Follow TV Tropes

Following

Unpronounceable Alias

Go To

Aang: Name's Bonzu Pipinpadalopsicopolis ... the Third, and these are my grandkids.
Katara: Hi, June Pipinpadalopsicopolis. Nice to meet you.

One of our heroes is traveling or acting under false pretenses, and is asked for their name when they'd really rather not give it. Unprepared for this, they quickly stammer something that's barely a word at all, let alone a name. If it's supposed to be a full name, it often ends in "the Third".

Naturally, the questioner and everyone else around will pronounce the name perfectly, hang lampshades about it, and not yield an inch. Award bonus points if the alias turns out to actually be someone's name that the questioner knows.

Compare Sue Donym and The Unpronounceable. Sub-Trope of Overly Long Name.


Examples:

Anime & Manga

  • Cowboy Bebop:
    • Radical Edward, real name Francoise, introduces herself as "Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky The Fourth". Possibly a reference to Pippi Longstockings, full name Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Efraim's Daughter Longstocking, another red-haired, self-groomed girl with eccentric behaviour and speech
    • Her father's not much better, being named Appledelhi Siniz Hesap Lutfen, which translates as "Excuse me check please" in Turkish.
  • Trigun: Vash introducing himself to Wolfwood: "I am known as Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz Gombigobella Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre André Charton-Haymoss Ivanovicci Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser the Third", adding, "Don't hesitate to call."

Fan Works

  • Sailor Moon Z: Usagi's TORG counterpart is Princess Angelina Comtessa Louisa Francesca Banana-fana-fo-fesca Fireball III.

Films — Live-Action

  • A Fish Called Wanda: The rather dense Otto is attempting to explain to Archie Leach's wife just what the heck he's doing in her house. Part of his flimsy cover includes the alias Mr. Manfrenjensen...jen. When she picks apart his story, she idly repeats this pseudonym perfectly.
  • How I Have Started A World War II: Pole, The Hero, is caught by Germans. Hearing the question "Wie heisst du" (What's your name), he promptly answers "Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz". Good luck reading thisnote . After trying to write it down several times, Nazis finally give up and let him go.note 
  • Mr. Deeds: Babe, an investigative reporter, makes up a false identity in order to investigate Longfellow Deeds. When Deeds asks where she's from, she hesitantly makes up the town of Winchestertonfieldville, Iowa. Unfortunately, the plan backfires when Deeds ends up taking her on a trip to her supposed childhood home in Winchestertonfieldville...

Literature

  • Forgotten Realms: Subverted. Volo and his companions are passing themselves off as drow. One makes up an Unpronounceable Alias for himself by stringing a lot of X and Z sounds together, in accordance with cliches about drow names, yet their interrogator isn't fooled for an instant, because the resulting tongue-twister is a woman's name in drow culture.
  • Overlord: Ainz (in his guise as Momon) tries to hide the vampire Shalltear's connection to himself by claiming that she is an old enemy of his named "Henupenuty"... and then forgets what he just said and switches to "Henupenko". Thankfully, no one notices. For a moment he was going to just call her "Carmilla", but decided against it because if anyone understood the reference it would be like hanging a huge sign saying "I'm from Earth".
  • Whateley Universe: Akemi Hori, whose codename is said to be unpronounceable by Fubar, who is dressed up as God, in The Devil's Dance Part 1:
    I asked God, "Oh Omnipotent One, I can’t for the life of me recall what Akemi’s codename is, much less what she can do."
    "I can’t pronounce it," he shrugged thoughtfully[...]
  • Wyrd Sisters: The witches summon a demon who tells them its name is unpronounceable in their tongue. Granny of course says she'll be the judge of that, so it tells them. Naturally, Granny barely hesitates.
  • In a somewhat hilarious story with No Fourth Wall whatsoever, the narrator introduces himself to the protagonist as Sir Francis Daxiana Reginald Popniner Killamen Snap the 3rd. Call him Max.

Live-Action TV

  • Kenan & Kel: When Kenan and Kel (disguised as a woman) pose as a married couple to win a house on a game show for couples, Kenan impulsively stammers out the last name "Rockersteinbergerson."
    • The girl interviewing them for the show pronounces it without missing a beat, but after that no one else is able to—not even Kenan. When he is asked how to pronounce it by the show's host, he stammers a bit and then gives up and just says, "I don't know."
  • Will & Grace: Karen's "Anastasia Beverhausen. That's Anastasia like Russian royalty and Beverhausen like... where the beaver live."
  • Stephen Colbert, on hearing of Mel Gibson's arrest and anti-Semitic remarks, recommended the legal firm of 'Leibowitz, Silverberg and Fishmansteinberg'. Funnier if you know that Jon Stewart's real birth name was Leibowitz.
  • A flashback tells us that the first alias Geralt of Rivia tried was somewhat along those lines. It's referenced in a Mythology Gag latter.
  • Not a name example, but a Saturday Night Live sketch involves Chris Farley in a Japanese gameshow, except he wildly guesses on all three questions, but he still gets the first two right. On the last question, he has no idea what the answer is, but the penalty for getting it wrong is painful electric shocks. He guesses "Kwa...ki...sur...pi...ne...ku?" and the correct answer was apparently "Kwakisurpipiku"
  • The memorable "Butterball hotline" scene from the episode "The Indians in the Lobby" of The West Wing. Bartlet stumbles through the myriad demands of hiding that you're the President while on the phone, and gives his name as "Joe... Betherson-ton. That's one T, and... with an H in there." In a variant, he's then gives an incredibly long street name for his fake home address to give Charlie time to look up the correct ZIP code.
    • He also makes up the name of a fictional car salesman — "Phil Baharnd".
  • Possibly an entire planet in Doctor Who, with the Slitheen home planet called Raxicoricofallapatorius. It takes Rose an entire episode to pronounce it right. It also has a twin planet called Clom, home to a lesser race called the Abzorbaloff.
  • Prince Bappalappashamalamadingdong in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
  • Art Cor-vel-ay created by George from Seinfeld, also known as Art Vandelay.

Newspaper Comics

  • A strip of the Dilbert comic actually inverts this trope when the company's Call Center is outsourced to Elbonia:
    Elbonian: Hello, how may I help you? My name is Kruphnehdahpheweundikaniswalyniaphorganopop... I mean, Carl.
    • Also, of course, parodying the effect of having call centers outsourced to India where your call is answered by somebody with an extremely thick Indian accent who introduces himself as "James" or "Nathan".

Radio & Podcasts

  • Arthur, in Cabin Pressure, mixed with Bad Liar.
    Douglas: All right, answer this question with a lie: what is your name?
    Arthur: Arth...nold Man, er, Cat...sir...man.
    Douglas: Arthnold Manercatsirman?
    Arthur: Yeah.
    Douglas: That's an unusual name. Tell me, is it made up?
    Arthur: Yes, it is. Oh!

Video Games

  • In the first Suikoden, the main is required to pick an alias for himself. One of them is an example, "Schtolteheim Reinbach the Third." Later in the series, in a prequel game set roughly 100 years before the first game, there's a major NPC who who is named Schtolteheim Reinbach the second, and his son, a recruitable PC: the foppish Schtolteheim Reinbach the Third. The similarity in that ridiculous name is not a coincidence: there was a well known series of books was written about him.
  • Not an alias, however an attempt at a fake name shows up in Daxter when he and fellow exterminator Ximon attempt to sneak into the Palace. To get past Erol and convince him that a high-ranking captain complained about a bug infestation, Daxter composes a name based on names he already knows, resulting in "Ximon Rupertikjakmos". It almost fails, but not because Erol doesn't buy the name...
    Erol: Nice try, that call didn't happen. Captain Rupertikjakmos is on leave this month, he couldn't have been the one.

Western Animation

  • The Amazing World of Gumball: In "The Dress", Gumball is forced to wear his mom's wedding dress because his father shrunk all his clothes in the wash. When he's inevitably spotted by the other kids, they don't recognize him (in fact, most are quite smitten with him), and he hastily tries to invent an alias from all the things around him, coincidentally landing on "Gumball" more than once, but no one seems to notice—and, of course, everyone remembers his ridiculous pseudonym (the concise sounding GumBallOopsEggWobbleUnderpants) and the equally ridiculous made-up country (GumBaldNoWigBattleaxeNinja) perfectly.
  • Animaniacs: Dot sometimes introduces herself as Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana-fana-fo-fesca the Third... or at least she tries to. One episode's introduction devolves into a series of outtakes where she keeps flubbing the name and has Yakko and Wakko crying with laughter. Finally, she challenges Yakko ("Let's see you try and say it sometime!") and he says it all in the same breath.
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender: In "The King of Omashu", to get through the Earth Kingdom without anyone learning he's the Avatar, Aang proposes they go under false names—the Pippinpaddleopsicopolises. Putting a bundle of Apa's shed fur on his head and face, he pretends to be Grandpa Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis III, with Katara as his granddaughter June Pippinpaddleopsicopolis. What's more hilarious is that somehow all the characters are able to pronounce it perfectly after only hearing it once. Sokka is passed off as Aang's grandson but doesn't pick a name.
  • Pinky and the Brain:
    • Pinky messes up Brain's introduction, and for the rest of the episode Brain is referred to as "Lord Narfumwhatbrainlumpfordsomethingshire". Of course, no one has any trouble remembering or pronouncing it.
    • In at least two episodes, Pinky is Dr. Jiggle-it-a-little-it'll-open.
  • The Simpsons: In "The Last Temptation of Homer", Homer feebly suggests the alias "Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo" for a "friend" who has a problem. Unimpressed, Moe says it's the stupidest name he's ever heard. As a patron gets up and exits the bar, weeping, Barney calls after him "Hey, Joey Joe Joe...!"
  • South Park: In "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset", Cartman—dressed up stylishly—tries twice to get into the girls' big party by claiming that a girl invited him. Of course, since he wasn't, he invents unconventional girl names like Kelly Rutherford-Menskin and Kelly Pinkerton-Tinfurter. It turns out, the names belong to real girls who, on being asked, answer that they didn't invite Cartman.
  • Spongebob Squarepants: In "One Krab's Trash", Mr.Krabs makes up "Smitty Werbenjegarmanjensen" as the original owner of Spongebob's drink hat. Much to Mr. Krabs' surprise, he turns out to have been an actual person... who just so happens to be buried in the Bikini Bottom Cemetery... with a large stone "#1" as his headstone.
  • ''The Three Caballeros: Panchito Pistoles occasionally introduces himself as either Panchito Romero Miguel Junipero Francisco Quintero Gonzales III or El Gayo Jose Francesco Sandro de Lima y Loma Pancho Allegre.

Top