One week ago, our website went live.
We had a new home. We had new writers. We had a new logo.
And we had a new mascot – a giant octopus. He’s cute. He’s purple. But he doesn’t have a name.
We need to fix that. Today.
It’s time for…
NAME THAT OCTOPUS!
Please give me a name!!
We need your help. We want YOU to name him!
We’re having a contest to see who can come up with the best name for our purple octopus.
Be creative. Think about the name’s meaning and how it relates to SPD. Is it a girl? A boy? An…it?
The contest is sponsored by Soft Clothing and the winner will receive a Soft Clothing outfit for their child! And, what would an octopus-naming-contest be without an octopus prize? Lori from Stress Free Kids has graciously offered a download of her book The Angry Octopus which guides children through relaxation techniques to teach them to handle their anger. A big THANK YOU to both sponsors for sponsoring our prizes! Now to the contest…
Here are the rules:
- Nominations will be taken in comments on this post
- You MUST leave your e-mail address in your comment
- You can suggest as many names as you like
- Name suggestions will be accepted from February 7th through midnight PST on February 18th
- Winner will be selected by the SPDBN staff and our guest judge Jessica Ralli from Soft Clothing
- Winner will be notified via e-mail
- The winning name will be announced on February 21st!
Ask your kids! Tell your friends! Let’s Name Our Octopus!
Comments
Karla (Mom2Kaia)
I still gotta vote for Tully – it’s an Irish name meaning “mighty people.” I think it’s perfect for those mighty little people in our lives who overcome so many challenges every day with SPD.
Kudos on a great contest! This is going to be fun to see all the other ideas!
Hartley Steiner
I love the meaning there Karla – great idea! And thanks!
Hanna Rienks
I would have to say “Active” is a great name for an octopus. My 4 year old with spd is exactly like Tigger from Pooh and always has ants in his pants! He makes for an active little guy!
Jennifer
Spencer the Sensor
Hartley Steiner
Love it! We had a dog named Spencer when I was younger!
Jaimee
Reece/Reese – gender neutral, means “enthusiasm.” I also saw on one baby name site that it meant “running,” or “zealous, fiery, ardent…” All of these adjectives remind me of my SPD child!
Hartley Steiner
LOVE those adjectives – they fit here too!
Dave
What about Phil (as in ‘feel’)?
Oliver the octopus?
Hartley Steiner
I like Oliver – he could be Ollie for short. Because all 2-dimensional fictional characters need a nickname, right? : )
Jamie
I like ..SPuD, Ollie/Oliver or “Dave” =)
OK…so maybe not Dave
Hartley Steiner
Dave! Awesome.
stacie sylvia
Ean the octopus ( educating awareness for your noodle= Ean or educational awareness network)
Hartley Steiner
An acronym…hmmm…hadn’t thought of that!
Heather
Archibald – Genuine, bold, brave
Hartley Steiner
Good one Heather!
Kathleen Allgood
Ocho Senso…for the eight senses in our universe, above & below the sea~
Hartley Steiner
LMAO – this cracks me up because there is a famous football player named Ocho Cinco. : ) I like it!
Varda
Eighth-Sense Sam or Eighth-Sense Sammy. Or perhaps 8-Sense Sam.
Rita
Sense-able Pete
Amanda
Fidget. Because he looks like he’d make a great fidget toy. And that’s what my kiddo does constantly!
Cathy M
FourHugs….or 4Hugs
Jessy
Wow! Already some GREAT ones! I would vote for Tully. I like the meaning behind that. And Sam, because I have a Sam (with SPD). Sam suggests, “Eight”. LOL And his sister says, “Violet.”
Martianne
How about Olina (O LEE na), which is a unisex, Hawaiian (think ocean) name meaning “joy or joyful” which is what we all want out kids to be and what they bring to us. The nickname could be Ollie or Oli.
Hartley Steiner
Very creative – I like the idea that the name would have a positive meaning! : )
Terri B
My little guy suggests Wee-Woo
Martianne
Three-year-old Nina says, “Mim”, “Chimmy”, “Jiggy”, “Inky” or “Twig” (Not sure why.) Five-year-old Luke says, “Poss”, “Hearty”, “Peepa” or “Ox”. Oh, from children’s minds…
Sonya
My 4 year old said “Ollie” which is what I thought of too!
I have racked my brain, but that just seems to fit.
Kimberly D.
How about OPAL the Octopus? I like OPAL because it’s meaning is precious gem…. suitable, in my opinion!
Hartley Steiner
I hadn’t thought of that! Great!
stephanie wieborg
I would name him wiggles. Just saying it makes me smile. And kids do it all of the time. It’s the first word that came to mind when I saw her.
swieborg@cox.net
Eyerly
“Intertwined Eddie” (since all the mother’s lives become intertwined through your site, and he has all the intertwining ‘legs’).
Maybe…
“Oscar the Octi”
“Peter Purple”
Those are my silly ideas!
Theresa
I like SPuD too!
Natalie Dalton
How about Wrigley in honour of our wiggl-jiggly little ones…
or Perpetua (or Purpetua) because our kids are in perpetual motion, and the octopus is purple. Also it’s a little quirty, just like our kids can be.
Lori
The boys have spoken…
Octa Octopus
Acht O. Puss (Acht is the German word for eight)
Oliver as suggested by Dave but pronounce “ALL OVER”
John (cause he is really just like everybody else)
Mavis
“Censei” Sensei with a “C” for (cent) pennie for your thoughts and Sensie for governor of the 8 senses.
Ok..name maybe not so much….but….
How about turning him into a purchasable weighted, scented toy with a children’s book about SPD awareness (derived around his 8 legs and the 8 senses). The deep pressure huggable cuddlable aroma therapy octopus. With the under side of each leg with different texture.
He’s just so cute!
Hartley Steiner
You read my mind Mavis! Someday…
Brandi
I like Ollie the Octopus. She had 8 arms to juggle all that us moms with SPD kids have to juggle on a daily basis.
Brandi
NJJ
Orly I think its Hebrew for you are my light but not sure To me every child has an inner light to shine!
goldengoddiss09 at gmail dot com
Mavis
“Sentire VIII (the 8th)”
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin sens- ‘perceived’ (from the verb sentire) or from the noun sense + -ory 2 .
Cathy
My DD says the name should be SUPOTCO which is
“octopus” spelled backwards, cause sometimes it feels like all those sensory inputs were hooked up backwards.
She’s 8. What a mind!
Hartley Steiner
Smart kiddo you have!
Mavis
CLEVER!
Tiffany LaGrange
Olliver the octopus cause my sensory seeker is “olliver” the place!
Am I the only one who gets that?
My 5 yr old says Harry or Hairy.
Hartley Steiner
LOL I get it! : )
Stephanie Baumgardner
Funky Felix. Cause as anybody with SPD knows, they are some days you just feel funky, even with your fav soft clothes on, nothing feels right.
Danielle Esparza
What about Squiggy or Squigs? And I don’t have a meaning or reason other than it just sounds cute for an octopus.
Sarah
I like the name “Oded.” It’s certainly not a common one! As I looked at lists of names beginning with o (because I like the alliteration) I found that Oded means “to encourage” and that seems fitting here.
Tammy
How about Overwhelmed Ollie….every sensory kiddo feels overwhelmed….and every mom of a sensory kiddo feels overwhelmed.
Diane Lewis
“MOXIE” – love this name and meaning
fortitude and determination
syn: backbone, grit, guts, sand, gumption
The word was used as far back as 1876 as the name of a patent medicine advertised to “build up your nerve,” and it is perhaps ultimately from a New England Indian word.
Diane Lewis
“MOXIE” : I love the name and the meaning
fortitude and determination
syn: backbone, grit, guts, sand, gumption
The word was used as far back as 1876 as the name of a patent medicine advertised to “build up your nerve,” and it is perhaps ultimately from a New England Indian word.
Penny
How about Ollie (short for Olfactory) the Octopus?
Bill Hooper
I would like to suggest the name “Julie”!
Explanation #1:
Julie means youthful, beautiful and vivacious.
Explanation #2:
Last ‘July’ there was a neat National Geographic story about 11 new octopus species that were discovered off the coast of newfoundland, and one of the new species featured is a tiny PURPLE octopus.
You can see a picture here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07/photogalleries/100727-science-new-species-canada-deep-sea-newfoundland-pictures/
Explanation #3:
It’s a sad song by the Levellers about a misunderstood girl.
Nicole DeLeon
When I first saw the picture “squiggles” came to mind. Definition to squirm and wriggle, which is what my children with SPD do constantly.
Joyce
I like this one too – I had the same feeling when I saw it.
MySoCalledSensoryLife
Our suggestion: Sensei (meaning teacher or mentor). Sensei is a verbal play on the word Sense/Sensory/Sensing. Add the meaning –teacher/instructor(Japanese) — and it feels like the perfect fit for SPD. In our family, my SPD son is my teacher, my hero, my instructor every day all day and his mere existence teaches us all the time (sometimes at the same time! like 8 arms going at once!) what he needs, feels, senses, craves, dislikes. Our vote Sensei the Sensory Octopus! A nice ring! : )
Ana
WOW!! Great ideas!! How about Sebastian Pacific Deep, I like the idea of having it’s initials be S.P.D.
Stephanie P
My 10 yr old son insists that it should be Ollie.
Joyce
I think giggles or tickles – i cant really describe why, something to do with that sensory kids seem all tingly and so cant be still. But that may be just for my laddie.
Julie
My SPD kiddo suggests
“Squeezy” b/c he looks like he could squeeze good.
or “cute little octupus”
Doodle
Blossom
Wanting our kids to stretch and Blossom, comfortable in their own skin and with who they are.
Allie
I’ll sticking with my first thought: SPeeDy
allisonfields1@gmail.com
Julie
For some reason I like the name Seamus.
Melissa Bear
What about Uuka (oo OO ka) an African name meaning to rise up or arise as in rising above the label? Or Jayada (ja YAH daa) a sanskrit name meaning causing triumph as in the SPD network can help kids and parent triumph over the challenges.
Tammy
My little boy says to call him Quirky Quinn
Brandy
We like the name Izzy the octopus.
Joey
My 6 Ur old said to name him ‘Octi’ and my 7 yr old said ‘Doctor Octor’
Debbie Weinberger
How about Otto, which means “wealth” Just think how much “richer” we all are because of the children in our lives.
Kiley Philp
1) What about COSMOS?…The universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious whole
2).What about ORBIT?…The path of a body in a field of force surrounding another body…One complete revolution of such a body.
Shelley Davis
I think the name Argus is very fitting. Argus means:
Ar·gus (ärˈgəs) noun
1. Greek Mythology A giant with 100 eyes who was made guardian of Io and was later slain by Hermes.
2. An alert or watchful person; a guardian.
I think as parents we need to be both alert and watchful as guardians over our children. Yes sometimes we need to have 100 eyes for what might trigger our children and disrupt their lives. The octopus also has 8 arms. What could be more useful to us parents of children with SPD than 8 arms and 100 eyes? :}
Shelley Davis
knockyblack@gmail.com
Tiffany LaGrange
I dreamt last night that we named him cookie. Maybe I just wanted cookies…
Cari
Sid. It’s unisex and even thought this site is SPD, it’s called Sensory Integration Disorder sometimes.
Shelley Davis
I have another suggestion for a name for the little fellow: Goliath
Aside from the Bibical references, the word Goliath can describe things large in size, powerful, overwhelming and my favorite, a great achievement. Raising our children for me is what I consider to be my greatest achievement!
Shelley
knockyblack@gmail.com
Pilar
My boy suggests:
LILLIAN!
“just because”.
(my own personal fave is Oliver, as in All Over the place, ha ha!) (but don’t tell the boy…)
Terri B
I like the other suggestions for SPeeDy & Sid
Thought I throw another one out there:
“Touchy” might appeal to little ones.
Jackie
I vote for Santi the Sensational Octopus! (short for Santiago)
Vanessa
“Poulpe”= octopus in French, “Pugita” =octopus in Filipino or “Lila”=purple in filipino, or viola=purple in italian…i like to give names in other languages!
supermom2twins
I think the Octopus should be named SID
Kilet Philp
Although I am partial to my “COSMO or COSMOS”, I really like SID!
Popsie112
I say blogpus!!!!
ohana
I’m sure this one has already been suggested… at least components of it have been.
I think he should be named SPeeDy SID…
I don’t think I need to spell out the origins of the name
Excited to see what the outcome is.
jill
Ok, my son votes for “squirt” . .My daughter votes for “sid” the octopus.
Heather
My son says we should name him Heart – I think it speaks volumes
Teresa
I’m going to offer up:
“Sensorina” or “Sensorrina”
The octopus is of the scientific
Class of Cephalopoda,
Order of Octopoda,
Suborder of Incirrina.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incirrina
Sensorina or Sensorrina speaks to both its sensory nature, and its place in the animal kingdom.
Chris
Ozzy the octopus
Lynn Everett
Plum. It’s purple and it’s sweet. It can also mean “the best” or “on level.” And it’s simple.
Brandee Adler
I think the octopus’ name should be ‘Lotta Powers’!
Tammy
My little one says Squishy Squirt
Emma Apple
If noone’s suggested it yet: Felix (as in feel-licks hehe)
My 5y/o suggested Keely (I think its made up)
Diane
My 8 year old suggested the name “Squirmy”…Which I actually think fits pretty well! It makes me think of all the times certain shirts or socks made him “squirm”.
Gina
I’d call him Handy. He has a soft touch
Steph
How about “Turbo”
What kid isn’t turbo charged?
Steph
Or Henry? I’m not sure if we’re leaning towards gender neutral, Henry obviously isn’t, but if we’re not…
It means “home ruler” and is quite the prestigious name (many, many kings have been named Henry.)
And I happen to think it’s adorable!
Steph
Octavius!! (Roman family name meaning “eighth” from Latin octavus)
Octavius the Octopus – That’s got a good ring to it
Steph
Oops, I forgot to include my email address for my entries (Turby, Henry, and Octavius)
stephklatte@yahoo.com
Chris Sterrett
Freddie the fingers Octopus.
Meltdown Maggie
Mavis
Sensational Perceptive Demetri