What Were Their Parents Thinking When They Named Them? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

catlover79 · 06-08-2007, 08:50 PM

List from Encyclopedia of Fictional People:

Beetle Bailey (comic strip)
Boob McNutt (comic strip)
Zonker Harris (Doonesbury - comic strip)
Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Ragtime)
Frank N. Furter (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Lonesome Rhodes (A Face In The Crowd)
Buckaroo Banzai (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension! - film)
Opie Taylor (Andy Griffith Show)
Beaver Cleaver (Leave It To Beaver)
Binx Bolling (The Moviegoer - book)

Can you think of anymore? Let me add Waldo Geraldo Faldo (Family Matters)

dawsongirl · 06-09-2007, 12:38 AM

Six (Blossom). Not that Blossom is normal, but Six?

comedyfreak · 06-09-2007, 08:07 AM

Stabone "Boner" on Growing Pains
Skippy-Family Ties

Heather987 · 06-11-2007, 02:03 AM

Cosmo Kramer - Seinfeild
Gaylord Focker - Meet The Parents/Meet the Fockers

Madame X · 06-11-2007, 11:22 AM

Topanga Lawrence
Dwayne Wayne
Wednesday Addams
Pugsley Addams
Ralph Malph

blue4t · 06-21-2007, 12:47 PM

Hermes Katsopolis (Jesse on Full House)

JulieSomoski · 06-21-2007, 03:44 PM

Christmas Snow - Three's Company
Topanga Lawrence - Boy Meets World
Myrtle Urkel - Family Matters
Whitley Gilbert - A Different World

waichingliu81 · 06-21-2007, 04:21 PM

marion hill (ll cool j)- in the house
screech (dustin diamond)- saved the bell

Furienna · 06-21-2007, 07:59 PM

Are you sure, that some of the names brought up here aren't just nick-names, so that the characters really have "normal" names? For example, wasn't Screech's real name "Samuel"? I have to agree with you on Six (whose real name was the equally weird "Sixty") and Topanga though, because these were so obviously the real names of these characters.

catlover79 · 06-22-2007, 04:33 PM

Whitey Whitney (Leave it to Beaver), whose real first name was Hubert.

catlover79 · 07-18-2007, 06:44 PM

Harold Harold (Samantha's driving instructor on Bewitched)

Nighthawk76 · 07-18-2007, 07:33 PM

Muffy Tepperman (Jami Gertz) on Square Pegs

Boots St. Claire (Jami Gertz) on The Facts of Life

Actually, I love both names, but they are a bit unusual.

DTF955 · 07-19-2007, 08:59 AM

Beaver may have been a nickname - I recall a promo for the show when it was in reruns and the teacher asks, "Is that your given name," and he says, "Yes, ma'am, my brother gave it to me."

Then again, it could also be real - perhaps the parents couldn't think of a name, so Wally suggested it and, in desperation, they went along.

(Referencing a post on another topic, no, someone else can start a poll :-)

Sal · 07-19-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTF955

Beaver may have been a nickname - I recall a promo for the show when it was in reruns and the teacher asks, "Is that your given name," and he says, "Yes, ma'am, my brother gave it to me."

Then again, it could also be real - perhaps the parents couldn't think of a name, so Wally suggested it and, in desperation, they went along.

(Referencing a post on another topic, no, someone else can start a poll :-)

I think what happened in this case is that Beaver was in fact a nickname. His parents named him Theodore Cleaver. When Wally was a baby, he had trouble saying Theodore. Whenever he tried, it always came out as Beaver instead. That explains Beaver's remark about Wally giving him his nickname.

Later on, in the same episode, Wally types a message for Beaver's teacher and signs it 'Beaver's Mother' only to have Beaver correct him by saying, "She calls me Theodore". So that explains everything. His real name is Theodore. His nickname is Beaver. Got it?

DTF955 · 07-19-2007, 03:27 PM

Thanks, that makes sense now.

25-year-old memories aren't that good to work with anyway :-) Glad you cleared that up.

06-08-2007, 08:50 PM	#1
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	What Were Their Parents Thinking When They Named Them? List from Encyclopedia of Fictional People: Beetle Bailey (comic strip) Boob McNutt (comic strip) Zonker Harris (Doonesbury - comic strip) Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Ragtime) Frank N. Furter (Rocky Horror Picture Show) Lonesome Rhodes (A Face In The Crowd) Buckaroo Banzai (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension! - film) Opie Taylor (Andy Griffith Show) Beaver Cleaver (Leave It To Beaver) Binx Bolling (The Moviegoer - book) Can you think of anymore? Let me add Waldo Geraldo Faldo (Family Matters)
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

06-09-2007, 08:07 AM	#3
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,061	Stabone "Boner" on Growing Pains Skippy-Family Ties
	__________________ www.facebook.com/comedyfreak

06-21-2007, 03:44 PM	#7
JulieSomoski Roseanne Reboot - March 27! Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 06, 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 7,558	Christmas Snow - Three's Company Topanga Lawrence - Boy Meets World Myrtle Urkel - Family Matters Whitley Gilbert - A Different World
	__________________ Click here to view some great articles written by my husband and I! All views are appreciated! Watch: Medium, Fridays at 9pm, on CBS! Big Bang Theory, Mondays at 9:30pm, on CBS! The Mentalist, Thursdays at 10pm, on CBS! Old Christine, Wednesdays at 8pm, on CBS! ABC's Comedy Lineup, Starting Wednesdays at 8:30pm, on ABC!

07-19-2007, 08:59 AM	#13
DTF955 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 15, 2002 Posts: 408	Beaver may have been a nickname - I recall a promo for the show when it was in reruns and the teacher asks, "Is that your given name," and he says, "Yes, ma'am, my brother gave it to me." Then again, it could also be real - perhaps the parents couldn't think of a name, so Wally suggested it and, in desperation, they went along. (Referencing a post on another topic, no, someone else can start a poll :-)
	__________________ Full House Chronology - at the webite "Tanner Central" among others (or e-mail fullhousechron (at) aol.com. "If Baseball Integrated Early," about baseball integrated fromt he beginning, & other works at baseballwhatifs (at) aol.com

06-09-2007, 12:38 AM	#2
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,140	Six (Blossom). Not that Blossom is normal, but Six?

06-11-2007, 02:03 AM	#4
Heather987 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 13, 2004 Posts: 476	Cosmo Kramer - Seinfeild Gaylord Focker - Meet The Parents/Meet the Fockers

06-11-2007, 11:22 AM	#5
Madame X Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 15, 2006 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,831	Topanga Lawrence Dwayne Wayne Wednesday Addams Pugsley Addams Ralph Malph

06-21-2007, 12:47 PM	#6
blue4t Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 15, 2005 Posts: 168	Hermes Katsopolis (Jesse on Full House)

06-21-2007, 04:21 PM	#8
waichingliu81 debbie allen Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 28, 2006 Location: london, england, UK Posts: 4,347	marion hill (ll cool j)- in the house screech (dustin diamond)- saved the bell

06-21-2007, 07:59 PM	#9
Furienna Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 22, 2006 Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden Posts: 6,280	Are you sure, that some of the names brought up here aren't just nick-names, so that the characters really have "normal" names? For example, wasn't Screech's real name "Samuel"? I have to agree with you on Six (whose real name was the equally weird "Sixty") and Topanga though, because these were so obviously the real names of these characters.

06-22-2007, 04:33 PM	#10
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	Whitey Whitney (Leave it to Beaver), whose real first name was Hubert.

07-18-2007, 06:44 PM	#11
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	Harold Harold (Samantha's driving instructor on Bewitched)

07-18-2007, 07:33 PM	#12
Nighthawk76 Rachel Berry Forum Celebrity Join Date: Feb 28, 2003 Location: Illinois Posts: 23,254	Muffy Tepperman (Jami Gertz) on Square Pegs Boots St. Claire (Jami Gertz) on The Facts of Life Actually, I love both names, but they are a bit unusual.

07-19-2007, 03:27 PM	#15
DTF955 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 15, 2002 Posts: 408	Thanks, that makes sense now. 25-year-old memories aren't that good to work with anyway :-) Glad you cleared that up.