To think this attitude to names like Fanny in old books is silly?

[Carla786]

I've seen posts here agreeing with the new Enid Blyton editions that changed Fanny to Franny and Dick to Rick, some even saying she must have meant it as a double entendre.

 Just seems silly & narrow-minded to me. Not everything was always meant as a double entendre. Should Fanny Price in Mansfield Park also be changed? Or other characters called names that mean different things now? 

I remember my mother passed down a minor Blyton book with a kitten called Bimbo in. Was that Blyton being rude, or just due to the fact that Bimbo was slang for 'kid' then?

I don't think it is 'kids these days' though pushing for it to be changed.
I'm older Gen Z as I said and while people my age are aware of the slang meaning it's not the most commonly used one.

Generally on here where people snigger it seems to be adults who find it hilariously funny or say changing is appropriate.

A lot of the time people assume things will be issues for kids which actually aren't. It's like trigger warnings for things like spanking in books which I came across a lot in older stuff like Blyton. My mother never smacked me and reading it never made me scared that she would, I was aware it was a different time.

What was the pic?

And that's a good point : unless parents tell them to use it as a slang term for their own genitalia (which is less common now), kids reading Blyton type stuff shouldn't know the meaning anyway

@Carla786 Fanny Craddock "may all your donuts turn out like Fanny's"

Ha, didn't know it was Ed Balls Day (what?) !

The word fanny always makes me think of that Irn Bru advert.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ibuLgsVcQUY&pp=ygUYaXJuIGJydSBmYW5ueSBhZCB5b3V0dWJl

Ha ha. Illustrating the importance of apostrophes there.

Oh no, the lovely Phil Wang will have to change his name! So will the equally lovely Garrett Wang of Star Trek Voyager fame.

Oh man yeah 😂😂

Grimms’ fairytales were never meant for children.

Oh, I'd like to see that pic!

A few other famous Fannies from Wiki (I'm on a roll!) :
Fanny Kemble - actress
Fanny Elssler - ballerina
Fanny Trollope - writer
Fanny Blankers-Koen - athlete
Fanny Bullock Workman - mountain climber
Fanny Brice - entertainer
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel - composer
Fanny Brawne - John Keats' muse
Fanny Cochrane Smith - last fluent speaker of Aboriginal Tasmanian

I know- I didn't mention them in the post? Sorry, but I don't quite understand your point..

Is Fanny short for something? Like Frances maybe?

Also @Carla786 yeah maybe Mumsnet HQ will allow the pic to be posted sometime soon?

Exactly! It's awful to treat such a common name until quite recently as unmentionable. It's arguably quite arrogant to act like that when until recently it was seen as fine - and changed for no particularly good reason.

Have they banned it? Odd..

Yes, it is short of Frances or Françoise if you're French. Usually it wasn't given just on its own, I don't think?

Next you’ll be telling me you can’t have a character with a cat called Pussy…

Apologies, I must have quoted the wrong post.

Very topical for me as we have had hysterics this week as DS has brought a famous 5 book home as his reading book. The first night he was literally crying with laughter at the thought of someone being called Dick - fortunately Fanny has passed him by as he's only 7. I just explained that people had different names in the past. It's also interesting as some of the language is slightly different which is a good talking point. I think it should all stay as it is

I don't think they've banned it @Carla786 it's a very innocuous baking picture 😂

Julian, Dick & Ann, George & Timmy the dog

No I doubt they banned it but I wondered if maybe their filter caught it for a while just in case...at least, pictures normally go up quicker.

That sounds like a good policy- adapting to the book rather than vice versa.

yeah maybe the wording raised some flags 😂

Ha, yes all the old fashioned rhymes and stories about 'pussy/puss/pussycat' must ne beyond the pale... Not to mention the references to Miss Marple as an 'old pussy' in the books.

That's OK 👍