# How do you name your projects?



## TheOneAndOnlyKelly (May 7, 2009)

Open discussion: How do you find the "right" name for your various projects? Alternately, if you don't name them, why not?

Each of my (at least vaguely humanoid) projects get their own moniker, from Sarah the Ghost, Jessica the Bride to Eddie the scarecrow (as seen on my avatar).

Sometimes I let my kids come up with the name, as long as it's kinda cool. Naming my ground breaker "Billy Bob Joe Bob Hansen" was on the edge of acceptable. Naming my scarecrow "Mr Wuggly-Boo" was right out.

I try to avoid the sillier names. I think Witch Hazel might be the exception...


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

We name all of our zombies. Just first names. For instance, Marcus, Barbara and Spencer. etc. I just try to think of what personality fits them. My werewolves are Nicolai and Aleksander. These are too many figures to list right now. 

We name all of them because it is much easier to say things like, "hey, Samuel's pantleg needs pinned down," rather than "the really, really tall zombie needs his pantleg pinnded down."

My figures are an extension of me.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

I keep it really simple. Mine are called "done" or " not done".

Frankly, I am sure that giving a project a names comes from the fact you spent a lot of time with it and you tend to personelize it with a name. Or in some cases it is just easier to refer to a project by a giving name and not its classification (grabber, popper, ect)


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

For me, the names often come to mind when I'm thinking of a back story for a prop I want to make. The Ghoul Hounds, Death Drone, Pumpkin Squid, and Bobblehead Bluckenstein all have back stories, and the names just seemed to fit.

The Candle Gazer got its name from an inspiration start point, which was a flickering candle night light we got as a Christmas gift that we weren't going to otherwise use. The Graveyard Goblin started from a picture of an Orc mask that Spooky1 found. The Tombstone Flapper came about because I wanted to make something with wings that could flap and we put him on a tombstone (so not a very clever name, just descriptive).

Right now I'm toying with a generic name for our cheesy spider makeovers, but I haven't quite come up with a back story yet.

None of our props have a first name, although I think Scareme did name the baby demon tombstone peeper after me


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Mine are named either after the type of prop it is or if it was made as a character I think of it's name when I dream it up. I think it's fun to name them, as it also makes me know what i'm talking about when i want to refer to a certain prop.


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## pensivepumpkin (Mar 27, 2011)

I never noticed, but I appear to have a caste system going on. If you get a body, you get a name. If you are a disembodied head (like the guy currently acting as my avatar) then you don't. My scarecrow's name is Phil. This makes it easier when introducing him to overnight guests since they will be sharing a room.


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

I let Roxy Name My props, Like My Groundbreaker..... Luciano (Pavarotti)


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

MacabreRob said:


> Naming my scarecrow "Mr Wuggly-Boo" was right out.


Actually, I rather like that name Has a nice ring to it.



niblique71 said:


> I let Roxy Name My props, Like My Groundbreaker..... Luciano (Pavarotti)


LMAO, I totally forgot about that one, Niblique:jol:


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Bone Dancer said:


> I keep it really simple. Mine are called "done" or " not done".
> 
> Frankly, I am sure that giving a project a names comes from the fact you spent a lot of time with it and you tend to personelize it with a name. Or in some cases it is just easier to refer to a project by a giving name and not its classification (grabber, popper, ect)


I like done of undone. Lol

I also agree with the naming as an easy way to differentiate between props. Rather than saying "the scary old guy with warts on his face that stands at the entrance to the graveyard" just calling him "Harvey Knucklebones" is so much easier. Although I do tend to use descriptive names to some degree.


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## Scarecrow (Dec 11, 2008)

Naming my props is one of the things i struggle with most of all. I am jealous of the people who can give there creations such wonderful names and back stories.


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

I have one prop with a name..."jason" because he is "jason voorhies".

Other that that I just call them 'finished'.


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## Marrow (Feb 23, 2011)

I only just stared naming my props. When I made my first scarecrow, I was tossing around the idea of calling it 'Marrow'. When I made my witch, I was tossing a round the idea of calling her 'Marrow'. I guess I like the word, so that is where my 'haunting name' and blog name comes from.

When I was making my santa prop, I had a strange urge to scrawl 'SANTA' across his forehead, before I mache'd him. So I did, in black vivid. I now like to write a props name across it's forehead sometime before I paint it.
Little ceremony.


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## JustJimAZ (Aug 19, 2010)

Marrow said:


> When I was making my santa prop, I had a strange urge to scrawl 'SANTA' across his forehead, before I mache'd him. So I did, in black vivid. I now like to write a props name across it's forehead sometime before I paint it.
> Little ceremony.


That is actually a pretty cool idea. A little GOLEM in each prop.


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## smileyface4u23 (Apr 1, 2008)

We almost always name our props. Some have ready-made names (the movie themed props - Jason, Freddy, Michael, etc.) We also have Frank(enstein) and baby Frank (a mini Frankenstein). "Pook" is the guy from Scream, since that's what our son called him when he was terrified of that movie character when he was younger. The skellies are Sam, Henry and Pete - purely because those are the names that popped into my head when we were working on them. We spend so much time with these props, it's just easier to name them so everyone knows who you're talking about when making suggestions, deciding what goes where, etc.


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## spideranne (Jul 17, 2006)

Only a few of mine have names. If they were originally associated with a tombstone, then they inherited that name. My first paper mache ground breaker I put in front of the Imus B. Gowen tombstone the first year, and he's always been Imus from then on even though he's never been back in front of that stone. Same thing with my grave popper, the tombstone says Ivy Scapped, so she's Ivy. Other then that it's just generic names, ghost, spider, scarecrow, etc.


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## ScreamingScarecrow (Oct 1, 2008)

We love naming our Halloween props and they usually are given their names long before they are finished - we even name some of our store bought props! My favourite prop name was Chicken Boy! the neighbor named him and it stuck - I'll have to link to some photos when I get time.


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## Jester7902 (Mar 22, 2011)

We just call the props what they are...the chair, the casket, tombstones.....you get the idea. We dont have any figures...yet!


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## Dark Angel 27 (Sep 11, 2008)

with my background as a writer, i'm pretty good with comming up with backstories for my props as well as names. It depends on the prop. half the time I come up with the name on a whim, other times, i go online and look up names, in the case of my wolf-kin that i have yet to post pics of, i went online and looked up names for 'werewolf' and then go from there, other times, like with my boy mutant, his name Ashton was derived from the name Ashmore which is the last name of the actor Shawn Ashmore who plays the mutant Ice-Man in all three x-man movies.

It really just depends on the prop. if i can't come up with the name on my own, i'll just search for one on line.


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## bentneedle (Sep 6, 2010)

For me, it isn't until I get to the first stages of painting the piece that I choose a name. The whole time I'm making it, names are whirling by and floating around the ether of creating. 
It's that first coat of paint that shows how it's going to look that decide the name. After the name, I work so much faster to bring it to (un)life.


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## lisa48317 (Aug 18, 2010)

My figures all get names. Matt is a groundbreaker (guy with no arms & legs on the ground, etc). Art is hanging on the tree. Peeping Tom is a full figure that I had propped against the back of the house for about a week - peeking into the kitchen window. Marilyn is my girl holding her head - that reminds me of Marilyn Manson. Oh and Big Mike is the giant spider that I got at Spirit after H'ween last year.


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