42 Things That Were Originally Called Something Completely Different From What They're Called Today
I'm sure you know by now that Twitter is now called X.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2023
Because I'm feeling random, let's look at 42 people and things that were also initially named something else...
1.Hannah Montana was originally named Alexis Texas.
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2.Meryl Streep's real name is Mary Streep.
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3.Sour Patch Kids were originally called Mars Men.
Sour Patch Kids
4.SpongeBob was originally called Spongeboy. They couldn't use that name because "Spongeboy" was copyrighted by a mop company.
Nickelodeon
5.Cookie Monster's legal name is Sidney.
NBC / Ralph Bavaro / NBC via Getty Images
6.Popeyes was originally named Chicken on the Run.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
7.Snapchat was originally named Pictaboo.
SOPA Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
8.Fred Durst originally considered calling Limp Bizkit Blood Fart.
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9.The Powerpuff Girls were originally called the Whoopass Girls.
Cartoon Network
10.Clifford's name was originally Tiny.
amazon.com / Via npr.org
11.The Spice Girls were originally named Touch.
There was also another member named Michelle Stephenson.
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12.The show New Girl was originally called Chicks and Dicks .
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13.The show Friends was originally called Six of One .
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14.The iMac was originally supposed to be named MacMan.
Sean Gallup / Getty Images
15.7-Eleven stores were originally named Tote'm Stores.
The name was changed to 7-Eleven after the company changed their hours to 7 a.m.–11 p.m.
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16.Nickelback's original name was Village Idiot.
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17.Bumblebees were originally called humblebees.
Why? Because when they flew, they "hummed."
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18.The Goo Goo Dolls' original name was the Sex Maggots.
Alexandre Schneider / Getty Images
19. Saved by the Bell started out as Good Morning, Miss Bliss .
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20.Michael J. Fox's real name is Michael A. Fox.
When he tried to join the Screen Actors Guild, he found out he needed to use a middle initial because "Michael Fox" was already a member. However, he didn't like "Michael A. Fox" because it sounded like "Michael, a fox," so he went by "Michael J. Fox" as a tribute to actor Michael J. Pollard.
Nicholas Hunt / Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
21.Q-tips were originally called Baby Gays. The "Q" in Q-tips stands for "quality."
Gogu Dumitru / Getty Images/500px
22.Julianne Moore was born Julie Anne Smith.
Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images
23.John Stamos's character on Full House was originally named Adam Cochran instead of Jesse Katsopolis.
He asked to change it to reflect his Greek American heritage.
Bob D'amico / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
24.Tic Tacs were originally simply named Refreshing Mints.
Brian Ach / Getty Images for iHeartMedia
25.Tim Allen's real name is Timothy Dick.
Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images
26.Google was originally called BackRub.
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27.Mickey Mouse was originally named Mortimer.
Walt Disney's wife hated the name, so he changed it.
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images for Disney Dreamers Academy
28.The movie Scream was originally called Scary Movie .
Getty Images
29.Bruno Mars's real name is Peter Gene Hernandez.
Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for SelvaRey
30.Chick-fil-A was originally named Dwarf Grill and later Dwarf House.
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31.Not only was cotton candy invented by a dentist, but it was also originally called fairy floss.
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32.7 Up was originally called Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. It contained lithium citrate and was used as an antidepressant.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
33.Buzz Lightyear was originally named Lunar Larry.
Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
34.The peach Crayola crayon was originally called flesh.
35.Cheerios were originally called Cheerioats.
Smith Collection / Getty Images
36.Oprah Winfrey was born Orpah Winfrey.
Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for the Recording Academy
37.Eggo waffles were originally called Froffles, which is a combination of "frozen" and "waffles."
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38.Lana Del Rey's birth name is Lizzy Grant.
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39.Maroon 5's original name was Kara's Flowers.
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40.Destiny's Child were originally called Girls Tyme.
John Stanton / WireImage / Getty Images
41.Pepsi was originally called Brad's Drink.
SOPA Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
42.And lastly, Keanu Reeves almost changed his name to Chuck Spadina because his first name was too hard to pronounce.
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