Here is a quote from the Family Scrapbook thread:

I'm not a big fan of that finale episode, for the reason you mentioned (the pictures are not plausible) and also because the explanation for Beaver's name is lame and unnecessary.

I agree. Now, what WOULD be a good explanation for Theodore to have picked up the nickname Beaver? How would it have come about?

(For those who haven't seen the episode, the explanation was that young Wally couldn't pronounce Theodore, and it came out similar to Tweeder, and evolved to Beaver.)

My take (being the person who made that post):

They could have just said it was a rhyming nickname (Beaver Cleaver) OR that it came from the fact that he resembled a Beaver (his front teeth that stick out) or that he was very busy and active like a beaver. Any of these would have been better than the contrived explanation they gave.

Here is a quote from the Family Scrapbook thread:



I agree. Now, what WOULD be a good explanation for Theodore to have picked up the nickname Beaver? How would it have come about?

(For those who haven't seen the episode, the explanation was that young Wally couldn't pronounce Theodore, and it came out similar to Tweeder, and evolved to Beaver.)

Thank you for adding that clarification. It's been a while since I saw the episode.

FWIW, I have no problem with the original explanation, it's believable.
I grew up with a friend named "Walter", yet everyone called him "Bug". because no one wanted to go to the trouble to enunciate two syllables, and he evidently crawled around like a little bug before he could walk,..and the nick just stuck.

I also have an uncle Felix, who many years ago one of my young female cousins could not pronounce "Felix" properly, so she called him "Uncle Feeley".

And we just all thought that was too funny to let him live it down, so it became sort of a family joke nickname ...and stuck.

My take (being the person who made that post):

They could have just said it was a rhyming nickname (Beaver Cleaver) OR that it came from the fact that he resembled a Beaver (his front teeth that stick out) or that he was very busy and active like a beaver. Any of these would have been better than the contrived explanation they gave.

The explanation given in that episode works for me. If my teeth stuck out at that age and my parents called me Beaver because of it I would have disowned them. :rolleyes:

LOL it's tv

Theodore to Beaver is a reach but the Title has a good ring to it

Leave It To Chubby ? because Wally couldn't pronounce Charlie ? Whatever LOL

(For those who haven't seen the episode, the explanation was that young Wally couldn't pronounce Theodore, and it came out similar to Tweeder, and evolved to Beaver.)

One thing that makes the "official explanation" somewhat dubious, how many children are there that could not pronounce "Ted", as in Teddy Bear?

When I thought about this, I wondered why Ward and June wouldn't just tell Wally (if he had trouble with Theodore) to call him Ted or Teddy.

When I thought about this, I wondered why Ward and June wouldn't just tell Wally (if he had trouble with Theodore) to call him Ted or Teddy.

Perhaps Wally had a "Beaver Bear"?

The mfr. gave up on Beaver Bear when he wouldn't sell--the evidence was pretty "damming."

When I thought about this, I wondered why Ward and June wouldn't just tell Wally (if he had trouble with Theodore) to call him Ted or Teddy.

In a previous post on this board, I mentioned that Tom Brittingham and Mary Margaret Matthews were the only two characters to call Beaver "Teddy."

Right, despite Beaver's claim to Mary Margaret that nobody had called him Teddy before, Mr. Brittingham had.

Later, Beaver asked Miss Landers to make sure he called him Beaver.