TODAY IN GOBSMACKERY
Teacher gobsmacked after parent gives identical twins near-identical names
(Thanks to Emily, Leslie and w)
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January 22, 2023
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On the gobsmackedness continuum, would she be less flabbergasted if the twins were named Thing 1 and Thing 2?
Posted by: Jim | January 22, 2023 at 10:34 AM
Here is a complete transcript of an "On the Road" segment by Charles Kuralt. I am not making this up.
KURALT: This is the Spivey family of Blacfoot, Idaho. What's your name?
CHILD #1: Berry.
CHILD #2: Zerry.
CHILD #3: Perry.
CHILD #4: Cherry.
CHILD #5: Terry.
KURALT: Is that all?
MRS. SPIVEY: No, we have four more. One's in the Marine Corps, and two are visiting their grandparents, and one is babysitting.
KURALT: What are their names?
MRS. SPIVEY: Jerry, Sherry, Merry, and Kerry.
KURALT: Mr. Spivey, how did this happen?
MR. SPIVEY: Well, we started off as a typical American family, two kids. We had Jerry and Terry, and then we had Sherry. Then we had Merry, and we thought it would be cute to make it rhyme, so we spelled it M-E-R-R-Y, and then, when my wife the following year was on her annual vacation up in the maternity ward, she had a little girl, and we didn't want to name it Sue or something that didn't rhyme, and she'd grow up thinkin' we didn't love her, so we named her Kerry, and then the next year another one, and on and on and on.
KURALT: Can you name them all?
MR. SPIVEY: Chronologically: Jerry, Terry, Sherry, Merry, Kerry, Cherry, Perry, Zerry, and Berry.
KURALT: What's your name?
MR. SPIVEY: Joe.
Posted by: wanderer2575 | January 22, 2023 at 11:00 AM
They should have named one twin Kate and her twin sister Duplikate.
Posted by: pharmaross | January 22, 2023 at 11:19 AM
Remember these TV characters? Juan one & Juan two. This is my brother, Daryl, & this is my other brother Daryl.
Posted by: cfjk | January 22, 2023 at 11:41 AM
Pete and Repeat.
Posted by: Static Joeage | January 22, 2023 at 01:48 PM
I met two sets of twins in school: Carolyn and Marilyn, and Trey (boy) and Tracy (girl). This article did not give the names of which the teacher objected.
Posted by: MOTW | January 22, 2023 at 05:44 PM
@MOTW - Yes, I was expecting that information, too. Great minds think alike. Or, as I am fonder of saying, fools seldom differ. :-)
Posted by: Mad Hatter | January 22, 2023 at 07:10 PM
The gobsmackery bar is set REALLY REALLY low.
Posted by: Steverino | January 23, 2023 at 01:01 PM
I concur, Steverino.
If the bar sinks any lower we'll be talking about "shinsmackery".
Posted by: Lucky Jack | January 23, 2023 at 02:09 PM
Parents giving their kids too-similar names has always been an I-know-it's-none-of-my-business-but-STILL pet peeve of mine. When I was eight years old and read Beverly Cleary's Ramona Forever (fiction, just so we're clear...y), I got really irritated that Ramona's parents named her new baby sister "Roberta." C'mon, mix it up a little, I thought. There's gonna be confusion when you yell up the stairs for one of them. Call her Fleagle, Jazzica, Poop-Head Nellie, something.
Posted by: AmoebaStampede | January 23, 2023 at 04:35 PM
TOO MANY DAVES by Dr. Seuss
Posted by: MOTW | January 23, 2023 at 05:07 PM
That is too funny, and apropos! @MOTW
Posted by: Mad Hatter | January 23, 2023 at 07:04 PM