# The beaver **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2002, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381 "2002-05-22T22:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/1 "2002-05-22T22:46:22Z")
How did Beaver (of the tv show) get his nickname,and why would his parents use it?I’ve heard the real name Theodore said by his teachers on the show. I come from a neighborhood that had a Wiggles,Dumbo,Bum,and Bip among others,but I can’t conceive of their parents calling them that at home. What’s the deal here? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/2 "2002-05-22T22:52:49Z")
In the final episode, it was revealed that Wally, when younger, couldn’t pronounce Theodore. stv ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/3 "2002-05-23T02:57:00Z")
I think there is a punch line in there somewhere. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/4 "2002-05-23T03:54:15Z")
Since this is about a TV show, I’ll move it over to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/5 "2002-05-23T07:02:28Z")
It’s 'cause he was such a big goof. ---
**Author:** ![Diff\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@Diff\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diff_T)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/6 "2002-05-23T08:02:22Z")
Maybe Wally thought he was a Busy Beaver ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/7 "2002-05-23T15:49:09Z")
Being something of a Leave It To Beaver fan, I can tell you that the standard explanation is that when young Wally tried to pronounce Theodore, it came out sounding like “teeder” – which Ward and June decided sounded even worse than “beaver” – double entendres not being in style at that time, I suppose. So although it’s true that Wally gave the little loser his nickname, it was actually Ward and June who made it stick. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/8 "2002-05-23T15:56:16Z")
Being something of a Leave It To Beaver fan, I can tell you that the standard explanation is that when young Wally tried to pronounce Theodore, it came out sounding like “teeder” – which Ward and June decided sounded even worse than “beaver” – apparantly having no concept of the term “double entendre”, I suppose. So although it’s true that Wally gave the little loser his nickname, it was actually Ward and June who made it stick. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/9 "2002-05-23T16:07:53Z")
I can’t believe that no one has mentioned that the family’s last name was Cleaver. So the little tyke was Beaver Cleaver, probably the most Freudian name in the known universe. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/10 "2002-05-23T18:15:54Z")
And all because Ward was a little hard on the beaver last night.😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/11 "2002-05-24T00:48:14Z")
Maybe he was a hermaphrodite. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/12 "2002-05-24T01:03:12Z")
Because “Snatch” would have been inappropiate. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beaver/110381/13 "2002-05-24T01:06:32Z")
And ditto for “Fanny”.