Robert Ashton and Aisling Davis have been playing tricks on each other for years. But when Robert dyed Aisling's hair blonde while she was asleep, she decided she needed to come up with something big to get him back. What she eventually dreamed up was to legally change Robert's name... to "Ima Stapler." The
Halifax Courier reports:
Aisling, of Sowerby Bridge, decided to take her revenge. She knew someone who had recently changed their middle name by deed poll and wondered if it would be possible to change a name without that person knowing.
"Some friends and I thought of different names but Ima Stapler was the one that made us laugh the most," said Aisling, a teaching assistant of Burnley Road, Sowerby Bridge
"I've known him for a long time so I had most of his details. To be honest I thought it would be more difficult.
"I wouldn't have been able to do it to anyone else."
Apparently a "deed poll" is a legal document used in England to change one's name. It seems a bit scary that she was able to get away with this. Imagine what an identity thief could do.
But Robert, aka Ima Staper, says he thinks it's funny and has no plans to change his name back.
The Halifax Courier also reports that more than 40,000 people changed their name by deed poll last year: "New names issued included Jellyfish Mc-Saveloy, Toasted T Cake, Nineteen Sixty-Eight, Hong Kong Phooey, Daddy Fantastic, One-One-Eight Taxi, Ting A Ling, Huggy Bear, Donald Duck and Jojo Magicspacemonkey."
Comments
The Mack Truck company was moving most of its jobs from the Lehigh Valley where I was broadcasting to a southern state with "right to work" laws. I decided that if I could find someone to legally change his name to Mack Trucks, then Bethlehem could continue to call itself The Home of Mack Trucks.
I found a bodybuilder who was willing to change his name (the radio station was going to pay for the legal expenses). At the last minute, his girlfriend talked him out of it. Since I had talked this thing up so much (even getting publicity in USA Today), I felt honor bound to make it happen. I was going to change my own name, but my wife threatened divorce if I followed through. Oh well.
I doubt anyone would be able to change someone else's name here though. Privacy laws have become so stupid that you can't even pay the car rego for anyone else now, let alone submit legal documents for them.
It'd be interesting to try though...
http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/latestnews/newsroundup/display.var.1947433.0.birthday_gift_is_a_fantastic_new_name.php
Looking at the deed poll website, though, you have to fill in an online form to request an official paper form, which must be signed and witnesses. Presumably completing just an online form request was enough to satisfy the drunken enthusiasm of Daddy Fantastic, though, and I imagine Ima Stapler learnt about the proposed name change by getting a confirmation form through the post.
Maybe somebody should change Jeremy Clarkson's name.