Comment by bitwize

Actual German would be something like "die Blinkenlichten". "Blinkenlichten" was the form used in the original faux-German sign from which "blinkenlights" is said to derive. "Blinkenlights" is used in a faux-English sign that hung in some German computer installations: "Please keep still and only watchen astaunished the blinkenlights."

See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinkenlights http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/B/blinkenlights.html