On June 2, The Bay Blend podcast turned 1. But it dawned on us: The beloved manatee that has been with us the entire time was never given a name.
We're changing that.
Last week, we asked you to come up with suggested names for him (or her). But before I list those off, I do want to bring up some honorable mentions, because there were some great ones.
We got more than a dozen submissions for the name Manny the Manatee, so if you think you were being creative, you’re not. Also, there are a lot of other manatees that are already named Manny, including a book, so to avoid being sued to oblivion, I left that off the final list.
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A few people offered Gaspy and Gaspar, which are both fun and local, but maybe a bit too pirate-y and party-ish, and our little manatee is but a child. The name Snooty was brought up twice, in honor of the late Snooty the Manatee in the Bishop Museum in Bradenton. That would be cool, but also attached to a manatee that had a very tragic end after such a legendary life. If you want to know more on that story, look it up, I’m not gonna go into details, but it’s sad.
Other favorites that didn’t make the cut are Bubbles, Moonbeam, Sunny, Baboo, Fred, and Kevin. Also shout out to the people who said to name it Sky. C'mon guys, how into myself do I really seem?
I did throw Blenjamin in there as my personal suggestion. And then the final two very creative names. Mateo the Potato, since manatees are known as water potatoes. And finally, Banana Mananatee, which is a combination of two suggestions, one which was made by a 2-year-old who eats a banana each morning while they listen to the show. That is way too heartwarming not to include on the list.
So after receiving dozens of submissions, we've whittled them down to some of our favorites.
What should it be? Vote in the poll below, and we'll announce ______'s name next week.
