Girl Named "Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii" Changes Name

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Remember 4Real? The unusual baby name was not allowed to be given to a baby boy earlier this year in New Zealand. But somehow Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii slipped by them.

Judge Rob Murfitt agreed with a nine-year-old girl that her unusual name was a form of parental cruelty, and allowed her to become a temporary ward of the court so she could change it.

Wrote Murfitt in his ruling, "The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name. It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily."

The registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages in New Zealand, Brian Clarke, told reporters that baby names must not cause offense to a "reasonable person."

The judge said he was tired of parents giving their children such odd and embarrassing names, to be unique or draw attention to themselves, or for whatever other reasons parents choose to do so.

Murfitt listed a few other names that had been refused: Sex Fruit, Fish and Chips (for twins), Keenan got Lucy, Yeah Detroit, and the aforementioned 4Real.

However, the following names were actually legally bestowed upon the forever unfortunate offspring: Violence, Midnight Chardonnay, and my personal favorite, Number 16 Bus Shelter.

Celebrities are well, famous, for choosing the peculiar when naming their "sex fruit." Soleil Moon Frye, the former child star from "Punky Brewster," didn’t seem too traumatized by her strange name, though. She in turn named her two daughters Poet Sienna Rose and Jagger Joseph Blu (yes, that’s a girl).

In fact, odd baby names are nothing new, and the celebrity trend to choose truly outlandish monikers is only continuing. Fifi Trixibelle, Inspektor Pilot, Audio Science, and Moxie Crimefighter (the respectively unlucky children of Bob Geldof, Jason Lee, Shannyn Sossamon, and Penn Jillette) make Gwyneth Paltrow’s much-mocked daughter Apple seem like "Mary" in comparison.

But goofy baby names are not unique to the famous. Articles citing bizarre baby names tend to elicit much reader response, usually from those similarly unfortunately named in the general population. There’s the chorus of sad folks carrying around names like Ivan Odor, Peaches and Cream (twins), and a whole bunch of people with names like Harry Cox, Peter Rabbitt, and Mary Christmas. There was even one woman who said her name was Bananarama.

Well-meaning baby naming sites suggest that parents-to-be give their chosen name the playground test (picture hollering the name across a crowded playground), the Supreme Court judge test (could Justice Caramel Candy be taken seriously?), or something similar.

Well sure, that works: "Hey, Number 16 Bus Shelter, get your butt over here, it’s time for your therapy session!"