Council torpedoes 'Floaty McFloatface' idea

Floaty McFlo... sorry, Floating Bridge No 6 (Isle of Wight Council/Facebook)
Floaty McFlo... sorry, Floating Bridge No 6 (Isle of Wight Council/Facebook)

History never repeats, unless you're an organisation asking the public to name something, it seems.

Clearly not having learnt the lessons of the Boaty McBoatface debacle, a council in the UK asked its residents to name a new floating bridge.

"'Floating Bridge number 6' isn't the most exciting of names for our new state-of-the-art, modern floating bridge; but it is its registered name," the Isle of Wight Council wrote on Facebook.

"Think you can do a better job of naming her? Now is your chance."

What happened next was inevitable.

(Isle of Wight Council/Facebook)
Nice try, Brian (Isle of Wight Council/Facebook)

It went on.

(Isle of Wight Council/Facebook)
Eugene Levy? (Isle of Wight Council/Facebook)

And on.

(Isle of Wight Council/Facebook)
Apparently there have been five Floaty McFloatfaces already (Isle of Wight Council/Facebook)

Nearly 3000 comments were posted - almost all of them calling for 'Floaty McFloatface'.

After the council said it would veto the incredibly popular suggestion, a petition was started. It now has more than 2500 backers - curiously, including the bridge itself.

Aren't bridges clever these days (change.org)
Aren't bridges clever these days (change.org)

The council says the best six suggestions that aren't 'Floaty McFloatface' will be put to a public vote.

In case the joke's floated way over your head, the 'Somethingy McSomethingface" meme began about a year ago when UK's Natural Environment Research Council asked the public to name its new vessel. Boaty McBoatface was the overwhelming favourite, getting four times as many votes as any other suggestion.

The boat was eventually named RSS Sir David Attenborough, with the humorous moniker eventually being bestowed upon a submarine.

The real Boaty McBoatface (supplied)
The real Boaty McBoatface (supplied)

 

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