer Tiny Tim made the Ukulele famous with his 968 hit “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”