# Is there a Cecil Adams? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961 "2002-12-15T22:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/1 "2002-12-15T22:21:09Z")
Dear Teemings–I am 21 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Cecil Adams. Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Straight Dope, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth, is there a Cecil Adams? ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/2 "2002-12-15T22:24:18Z")
[Straightdope FAQ: Who is Cecil Adams?](http://www.straightdope.com/faq/officialfaq.html) ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/3 "2002-12-15T22:26:49Z")
Yes, he’s real. He exists in the smile of every child, and in the hearts of good people everywhere. I think most of the answers you receive will be along these lines. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/4 "2002-12-15T22:49:45Z")
Yes, and every time a bell rings, it’s Cecil crying. ---
**Author:** ![mkl12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@mkl12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkl12)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/5 "2002-12-15T22:50:47Z")
Muad’Dib, your little friends are wrong. More [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=1918607#post1918607), [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=1392776#post1392776) and [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=605692#post605692). ---
**Author:** ![Wearia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Wearia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wearia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/6 "2002-12-15T23:26:50Z")
Of course he exists, those columns didn’t write themselves ya know. ---
**Author:** ![RobertTB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@RobertTB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobertTB)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/7 "2002-12-15T23:52:24Z")
I suspect that ‘Cecil Adams’ is a sort of cover name, such as ‘The Dread Pirate Roberts’ of _The Princess Bride_ fame. The title ‘Cecil Adams’ is passed down from one sage to the next. How else could they explain the Cedil heiroglyphics in the Great Pyramids? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/8 "2002-12-16T00:37:02Z")
\ \ Do I detect a whiff of Cecil-bait? \ \ ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/9 "2002-12-16T00:50:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voltaire \* > \*\*\ \ Do I detect a whiff of Cecil-bait? \ \ \*\* Won’t work…the subject is way to wary. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/10 "2002-12-16T00:51:24Z")
I dunno… It is just, that after two years, and over a thousand posts, I have started to become a little cynical as to whether [my friend Cecil Adams](http://cecil.adams.youaremyfriend.com/) even exists. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Pythagras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/45deac/32.png) [@Pythagras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagras)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/11 "2002-12-16T00:56:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Muad’Dib \* > \*\*I dunno… It is just, that after two years, and over a thousand posts, I have started to become a little cynical as to whether [my friend Cecil Adams](http://cecil.adams.youaremyfriend.com/) even exists. > _sigh_ \*\* That site’s cool! A little dark humor: [http://adolf.hitler.youaremyfriend.com/](http://adolf.hitler.youaremyfriend.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Daylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Daylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/12 "2002-12-16T03:09:17Z")
THe thought just occured to me. Has anyone, anywhere captured Cecil on film? I was reading the subject line and thought, “You know…I’ve never actually SEEN a picture of the world’s greatest sage…” I’m sure there’s been a couple of blurry, handheld stills of Cecil in the wild, not to mention numerous hoaxes and imposters - has anyone actually SEEN the man? I ask you, do we know his age? place of residence? Favorite color? ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/13 "2002-12-16T03:55:01Z")
OK, so now that we know for certain that Cecil Adams is a trademark and not a real person, the next mystery is… How come all those threads in which somebody asks about Cecil are answered, by different people, in the exact same form? Remark about “little friends”, “might as well not believe in \_\_\_\_\_”, etc. Look at the links in **mkl12** ’s post. There’s a conspiracy or something going on. Now, why would a site dedicated to fighting ignorance not just come out and give a straight answer, admit that Cecil is not a real person? And why would different longtime posters be using practically a form response to repel the questions? ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/14 "2002-12-16T03:55:01Z")
[Photo](http://www.ipass.net/~whitetho/edcecil.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Luckie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dc4da7/32.png) [@Luckie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luckie)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/15 "2002-12-16T04:07:23Z")
yes Muad’Dib, there is a Cecil Adams. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/16 "2002-12-16T04:30:26Z")
I have a picture of Cecil Adams standing on the grassy knoll overlooking Dealey Plaza. Of course, I took the photo in 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/17 "2002-12-16T04:51:16Z")
until we see hard proof, which cannot happen online, we won’t know for sure, right? could someone post all the other “cecil” threads somehow? we could provide _some_ proof by skimming over these other threads for some inconsistencies! all his columns seem to have the same sense of humor and writing technique, so it’s probably the same guy/gal, whatever their name is… ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/18 "2002-12-16T04:53:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RexDart \* > \*\* And why would different longtime posters be using practically a form response to repel the questions? \*\* Apparently, you don’t read the New York Sun. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/19 "2002-12-16T05:15:34Z")
According to the Google image search, [this](http://www.rlc.dcccd.edu/lrc/conanbig.jpg)is the most likely picture of Cecil. I think that there is more truth in that then we dare realize. ---
**Author:** ![SmileyDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SmileyDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmileyDeath)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2002, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961/20 "2002-12-16T06:17:09Z")
Yes, he exists. AND HE’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-cecil-adams/142961.md?page=2)