April 03, 2014
Creativity unearthered! Some favorites from the mammoth naming contest
We just couldn't wait to share a few gems from the mammoth naming contest even though our judges are still hard at work selecting the winning name.
All in all, over 1,000 entries came in! Once the judges make a decision, the winning name will be announced Friday, April 11, at 7 pm, on our Facebook page and the following Monday on SeattleMammoth.org (where you can also follow the tusk's progress and learn more about mammoths).
For now, here's a sampling...
The punny
Among the entries, plenty of puns tickled our funny bone—and we think we even heard the mammoth chuckle. Some great suggestions include Sir Digs-A-Lot, Prince Hairy, Husky Tusky, Bone-a-part and Pontius Pachy.
The Seahawks homage
This year's Super Bowl is still clearly on the collective brain, and Seahawks references turned up throughout the contest in both color and name—from Legina Boom to DangerRUSS Tusk to Tuskel Wilson.Beast Bone: "You were discovered during Seattle's proudest time."
Marshawn the Mammoth: "Because you showed up right when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl... and you're ALWAYS in Beast Mode!"
The "pick my name!" (or the name of my mom/brother/goldfish...)
And why not, right? One entrant gave a particular name "Because you are old and my Uncle Fred is also old."
A creativity bonanza
So many entries just flew the creativity flag! It was a real treat to check our mailbox every day to see what new coloring sheets had come in.Hoth: "Hoth was the icy planet of Star Wars and was located about 50,000 light years from the center of its galaxy and since this tusk could be near to 50,000 years old I think Hoth would be a very recognizable name that symbolizes the cold and iciness that was once a part of our local area."
Floss: "Because floss saves teeth (or tusks)."
Hartshu: "I think the name should be Hartshu because it is derived from the Native American name for Lake Union, meman hartshu, meaning little lake. Since you were found near Lake Union, I think that is pretty fitting!"
Tuskaloosa: "The tusk got loose and subsequently lost. Tuskaloosa."
A creativity bonanza
On April 11, the mammoth's winning name was revealed—it's LuLu! Find out more about how the name was chosen and who the winners were at seattlemammoth.org. Hope you can come see LuLu's tusk soon in the Imagine That exhibit!
By Andrea Michelbach, Communications