Words cannot describe how much this amuses me. The Ancient Arms of Griswald!
Frankly, if I were designing a coat of arms for Griswald, a large, plumy tail would have to feature into it somewhere.
People frequently ask me if Griswald was named after the family featured in the National Lampoon Vacation movies. While that would be vaguely amusing, the answer invariably is “no,†as I named Griswald as such simply because I liked the sound of it. It was one of the names that my dad often suggested for any potential family pet, along with Meetzorp, Bendix, and Guisewite. I have already decided that my first-born child has to have the name Meetzorp, so Griswald was the next-favored name for a new kitten.
Meetzorp, AFAIK, was the name of the planet from whence the Coneheads came, though I’ve seen/heard it interpreted as Meepzor, as well. Either which way, it is a strong and noble name. And if it is not the name of our firstborn, it will probably be the name of a dog I may someday own. Because Meetzorp would be a glorious name for the right dog.
There was a joke thread on a board that I sometimes read about possible names for Gwynneth Paltrow & Chris Martin’s next baby, and with two of these names were we both extremely taken. The first is the magnanimous and mellifluent “Chumley-Chumley-Chumley Warner,†and the second is “Muhammad Tiki Boom-Boom GWAR!!!†You have to shout “GWAR!!!†in a loud, rough, monster-ish voice, just like Beavis & Butthead do. It is imperative. These would be hearty names to add to the family roster, as well.