# Fig Newtons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 7, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416 "2013-06-07T19:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Santa\_Cruz\_n](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@Santa\_Cruz\_n](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santa_Cruz_n)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/1 "2013-06-07T19:45:27Z")
Dear Cecil, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the episode of "The Big Bang Theory’ where they addressed the naming of the Fig Newton. Penny suggests it was named after Sir Isaac, “because he was one smart cookie.” But Sheldon, of course, makes it clear it was named after a town in Massachusetts. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/2 "2013-06-07T21:29:07Z")
Surprising a member since 2002 didn’t know better. [Here’s](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1265/who-or-what-are-fig-newton-cookies-named-after) the article s/he is talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/3 "2013-06-07T21:38:18Z")
And the fact that the article was written 10 years before the Big Bang Theory was first aired. ---
**Author:** ![photodiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ea666f/32.png) [@photodiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photodiver)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/4 "2013-06-11T15:09:48Z")
One of the great trademarked names, Oreo has several advantages in that it is short, easy to pronounce & spell, and means nothing in and of itself. “Fig Newton” is two words, and though it might get me in legal trouble to call my candy the “Newton Mint Patty”, I could call my computer program “Newton Anti-Virus” without too much hassle from my lawyer. Oreo, like Kodak, could never be used to name any other product. I’m sure if you had a sizeable fortune to pay enough trademark lawyers, you could call your new line of footwear the “Coke Sneakers”, but you would probably only have a small fortune at the end of the trial. ---
**Author:** ![pplepic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@pplepic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pplepic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/5 "2013-06-11T16:40:15Z")
YOu go, Cece! ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/6 "2013-06-11T20:14:58Z")
This brings up the question: what were Harvard and Shrewsbury cookies? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/7 "2013-06-11T21:38:03Z")
Although I would actually be incorrect to do so, the pedant in me really wants to say “Figs Newton.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/8 "2013-06-11T23:58:51Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Although I would actually be incorrect to do so, the pedant in me really wants to say “Figs Newton.” 🙂 I’m going to smugly call them that, next time I get a chance. ---
**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/9 "2013-06-14T17:19:15Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > the pedant in me really wants to say “Figs Newton.” 🙂 The pedant in me wants to remind you that “fig” is an attributive noun. 🙂 Although… Now that you mention it, I really wish somebody would come up with a recipe for something called “figs Newton.” Maybe something unpredictably sour, in honor of Sir Isaac. ---
**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/10 "2013-06-14T17:44:33Z")
The Fig Newton article reminded me that, a couple of years ago, I undertook to research the nineteenth/early-twentieth century fad for steam biscuits. Online research proved to be hopeless, as Google turned up practically nothing apart from page after page about farting… ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/11 "2013-06-14T17:49:24Z")
> [@eastcheap](#): > > The pedant in me wants to remind you that “fig” is an attributive noun. 🙂 > > Although… > > Now that you mention it, I really wish somebody would come up with a recipe for something called “figs Newton.” Maybe something unpredictably sour, in honor of Sir Isaac. Maybe “FIgs” was Issac’s less well-known brother. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fig-newtons/660416/12 "2013-06-14T18:11:14Z")
> [@eastcheap](#): > > The pedant in me wants to remind you that “fig” is an attributive noun. :). Hence my use of the word “incorrect.” 🙂