Fun names for stuffed animals?
June 12, 2015 6:19 PM Subscribe
With our 6 mo daughter, we have an ever expanding universe of stuffed animals. What are some fun/interesting names that you've come up with for said animals? This is more for the amusement of weary parents than easy-to-pronounce-for-toddlers. I mean, we can do better than "bunny" and "racoonie"? My partner had an early burst of creativity with Sir Lambs-A-Lot and Harry B. Elephante, but I've got nada so far. We've got the usual coterie: owl, whale, dolphin, aforementioned racoon and rabbit, puppy, giraffe, you name it.
A search for animal celebrity pun names comes up with several lists of terrible, terrible options. I did kind of enjoy Weird Owl Yankovich, though.
posted by bethnull at 6:36 PM on June 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by bethnull at 6:36 PM on June 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
My stuffed bear is Amanda the Panda.
posted by coppermoss at 6:36 PM on June 12, 2015
posted by coppermoss at 6:36 PM on June 12, 2015
No specific names, but my niece's animals have foreign names and "speak" with beautiful accents.
posted by jennstra at 6:38 PM on June 12, 2015
posted by jennstra at 6:38 PM on June 12, 2015
Ted E. Bear for a teddy bear. Baathsheba for a sheep. Beowulf for a wolf.
posted by orange swan at 6:50 PM on June 12, 2015
posted by orange swan at 6:50 PM on June 12, 2015
Clearly the owl & whale are Hootie & the Blowfish
posted by belladonna at 6:56 PM on June 12, 2015 [12 favorites]
posted by belladonna at 6:56 PM on June 12, 2015 [12 favorites]
My son had a horse called Sir Prance-A-Lot, which was helpfully translated into Spanish as Señor Saltitente, which is lots of fun to say. His walrus is named Mr. Bucket. Memes are rich fodder for stupid, parent-entertaining names.
The raccoon could be Daniel Boone.
Your child will come up with names soon enough though, which is why God help is we have Fuzzy and Furry and Taily and Puppy and Wolfie (all dogs).
posted by tchemgrrl at 7:02 PM on June 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
The raccoon could be Daniel Boone.
Your child will come up with names soon enough though, which is why God help is we have Fuzzy and Furry and Taily and Puppy and Wolfie (all dogs).
posted by tchemgrrl at 7:02 PM on June 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
A girl I used to babysit had a stuffed zebra with overly large beanbag feet. Her dad named him Quadripods. That's a pretty solid name.
posted by phunniemee at 7:04 PM on June 12, 2015
posted by phunniemee at 7:04 PM on June 12, 2015
That stuffed puppy is Barkimedes. (A name you cannot give a live dog.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:06 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:06 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
I tend to name things from book characters or works that I enjoyed. Our cat's name is Pigeon (Don't let her drive the bus.) We had a betta fish called Hunter Thompson (because he was blue like gonzo). Sure, you could name your stuffed rabbit Thumper, but Fiver or Hazel could be more amusing. I don't know why, but I feel like Gatsby would be a good name for an owl.
Regardless, depending on the look of the thing, a number of literary characters could be found that might fit the bill. It also ends up being more fun picking the name.
posted by nasayre at 7:07 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Regardless, depending on the look of the thing, a number of literary characters could be found that might fit the bill. It also ends up being more fun picking the name.
posted by nasayre at 7:07 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
My mother's go-to stuffed animal naming strategy is the same as her real-life animal naming strategy: pick whatever would sound excellent with a Brooklyn accent and go with that. (e.g. Morty, Bernie, Reg, Sylvia, etc)
Me, I like to channel my inner Bill & Ted and draw from history whenever possible, so I tend to prefer really ostentatious names like Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Apollo, etc, and stringing them all together to make different name combos for each of the animals. I also like naming animals after food (Donut, Mustard, Pickles, etc) so there's that, too.
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:20 PM on June 12, 2015
Me, I like to channel my inner Bill & Ted and draw from history whenever possible, so I tend to prefer really ostentatious names like Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Apollo, etc, and stringing them all together to make different name combos for each of the animals. I also like naming animals after food (Donut, Mustard, Pickles, etc) so there's that, too.
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:20 PM on June 12, 2015
Oh gosh, I might need to adopt a David Foster Walrus...
posted by bethnull at 7:35 PM on June 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by bethnull at 7:35 PM on June 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
My stuffed Lab is Ziggy (as in Stardust)and my Steiff panther is Irena (for Cat People).
posted by brujita at 7:58 PM on June 12, 2015
posted by brujita at 7:58 PM on June 12, 2015
Diana, Princess of Whales
Owlice in Wonderland
Dolph-lungr-in
Rocky Racoon (Beatles song, it's awesome - first Beatles song I ever heard)
Rabbie Burns
G. Rafferty (the G stands for Geri, she lives in Baker St, at 222b (Sherlock Holmes ' old place, according to a stuttering parrot in a Hitchcock 3 investigators story - they thought it was initially a Shakespearean soliloquy))
Still working on the dog.
posted by b33j at 8:04 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Owlice in Wonderland
Dolph-lungr-in
Rocky Racoon (Beatles song, it's awesome - first Beatles song I ever heard)
Rabbie Burns
G. Rafferty (the G stands for Geri, she lives in Baker St, at 222b (Sherlock Holmes ' old place, according to a stuttering parrot in a Hitchcock 3 investigators story - they thought it was initially a Shakespearean soliloquy))
Still working on the dog.
posted by b33j at 8:04 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not clever, but ... ethnic? I used to have a fringed embroidered (with a [realistic] bunny [outline]!) pillow that I was inseparable from. When the original got too tattered and was discarded, I was wiley enough at 2.75 (or so) to hunt it down and retrieve it from the trash. I "fell" for a replacement (in a different colour!) because it satisfied the same tactile requirements*.
It's (Cantonese) name was "BohBoh," which transliterates as "Precious."
Gollum
*One of my parents took the discarded embroidered pillow while I was in in "preschool" and had a similar pillow embroidered in the same pattern. This was HK around '80/'81 and there was plentiful light industry to do this kind of stuff
posted by porpoise at 8:08 PM on June 12, 2015
It's (Cantonese) name was "BohBoh," which transliterates as "Precious."
Gollum
*One of my parents took the discarded embroidered pillow while I was in in "preschool" and had a similar pillow embroidered in the same pattern. This was HK around '80/'81 and there was plentiful light industry to do this kind of stuff
posted by porpoise at 8:08 PM on June 12, 2015
Oh, I like K9 for dog (dr who).
What about some synonyms:
Bea Lee Gurr
Badger
Harry
Storm
posted by b33j at 8:11 PM on June 12, 2015
What about some synonyms:
Bea Lee Gurr
Badger
Harry
Storm
posted by b33j at 8:11 PM on June 12, 2015
I had a real rabbit that I often called Dangnabbit.
posted by mochapickle at 8:13 PM on June 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 8:13 PM on June 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
Apparently Ugla is old Norse for Owl.
Owls belong to the order strigiformes, which gives the Latin root Strix - a type of owl.
strixie?
posted by b33j at 8:15 PM on June 12, 2015
Owls belong to the order strigiformes, which gives the Latin root Strix - a type of owl.
strixie?
posted by b33j at 8:15 PM on June 12, 2015
Oh, I deliberately aimed for some obviously female names, even though toys needn't have a gender - the default (if it comes up) is male. I was very surprised when reading to my kids that SO many of the characters in all the story books were male, especially in the old favourites, like Winnie the Pooh.
posted by b33j at 8:23 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by b33j at 8:23 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
My son had a polar bear named Paul R. Bear and a dinosaur named Al O'Saurus.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 8:31 PM on June 12, 2015
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 8:31 PM on June 12, 2015
A stuffed dragon here was called "Noam," because he used to pal around with a similar-looking alligator -- "Chompsky."
posted by kmennie at 8:45 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by kmennie at 8:45 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
My favourite walrus name is Toothache.
posted by destrius at 8:56 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by destrius at 8:56 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
A kangaroo named Kenneth James Hoppington the Third.
A little white kitten named Marie after the Aristocats
Two bunnies named Mr. Bun and Bun Bun and only God will forgive you if you mix them up.
A little dog used to be named Puppy, but he was sadly a cheap piece of junk and lost most of a leg in the washing machine, so he is now named Yardstick. Because he has three feet.
An owl named Cheetah, because apparently she always cheats at Chutes and Ladders. I've seen it, she does.
posted by sanka at 9:03 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
A little white kitten named Marie after the Aristocats
Two bunnies named Mr. Bun and Bun Bun and only God will forgive you if you mix them up.
A little dog used to be named Puppy, but he was sadly a cheap piece of junk and lost most of a leg in the washing machine, so he is now named Yardstick. Because he has three feet.
An owl named Cheetah, because apparently she always cheats at Chutes and Ladders. I've seen it, she does.
posted by sanka at 9:03 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
I used to have a pig named Gertrude Swine and a hippo named Edgar Allen Hippo.
posted by holborne at 9:10 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by holborne at 9:10 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: King Buzzo or Beary Styles for a bear
Dr. Lizardo for a lizard
Usagi for a rabbit
Wesley Stripes for a tiger
Severus Snake for a snake
Eartha Kitten for a cat
Johnny Leopp for a leopard
Filly St. Regis for a horse ("named after the hotel")
Mrs. Jonathan Frisby for a mouse
Nicodemus for a rat
L'il Cthulhu for an octopus or squid
Stingray Charles for a stingray
Charles Nelson Growly for a lion
Elton Prawn for a prawn
Iggy Hop for a frog
posted by ostranenie at 9:44 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Dr. Lizardo for a lizard
Usagi for a rabbit
Wesley Stripes for a tiger
Severus Snake for a snake
Eartha Kitten for a cat
Johnny Leopp for a leopard
Filly St. Regis for a horse ("named after the hotel")
Mrs. Jonathan Frisby for a mouse
Nicodemus for a rat
L'il Cthulhu for an octopus or squid
Stingray Charles for a stingray
Charles Nelson Growly for a lion
Elton Prawn for a prawn
Iggy Hop for a frog
posted by ostranenie at 9:44 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
My parents named all of my bears random names, except for the one named after the governor of the state where I was born. You can probably guess my age and native statehood when I introduce you to Pierre S. duPont IV -- always the full name, unlike the man himself, who went by Pete.
posted by St. Hubbins at 10:01 PM on June 12, 2015
posted by St. Hubbins at 10:01 PM on June 12, 2015
There was no Wikipedia when we started naming stuffed animals so I had to work from memory rather than using a convenient list, but we used the names of motorway service areas. Toddington, Newport Pagnel & Watford Gap made great teddy bear names. (Bothwell, Cherwell, Cobham, Grantham, Heston, etc. remain in reserve for when we have grandchildren’s animals to name, or for when my second childhood kicks in).
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 10:25 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 10:25 PM on June 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Mointainspalk and Tromple would be great names for stuffed animals.
posted by wanderingmind at 10:59 PM on June 12, 2015
posted by wanderingmind at 10:59 PM on June 12, 2015
Mr Hootington the owl, Splashypants the whale, Twiggy the giraffe, and Miss Splishy the dolphin.
posted by 35minutes at 12:06 AM on June 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by 35minutes at 12:06 AM on June 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Boris and Natasha, but then you must get her Moose and Squirrel
posted by BoscosMom at 12:12 AM on June 13, 2015
posted by BoscosMom at 12:12 AM on June 13, 2015
Rabbits are called Flopsy - it's the law!
Our polar bears are called Polo (after the mints which are white and cold...)
Our donkey is called Earl Grey, but then he was already called that when we got him (you know, on the label) so it seemed rude to change his name.
posted by car01 at 2:34 AM on June 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Our polar bears are called Polo (after the mints which are white and cold...)
Our donkey is called Earl Grey, but then he was already called that when we got him (you know, on the label) so it seemed rude to change his name.
posted by car01 at 2:34 AM on June 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Kenny Curtis used to have a morning show in the DC area and he had a great cast of characters. Some of them came with him when he jumped to satellite radio. Can't link on my phone, but do a google search. I remember Bear E Manilow, Bear E White, Forest Skunk, and for those from DC, paired characters called Glen and Bernie, Mary and Barry, etc.
posted by chainsofreedom at 4:00 AM on June 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by chainsofreedom at 4:00 AM on June 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
My daughter has a pink whale called Moby Pink.
posted by town of cats at 3:59 PM on June 13, 2015
posted by town of cats at 3:59 PM on June 13, 2015
I like naming them after historical figures myself, often from British history.
posted by Canageek at 4:56 PM on June 13, 2015
posted by Canageek at 4:56 PM on June 13, 2015
Response by poster: I'm loving Wesley Stripes, Iggy Hop and Sir Francis Bacon. Thanks for all the suggestions!
posted by amorphatist at 10:09 AM on June 14, 2015
posted by amorphatist at 10:09 AM on June 14, 2015
My son's favorite cat is named Robert, because it has nipples. (Obviously inspired by a stupid Ben Stiller movie... "I have nipples, Fokker. Can you milk me?")
We encourage him to pick names he likes, generally aiming at normal human names if he needs a suggestion, like his wombat - I've been thinking Walter is a good wombat name. We'll see if it sticks. He is usually pretty good at picking names. He has a pig he named Nedward, and daschund named "Skinny Hot Dog" for example (after we carefully vetoed his original suggestion of "Weenie" because really.)
posted by caution live frogs at 12:03 PM on June 14, 2015
We encourage him to pick names he likes, generally aiming at normal human names if he needs a suggestion, like his wombat - I've been thinking Walter is a good wombat name. We'll see if it sticks. He is usually pretty good at picking names. He has a pig he named Nedward, and daschund named "Skinny Hot Dog" for example (after we carefully vetoed his original suggestion of "Weenie" because really.)
posted by caution live frogs at 12:03 PM on June 14, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DrGail at 6:26 PM on June 12, 2015 [3 favorites]