# Is This A Coincidence? Or Am I Just NOW Getting The Joke (Shrek Question)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166 "2007-05-31T05:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/1 "2007-05-31T05:34:33Z")
First, a little background. My two younger kids are going through a stage wherein they will ask me why something is named what it is. Sometimes, I can answer factually, but sometimes I just can’t (“Why are they called ‘trees?’”). Then I say, “Because they didn’t want to call them ‘fliggles.’” or some other nonsense word I can come up with, and we laugh. Today, it was my son, and I can’t remember what he asked about, but I said, “Because they didn’t want to call it a farkwad.” (I didn’t want to drop the “F-bomb” on my seven year old!) That made me think about how that sounded like the bad guy from Shrek–Lord Farquaad. Chuckle, chuckle, and all that. Then it hit me–had they actually and intentionally euphemistically named the villain “F\*\*\*wad?” And if so, why did it take so long for me to realize it? Or maybe it’s all just a big coincidence–what do you think? ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/2 "2007-05-31T05:40:29Z")
[QUOTE=Chanteuse] First, a little background. My two younger kids are going through a stage wherein they will ask me why something is named what it is. Sometimes, I can answer factually, but sometimes I just can’t (“Why are they called ‘trees?’”). Then I say, “Because they didn’t want to call them ‘fliggles.’” or some other nonsense word I can come up with, and we laugh. Today, it was my son, and I can’t remember what he asked about, but I said, “Because they didn’t want to call it a farkwad.” (I didn’t want to drop the “F-bomb” on my seven year old!) That made me think about how that sounded like the bad guy from Shrek–Lord Farquaad. Chuckle, chuckle, and all that. Then it hit me–had they actually and intentionally euphemistically named the villain “F\*\*\*wad?” And if so, why did it take so long for me to realize it? Or maybe it’s all just a big coincidence–what do you think? [/QUOTE] I also got the feeling Farquaad was a play on the similarity to Fuckwad. _Cars_ is a little more blatant, having the racers competing for the “Piston Cup.” (say it out loud a few times) These movies may be aimed at kids but there’s jokes for adults in them too… They just try to be subtle enough about them that kids won’t notice until much later in life. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/3 "2007-05-31T07:01:08Z")
Farquaad is definitely a Fuckwad, but I have always supposed the Piston Cup is the Winston Cup (now evidently called the NEXTEL Cup) for a universe in which none of the characters uses tobacco… ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/4 "2007-05-31T07:50:34Z")
Man, I’d be pist. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/5 "2007-05-31T11:22:46Z")
What do you think Ivana Humpalot from Austin Powers is supposed to mean? ---
**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:** [May 31, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/6 "2007-05-31T11:30:15Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] What do you think Ivana Humpalot from Austin Powers is supposed to mean? [/QUOTE] Or Alotta Fagina? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/7 "2007-05-31T12:09:34Z")
Lord Farquaad is supposed to be a dig at Michael Eisner, with whom the Dreamworks has/had a feud. There are supposed to be some physical similarities and it’s their way of calling him a f$ckwad. I remember reading this in a review when Shrek first came out. Of course they would never open themselves up to a suit by admitting it, and it could just be something read into by industry insiders. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/8 "2007-05-31T12:15:36Z")
[QUOTE=DWMarch] _Cars_ is a little more blatant, having the racers competing for the “Piston Cup.” (say it out loud a few times) . [/QUOTE] I didn’t know it was an intentional pun. I thought it was just refering to an actual car part. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/9 "2007-05-31T12:25:16Z")
Wasn’t there a Farquaad, mentioned only in passing, in Douglas Adams’ universe? Or maybe used as a curse? I hear it in my head in Zaphod’s voice. I assumed it was a shout-out to DNA. The Fuckwad pun never occurred to me. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/10 "2007-05-31T12:33:21Z")
[QUOTE=yojimbo] Or Alotta Fagina? [/QUOTE] When they played that on TV, her name was changed to “Alotta Cleavage” but they pronounced it “clee-VAH-zhay”. I thought it was funnier than the original. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/11 "2007-05-31T12:42:19Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] What do you think Ivana Humpalot from Austin Powers is supposed to mean? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=yojimbo] Or Alotta Fagina? [/QUOTE] These are just riffing off James Bond girls/villains who had a history of suggestive names Honey Rider Pussy Galore Holly Goodhead Xenia Onatopp Christmas Jones (comes once a year) Si ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/12 "2007-05-31T12:42:52Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] When they played that on TV, her name was changed to “Alotta Cleavage” but they pronounced it “clee-VAH-zhay”. I thought it was funnier than the original. [/QUOTE] Ha, you’re right–that _is_ funnier. That’s one movie series where making the jokes smaller would have made the laughs bigger. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/13 "2007-05-31T12:52:16Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Wasn’t there a Farquaad, mentioned only in passing, in Douglas Adams’ universe? Or maybe used as a curse? I hear it in my head in Zaphod’s voice. I assumed it was a shout-out to DNA. The Fuckwad pun never occurred to me. [/QUOTE] Are you sure you’re not thinking of the Great Prophet Zarquon? “Sirius Cybernetics? Oh Zarquon! Haven’t they collapsed yet?!” And yeah, the Farquaad pun never occurred to me either, it seems a kind of subtle joke. More as an inside joke amongst the creators rather than a joke that was aimed at the audience. They don’t call attention to it or anything (like saying, “Man, that guy’s a Farquaad!”) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/14 "2007-05-31T13:09:00Z")
[QUOTE=oft wears hats] Are you sure you’re not thinking of the Great Prophet Zarquon? [/QUOTE] Maybe I am. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/15 "2007-05-31T15:15:19Z")
[QUOTE=oft wears hats] And yeah, the Farquaad pun never occurred to me either, it seems a kind of subtle joke. More as an inside joke amongst the creators rather than a joke that was aimed at the audience. They don’t call attention to it or anything (like saying, “Man, that guy’s a Farquaad!”) [/QUOTE] Well, it seemed pretty obvious to me. But maybe that just means I’m the kind of guy who snickers at naughty-sounding names. According to Wikipedia, > [@](#): > > The name “Farquaad” may be a play on a much more impolite word (cf. Wiktionary:fuckwad). More likely the name was inspired by the number of animators and producers who attended the University of Notre Dame and lived in Carroll Hall. Carroll Hall is the most removed dorm, located across St. Mary’s Lake from the rest of campus on what is sometimes referred to as the “Far-Quad.” ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/16 "2007-05-31T15:24:05Z")
> [@](#): > > More likely the name was inspired by the number of animators and producers who attended the University of Notre Dame and lived in Carroll Hall. Carroll Hall is the most removed dorm, located across St. Mary’s Lake from the rest of campus on what is sometimes referred to as the “Far-Quad.” How on earth does someone write that that is “more likely”. That sounds insanely unlikely to me and like the ramblings of stupid college students. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/17 "2007-05-31T16:24:20Z")
As many times as I’ve watched the Shrek movies, it never once occured to me that it was a play on “fuckwad”. I guess I never considered that a particularly typical or oft used expletive. In fact, with the exception of the Pit, I never even hear people use that term. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/18 "2007-05-31T17:04:49Z")
I thought it was pretty clear that was what it was. Far-quad? WTF? Considering the crudeness that was an undercurrent to the rest of the movie, it isn’t a stretch that Fuckwad is precisely what was meant. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/19 "2007-05-31T17:09:49Z")
[QUOTE=si\_blakely] These are just riffing off James Bond girls/villains who had a history of suggestive names Honey Rider Pussy Galore Holly Goodhead Xenia Onatopp Christmas Jones (comes once a year) [/QUOTE] Pussy Galore appears in the novel _Goldfinger_, so blame Ian Fleming for her name. Where did Holly Goodhead appear? I think I’m confusing her with Bond’s secretary Mary Goodnight (whose only movie appearance is _TMWtGG_. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166/20 "2007-05-31T17:28:13Z")
[QUOTE=Scuba\_Ben] Pussy Galore appears in the novel _Goldfinger_, so blame Ian Fleming for her name. Where did Holly Goodhead appear? I think I’m confusing her with Bond’s secretary Mary Goodnight (whose only movie appearance is _TMWtGG_. [/QUOTE] The masterpiece that is known as … _Moonraker_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-coincidence-or-am-i-just-now-getting-the-joke-shrek-question/406166.md?page=2)