Joke Name Tag

Tony Stark takes Just a Face and a Caption to new heights.

Characters who don't respect authority and/or formality, yet are obliged to wear name tags, will write something witty and/or obnoxious in place of their name. Just how witty or obnoxious can provided a visual clue to how irked the character might be about being required to wear one. Alternately, another character may deliberately fill in someone else's name tag in a way that will humiliate them.

Often involves either a Shout-Out or an Unfortunate Name or Punny Name of some kind. If the name tag is intended as actual identification, see Badge Gag. Contrast with Real Joke Name, which is when the character's real name is played for a cheap joke.

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Examples

Comic Books

• In Transformers: More than Meets the Eye, the first time some of the crew members use their holomatter avatars to pass as humans they get nametags with very lousy fake identities. Rewind is "Joe Human", Swerve is "Mr. Person", Rung is "Mary Sue", and Skids gets a blank card to match his 11th Doctor-based avatar.

Films — Live-Action

• In Blade: Trinity, the Nightstalkers use nametags with "Hi My Name Is Fuck You" when they bait some vampires into an ambush.
• In Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th, a series of cats jump out at people, wearing name tags like "Cheap Shot" and "Lame Gag".
• What Happens in Vegas: Jack wears a name tag during Joy's company retreat that reads "Hello My Name Is: Joy's Bitch." Joy then proceeds to put it on the back of her rival coworker.
• Iron Man 3 starts with Tony Stark at a party, with a name tag reading "You know who I am".

Literature

• In one of the Nightside novels, a talking cartoon penguin working as a waiter has a name tag reading: "Hi, my name is: Piss Off, Tourist!"
• Proven Guilty: Harry fills in his "My name is ___" tag for the SplatterCon!!! convention with "An Innocent Bystander". A policeman on the scene beat him to the punch with this joke, using "An Authority Figure" on his own tag.

Live-Action Television

• A variant on Due South: A store security guard has a "Niffug, C. M." name tag, which is conveniently shown in a mirror. Viewers who know their film history will spot this as a Shout-Out to Hitchcock.
• How I Met Your Mother: Barney once tried to scam his way through a dating service with the alias "Jack Package". (It's pronounced pe-KAHJ)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: In one episode, Willow dresses up as Joan of Arc, and stays in character by proclaiming that she "has a close relationship with God." This is represented by her boyfriend Oz, wearing a name tag that reads "Hello, my name is God."
• The Sandman (2022): At the "cereal convention" in "Collectors", the attendants have nametags listing themselves under their serial killer monikers, to avoid revealing their real 'civilian' names.

Tabletop Games

• Munchkin: The Wild West variant of the game, "The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin", has a card that functions as a Level +1 card and is called "Get a new Indian name". The card specifies that the new Indian name should be called out loud the instant the card is played, because otherwise the first name called becomes the player's new Indian name. The picture on the card illustrates the perils with a Dork Tower character wearing a "Hello, my name is" card that specifies his name as "Doofus".

Video Games

• SubSpace: An advertisement for the game was that of a simple nametag◊ with the name "dead meat" on it.

Web Original

• Homestar Runner
  • In the cartoon "The Luau", Strong Bad throws a party and gives everyone "Crap For Brains" nametags, so he can call everyone Crap For Brains.
  • In the Strong Bad Email "2 emails", Strong Bad creates a bunch of name tags for the Ladies Choice Awards. They all say something like "Hello, My Name is Hot Girl #(random number)", with a few exceptions like "Hello, My Name is Sue" and "Hello, My Name is Hot Lips #2077".
• A Popular Meme on Tumblr involves putting a character's (typically headcanon) sexuality on their shirt.

Western Animation

• Bojack Horseman: A flashback episode showing how Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter met shows that Diane was working at Starbucks and printed her work nametag with "Blarg" because it felt funny and subversive. Mr. Peanutbutter takes it at face value and addresses her as Blarg until she corrects him.
• Futurama: A Decapodian spy, wearing a ridiculously paper-thin disguise (Groucho glasses, an Afro wig, oven mitts, and a "Hugh Mann" name tag), manages to convince Zapp Brannigan that he's actually a human.
• In 6teen, Nikki becomes assistant manager of the Khaki Barn. Her name tag reads "Ass. Man."

Real Life

• Real Life T-shirt slogan: "Hello, I'm : Drunk"
• Real Life T-shirt slogan: "Hello, My Name Is: Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare to Die."

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