Nintendo Wii

For Nintendo, the name “Revolution” had always been a codename. People might say that it had caught on with the public and changing it now will confuse people, but Nintendo were very up-front about this: Revolution was just a codename, just like “Dolphin” (Gamecube) and “Project Reality” (Nintendo 64).

Yesterday, Nintendo announced the official name of their next-generation console.

Wii.

I’m on two minds here. Part of me thinks it’s a brilliant, bold move - “Revolution” was too western, and didn’t mean as much to its home market. Wii is a standard non-specific word bordering on onomatapaea. Whee!

The other part of me is wondering what names were rejected to come to this one. I’m reminded of an Eddie Izzard sketch, describing how Jerry Dorsey changed his name to Englebert Humperdink.

'Zinglebert Bambledack! Yingeebert Dangleban! Zanglebert Dingleback! Winglebert Humptiback! Slupbum Waller!'

‘What?’

‘Alright, Kringlebert Fishtibuns! Steveibuns Buttrentrunden…’

‘No, Jerry Dorsey! I like Jerry Dorsey…’

‘No we can’t… Let’s see, we have Zinglebert Bambledack, Dinglebert Wangledack, Slupbum Waller, Klingibum Fistlbars, Dinglebert Zambeldack, uh… Jerry Dorsey, Englerbert Humptiback, Zinglebert Bambledack, Engelbert Humperdinck, Dinglebert Wingledank’

‘No, no, go back one’