Do you name inanimate objects you're fond of?

In My Humble Opinion
61

While I was out in the garage, working on Belle Dame (“Belle” for short), a 1975 Motobecane bicycle that I recently restored, I heard a story on NPR discussing the tendency of humans to anthropomorphise inanimate objects (all my bikes and both our cars have names):

I liked it!

Anthropomorphism changes the fundamental way that people think, feel and behave around inanimate objects. It assigns social value to objects well beyond their monetary worth, affording them greater attention and consideration in our lives.

I feel like I do give an extra measure of care to the objects in my life to which I’ve assigned names.

Forgive an impertinent question, but is there another kind of Fiat X1/9?? :wink:

62

I used to name things all the time, and don’t as much as I’ve gotten older. To be sure, I name stuffed animals. My first car, a 1986 Oldsmobile Delta '88 was Brunhilde. My second car, a 2009 Honda Fit, was Greta.

I just realized I never named my current car. The most recent thing I named was a stuffed tardigrade named Lewis.

63

Ha! Nope. It’s been at least 20 years since I’ve seen one on the road.

64

The smartboard in my classroom is named Alfred. The previous one was Bernard. Students came up with both names, but I’m the one who asked them to, and I address them by name. Both very definitely have personalities.

65

My '23 Subaru has all the usual warning features (lane drift, traffic approaching when in reverse, et.al.). At 75 I need and enjoy having them, but I turned off the female voice in favor of beeps. The one and only time I got the voice (rear hatch was ajar) I spontaneously said “Yes, Eunice” (ref. “What’s Up Doc?” movie). Since then I sometimes get beeping alerts for things I’m already aware of, and always reply “Yes Eunice” to the computer/car.

66

Why, yes, I cerainly do:

I’ve got a skull shaped glass bong named Skullbongius.

Two of my canes have brass skull heads, and names : Sonny Boy and Junior.

Some of the skulls in my little collection have names–there are Voodoo, Senor Don Jose de la Plaza de Oaxaca, Granny, Baron Crimenel alias Baron Scarface, Hernando, Bridget, Uncle Infernus, and the Walgreen Sisters aka Tangee and Violette. The others don’t have names, presently. At least none that I’m aware of.

I’ve got a decorated hunting knife–wolves and forest leaves acid-etched on the eight-inch blade, and the faux bone handle is molded into more wolf imagery–that I’ve named Mowgli.

All of our computers (the ones that work) have personal names. I am typing this post on Mung-Puppy.

Most all of our stuffed critters have names (of course), and so do my two plastic troll dolls. The larger one with the big blue hair is Trollaroyd and his little brother is Lumpentroll.

We used to have a camper van named Ernie (RIP).

You could say we like giving our things names,

67

My car is a lil’ blue hatchback named “Bluebonnet” which is a quiet British joke + a callback to when I lived in Texas.

(“Bonnet” means the hood of a car. Bluebonnets in TX require no further explanation.)

In the winter, when my car is struggling to make it over yet another ice brigade, I can often be heard, swearing, and saying, “C’mon, Bluebie!”

My window A/C is named “Coolio” and is a prized member of the household since moving to a rental house with no central air conditioning.

Long about May or June, I :heart: Coolio.

68

My orange Ford escape was named the “Orange Menace”. Right here on this board.

We come from a family of “thing” namers.

69

I think I have posted this before, my big man’s manly man’s big truck is named…

“Sarah”

Thanks kids (approx 4 and 6 at the time)

70

My Jeep is named Caroline. The coyote skin is named Gary.

71

We used to have a Ford F150 with big camper on the back that we called “The Nostromo” (like the refinery spaceship in ALIEN).

72

My first new car was a VW Rabbit. I paid for it with a nice job writing software and locating the issues involved. The obvious name for the car was “Bugs”. So what’s up Doc?

73

I’d like to know more about the smart boards’ personalities.

74

Back when cars didn’t come with nav systems, we traveled with one of those portable nav systems. The voice in ours sounded like the Nostromo’s computer, so we called it Mother.

75

Yes! Cars, sometimes.

Bubba was a loud American Muscle car, a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS396. You heard Bubba coming down the road a long time before you actually saw him. I miss Bubba.

Gertrude was an old, rickety small import station wagon. She was an old lady.

The Divorcemobile was a ratty old 1981 Toyota Tercel. It ran solidly but its body paint looked terrible, awful, like a car with extreme eczema. I had no money and so it was a great car that reliably got me from point A to B. Funny, but that’s what I had 30 years ago when I first met the girl who is now my wife. I took her on dates with it and I said, This must be true love! The Divorcemobile is long gone but it was, and it still is to this day (true love).

Yes, people love to bash Fiats — Fix It Again Tony, and all that. Fiats did not have the best reputation.

But my first car was a metallic blue 1979 X1/9 that I bought new in San Francisco in 1980 with my first Marine Corps paychecks. I had that car for 5 years and 100,000 miles and it ran great. I loved that car!

Here is my metallic blue X1/9 in 1983 in San Francisco, with me on the right and my brother on the left as we left on an epic cross-country road trip.

On that epic road trip we were on a tight budget and we camped out a lot. Here we are in the Florida Keys, at a fantastic campsite on Sunshine Key, right on the water.

My metallic blue X1/9 was just like this web photo. She ran like a champ! On that road trip we drove from San Francisco to Niagara Falls, to Cape Cod, to Washington DC and down to Key West, back to Santa Barbara CA and then home to San Francisco. Truly an epic trip, and she ran flawlessly. In 100,000 miles of ownership she only failed me once when the starter motor failed. A quick and easy fix. That was it.

I still see an occasional X1/9 on the road, like this yellow 1988 just last week. I also see the occasional Fiat Spider 2000 and 124, and also rarely, a Fiat 850.

Fiats can be great cars. With that Bertone styling, the X1/9 was beautiful. And the ladies loved riding in mine. I gave lots of ladies good rides. One at a time, of course. :innocent:

Long live the Fiat X1/9!