One of the things that came up in cleaning out the family house were all manner of secrets (including one about my dad that involved changing his name that’s quite a doozy).

But one late save was one of my mother’s contesting notebooks, where she’d jot all of her ideas for contest entries she was bent on winning.

I will share one standout – a full page of names for a Name the Kool-Aid Smiling Pitcher contest, from I’m thinking the early 1960s.

  • KING KOOLAID
  • OLD KING KOLD
  • LITTLE KLINKER
  • DAN D. BEVERICH
  • MASTER MIXFASTER
  • TUMMY TINGLER
  • SURE’LL SERVALOT
  • HAPPY KOOLIGAN

Oh, there’s more.

  • SMILIN MILIN
  • POM POM KOOLAWAY
  • SMILIN SAMSUN
  • FILLY BUSTER
  • HANDY ANDY
  • CHUMMIE CHILLER
  • A.Q. CUMBER
  • GRINOCCHIO
  • FILL N. CHILL
  • AMBREW ZESTREAT
  • HAP P. KOOLERIE
  • FAGTIME CHOWBOY
  • EUMAKIT EASLEE
  • DAN D. THIRSTEASE
  • HAP P. KOOLIGAN
  • EFFIE VESCENT

She didn’t win, apparently. And the Kool-Aid Pitcher’s name today? Kool-Aid Man. I like to think they decided not to name him rather than the possibility somebody won with that name.

All of these names, seemingly dashed off on one page, are available, then, for bands and such. And I regret that I cannot ask her what the heck she was thinking when she wrote the one about Mr. Chowboy.