Celebratory contest

April 19, 2009 • 7:59 pm

I am preparing a large post, so I don’t have time to keep up diurnally; but, to celebrate the last couple weeks of my consistently beating out Inner Fish on Amazon (take that, Neil!), I’m having a contest. The winner gets a free autographed copy of WEIT, inscribed however you want (so long as the inscription is neither salacious nor demeaning). The winner will be the first person who correctly answers the following question.

What is the name of my teddy bear, a bear I was given the day I was born and still possess?

Rules: no prize will be awarded to my friends or relatives. Otherwise, use any wiles that you possess. Multiple entries are permitted.

Monday:  Nobody’s even close.  Come on, folks — nobody knew I was going to be an evolutionary biologist when I was born.  And the bear was named when I was very young, so names like “Hitchens” are out!  I’ll give clues later if nobody gets it (and I suspect nobody will).

Here’s a photo of said bear (the hairy one is me):

jac-and-bear-1

62 thoughts on “Celebratory contest”

  2. Teddy? Pooh? Yogi?

    Probably none of those. Who would have given you the bear on the day you were born? What would he or she have named it?

    It is not easy to find info on your early years.

    I will take a wild guess. Ted Williams was the American League MVP that year, so my guess is William.

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  3. Perhaps Jerry?
    Anyway, what is the current thinking about the psychology of that group of people who keep their teddy until well into adulthood? I know it’s done – but what does it mean?

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  9. I’m guessing Tiktaalik. Talk about a coincidence that that would turn out to be the precise Inuit word that Neil Schubin would, decades later, use to name an extinct lobe-finned fish/tetrapod thingie!

    That, or Timmy.

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  17. I think it looks more like a pig than a bear. I, therefore, am guessing Pinky or Perky or Porky or Piglet – or some other bacon related designation. How about Smoked or Rineless or Streaky?

    I bet it’s a trick question and it’s simply called Bear or Jerry.

    Incidentally, a prize was offered by your guest blogger in another compo, which I, I would venture to suggest, won. So, you know, don’t come that with the old ‘signed copy’ enticement. That was the prize that I was expecting from my previous endeavours on the guessing front. A quick call to the International Compo Commission might be in order, methinks. How about Barney?

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  19. You were too young to speak and give it a name on the day you received it. On the chance your parents named it for you, and looking at your forearms in the photo, my guess is “Harry”.

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  24. 1) Was your bear named for the day of the week or the month you were born?

    2) Roosevelt

    3) Dweezil 😀

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  25. Lets also try:

    Paddington (that Bear came out around the time you were born)

    Br’er Bear, (why not?)

    and

    Beorn (LOTR fans, perhaps?)

    I’m also going to put forward “Baloo”.

    You were born before the film came out, but perhaps your parents were fans of the book.

    My money’s on Paddington.

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  37. A clue: I seem to remember Jerry got the bear to co-sign an article with him (this may not be true, and the bear’s name certainly isn’t Orr). Oh, and don’t believe a word he says about the signed book. I STILL HAVEN’T GOT MINE YET!

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  40. Pity. I don’t have access to the citations database anymore.

    Beecham? It’s a nice name for a teddy, and his first name is Edward (or should I be looking for a Theodore?).

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  55. More guesses:
    Baby Bear (from Goldilocks)
    Smokey the Bear

    If your parents were nerdy, how about:
    Karl Ernest von Bear
    Niels Bear
    Albeart Einstein
    Bearthday Bear

    Reply

  61. Damn! I bet Phil@56 has it, but just in case my guesses are:

    Club
    Hoagie
    Peanut Butter
    Jelly
    Earl (as in Earl of Sandwich)

    By the way, I have never before seen a teddy bear without feet…what’s the deal?

    Reply

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