# Can you recycle sock puppets? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 7, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recycle-sock-puppets/80259 "2001-09-07T16:54:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![missdavis102](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@missdavis102](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missdavis102)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recycle-sock-puppets/80259/1 "2001-09-07T16:54:13Z")
A purely hypothetical question about user name assignments. If a particular user name had been found to be a sock puppet, or alternately, was a 2nd or 3rd user name registered prior to the rule against multiple names, and a new member or legitimate someone else wanted to use that name, could it be “donated” to the new person (or existing member who wants to change his/her name)? The example that comes to mind is Zette’s second registered name, Santa. Santa was here before the rule, and Zette has said here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85825](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85825) that she never intends to use it again. So if someone wanted to register here as or change his/her existing user name to Santa, and Zette agreed to allow the profile email and all to be changed, could that be done? Also, if someone goes through proper channels now to change usernames, does the old name go back in the pile of unregistered? For example, could a new person register as Goboy, now that Goboy is Gobear? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recycle-sock-puppets/80259/2 "2001-09-07T17:01:40Z")
Sure, it _could_ be done. But it ain’t likely we’d allow it, unless the bribes to TubaDiva and Lynn are large enough. Too confusing, I’d think. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recycle-sock-puppets/80259/3 "2001-09-07T18:07:42Z")
Good God, that made my head spin! That would be very confusing, I think. Since I’d used Santa (prior to the no second username rule), I probably would not want someone else to post with it. Only because if they did something rude or stupid, people might say “Santa- hey, that’s Zette, isn’t it?” Same for Goboy and other previously used names IMHO. Zette ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recycle-sock-puppets/80259/4 "2001-09-07T21:56:54Z")
well, I’ve always heard that sockpuppets get lost in the dryer. It never fails, ya go to grab your favorite sock puppet and bingo! it’s not there anymore. There’s some speculation that there’s a ‘lost sock puppet burial ground’ some where around ground zero. I don’t know, but I’ve heard that **Alphagene** launched an expedition, and that’s how **Arnold Winklereid** was discovered. “Arnold, I presume” became such a popular catch phrase that Sony [sup]TM[/sup] attempted to create a hand-held sockpuppet/Arnold game. Tragically, sales in the hand held game were not as firm as hoped for. But a sequel on Fox is planned for as a mid season replacement. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recycle-sock-puppets/80259/5 "2001-09-08T03:16:17Z")
Oh, you mean their _names_. I thought you were talking about sending them to the Organ Banks or something.