In case you’ve been living under a rock with no wi-fi, a woman in England had a baby and it was the biggest news story in the entire world.
The parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton were both born in 1982, making them 31 years old and the prime age to have grown up knowing and watching and loving the Muppets. I would find it hard to believe that their Muppreciation ™, of which I’m positive they had enough to fill the Thames, has a lot of influence on how they’re choosing to raise their newborn son.
First off, they named him George. Actually, he’s Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge, but I’m sure his pals will keep it cool call him George. The name “George” has a lot of history in British royalty, but I can’t even imagine why that would be on their minds. Obviously, he’s named after a Muppet. The only question is: Which George?
The first George that comes to mind is the one who sang about the two “G” sounds with Grover. The Brits are so persnickety about proper usage of language, perhaps William and Kate want to teach their young son a lesson about the seventh letter of the alphabet and its many pronunciations by emulating their favorite one-off Sesame character.
Another possibility is George Rabbit, one half of the dancing duo from the talent show in Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. With the British love of music hall performances and physical humor, the bunny in question may be the baby prince’s namesake.
There’s also Georges the Penguin, who appeared on the French version of Sesame Street: 5, Rue Sesame. But nobody really likes the French quite that much, so Georges is most definitely not the inspiration.
Prince Baby George may be named after Elmo’s dad. “But ToughPigs,” you may gripe, “Elmo’s dad is named Louie, not George.” Well, you’re wrong. Dead wrong. Okay, mostly right, but with a sliver of wrong. In an episode of Elmo’s World, Dorothy imagines Elmo’s birth, along with his parents “George” and “Gladys”. Of course, since this is all happening in the mind of a goldfish, it’s hardly considered canon. But Dorothy had to have gotten her information somewhere, right??? All right, this one’s probably not true, but we’re almost positive that Louie was the inspiration for one of Baby George’s middle names.
It’s also possible that Kate and Will reached into the minutae of Muppet trivia and named their child after a rock. George and his wife Martha were rock-like Koozebanians who were present (albeit asleep) for a brief visit by the Pigs in Space crew. What? It’s totally possible!
Another theory is that they wanted to name their son after their favorite Muppet prince, but both “Junior” and “Gorg” make for strange names. So they could’ve found the Anglo version of “Gorg” and stretched it out to “George”. Because who wouldn’t want to name their kid after the worst gardener/exterminator/heir the universe has ever seen?
I don’t think the Alligator King‘s son was named George, but he’s a cute little dickens, isn’t he? Maybe Baby Prince George’s blue blood will turn him green and this is what he’ll grow up into.
The obvious answer, and the one that is without a shadow of a doubt the correct one, is that the Prince and possibly future King of England was named after a janitor. What more honorable, distinguished, and regal character for the royal couple to build up as a role model for their infant son than a man who loves his mop, enjoys a classic ballroom dance, and doesn’t let his grumpy demeanor get in the way of his dreams of working in show biz. Truly, George the Janitor is someone who we can all look up to, whether you’re a lowly British citizen or in the line of succession for the Iron Throne.
In the meantime, click here to vote for your choice of which Muppet George the Royal Baby will look the most like! We’ll choose the winner democratically, just like how they choose their kings and queens in England. Oh, wait…
Click here to name your child after a French penguin on the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
