# Did the putz smiley change lately? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 16, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425 "2000-09-16T20:22:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wooster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@Wooster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wooster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/1 "2000-09-16T20:22:59Z")
I could have sworn it had a regular cartoon balloon. Now it has one with two parts, an oval and a separate tail. Sort of like a draft version. Was it perhaps “restored” too far back in this week’s several maintenance runs? ---
**Author:** ![Wooster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@Wooster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wooster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/2 "2000-09-16T20:24:05Z")
Not that I would use it, of course. Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/3 "2000-09-16T21:26:12Z")
:wally: ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2000, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/4 "2000-09-16T23:56:13Z")
Looks the same to my (nearsighted) eyes. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2000, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/5 "2000-09-17T00:10:00Z")
Yes, the balloon is seperate from the tail, clearly different from what it once was. Have any changes to this board affected the smilies? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2000, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/6 "2000-09-17T00:54:06Z")
The wallywink.gif on Opals site looks the same as here . [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/WALLYWINK.GIF](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/WALLYWINK.GIF) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/7 "2000-09-17T21:56:08Z")
I seem to remember it being that way when it was introduced, but didn’t think it worthy of comment. Of course, it’s impossible to check now, since if it was changed, it’d change on the old threads, too. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2000, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/8 "2000-09-17T22:01:14Z")
To my knowledge, it has always been like this. ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2000, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/9 "2000-09-18T18:38:29Z")
Can someone tell me the story behind this smilie? thanks ---
**Author:** ![saam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@saam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2000, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/10 "2000-09-18T18:52:35Z")
It seems to be named after a wally (troll, I guess) who always said it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2000, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/11 "2000-09-18T18:56:34Z")
The short version: There was a poster named WallyM7, whowas an all-around great guy: Funny, witty, perceptive, the works. He was particularly adept, from what I’ve heard, at flaming those who desparately needed it, and one word he was rather fond of using in these flames was “putz”. At the beginning of this summer, he passed away. The :wally smiley is one of the tributes to him we created; there’s also a memorial page, and the banner add for a few weeks afterwards pointed to it. There’s lists lying around of his classic threads; they’re recommended reading for all members. Someone will surely be along shortly with a more detailed post. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2000, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/12 "2000-09-18T19:49:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by saam \* > \*\*It seems to be named after a wally (troll, I guess) who always said it. \*\* Wally’s not the troll here. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![saam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@saam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saam)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/13 "2000-09-19T00:01:17Z")
Chronos- Tubadiva- Thanks for the specifics. I thought from the smilie list wally was being used in the generic sense, of bloke, not for a specific person. Sorry to hear about your Wally. No slight intended. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/14 "2000-09-19T00:30:52Z")
In defense of saam he said “a wally” not Wally. A wally is a fool. samm if you want to know about WallyM7, which by the way you should if you are going to stay around here as his name comes up quite a bit. Here’s a page which covers a lot. It has links on the bottom. You can always just put WallyM7 into the search engine. You will not be disapointed. As has already said the man had a way about him that was special. He had a cutting wit that was frightening. He also was a very kind man which showed thru his words all the time. I only interacted with him once but from reading him a lot while he was still with us I felt I knew him. [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/wally2.adp](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/wally2.adp) ---
**Author:** ![2sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e47774/32.png) [@2sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2sense)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/15 "2000-09-19T05:21:58Z")
Thanks **yojimbo**. ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/16 "2000-09-19T15:31:21Z")
Thanks, all. I knew the smilie had to do with Wally, but I wasn’t sure how. ---
**Author:** ![tshirts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tshirts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tshirts)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2000, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/17 "2000-09-19T15:47:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wooster \* > \*\*I could have sworn it had a regular cartoon balloon. > Now it has one with two parts, an oval and a separate tail. > Sort of like a draft version. > Was it perhaps “restored” too far back in this week’s several maintenance runs? \*\* I think you’re right. I remember there being two versions, because I was working on my suggested smilies at the time and copied it to use as a model. I can’t seem to locate it now, however. I think I just decided that smilies with words was sort of a mixed metaphor, and didn’t keep it. Does anyone know who made it? The same person as the Wally banner ad? ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-putz-smiley-change-lately/33425/18 "2000-09-22T21:07:17Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by tshirts:_ > Does anyone know who made it?\*\* 😃