Stikins ® Labels Investigates Alliterative Aliases & Superhero Pseudonyms

Today is Wonder Woman Day, marking the first appearance of the comic book character. To celebrate, we decided to investigate the trend of alliterative names in comic books and to see if our customers have followed suit. Plus, find out why Stikins® super name labels are the heroes that every parent needs. 

Superhero Pseudonyms And Alliterative Aliases

Take a look at the world of comic book characters and you’ll soon run into a whole bunch of alliterative names.

• Alliterative names appeared very early on the history of comic books. Examples from the 1930s and 40s include: Lois Lane, Clark Kent (Superman), Lex Luthor, Billy Batson (Captain Marvel/Shazam), Wonder Woman, Shiera Sanders (Hawkgirl), the Caped Crusader (Batman), and the Scarlet Speedster (Flash).
• Most alliterative names, however, come from one creator – Stan Lee. During the “Silver Age” of comics, Stan Lee created a huge number of titles for Marvel Comics, including the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, X-Men, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Black Panther.
• Each title needed to be populated with heroes, villains, family, friends, colleagues, and other characters. In an effort to remember all of their names, Stan Lee decided to use alliteration. If he knew one half of a name (and that the other half started with the same letter or sound), he could - usually - remember all of the names he'd given to his creations.
• Lee famously forgot the names of Peter Parker (Spiderman) and Bruce Banner (the Hulk) – resulting in a number of storylines that referred to Peter Palmer and Bob Banner.
• The trend has been honoured by comic writers ever since. More recent additions to the list of alliterative names include: Wade Winston Wilson (Deadpool), Jessica Jones, Miles Morales (Spiderman), Robbie Reyes (Ghost Rider), and Kamala Khan (Ms Marvel).
• Superman has a LOT of alliterative names – especially “LL” names. At least 24 characters have double Ls as their initials, mostly from the Luthor, Lane, and Lang families. While the first few names were accidental, the writers went with the trend and have even made reference to it in a number of storylines. In one, Superman receives a message that a loved one is in danger and the only clue to their identity is the letters LL – which Superman himself acknowledges isn’t exactly helpful...
• Technically speaking, one of the most famous LLs – Lex Luthor – isn’t really a double L at all. His full name is actually Alexander Joseph Luthor.
• Lois Lane has plenty of alliterative connections. Not only does she have a sister named Lucy Lane, she was also named after an actress called Lola Lane, and has been portrayed by a number of actresses with alliterative names – including Amy Adams, Dana Delany, Pauley Perrette, Grey Griffin, Rebecca Romijn, Noel Neill, and Monica Murray!
• While most characters only have one alliterative name, some have the (rather dubious) honour of having alliterative superhero/supervillain names and alter egos. These include the Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz, who also uses the aliases John Jones and Hank Henshaw), Miss Martian (M'gann M'orzz who also uses the alias Megan Morse), Doctor Doom (Victor Von Doom), and one of the characters who operated under the Star Sapphire title (Deborah Darnell).

So just how popular are alliterative names out in the “real world”? We reviewed all of the names ordered from us last year and just under 4.6% of our customers used double initials. Whether they were inspired by the world of comic books or not, we love all of the names that share this distinctly heroic trend.

Super Stick On Name Labels For Super Mums & Dads

While we're looking at the world of superheroes, we thought we'd also take a look at all of the ways that our name labels help mums and dads be superheroes (at least when it comes to labelling their children’s stuff!).

Super Strength

Stikins ® name labels are made with a unique adhesive, which creates super strong adhesive bonds with all kinds of materials. This means our labels will stick to all kinds of items, including clothes, shoes, and all kinds of personal belongings. It also means that Stikins ® labels will stay stuck even under the toughest of conditions – like in a washing machine or the school playground.

Super Durability / Super Endurance / Super Stamina

In addition to being able to create super strong adhesive bonds, Stikins ® labels are able to sustain those bonds for long periods of time – even in environments that involve extreme conditions and a LOT of wear and tear. Our name labels will stay firmly stuck during the rough and tumble of every day life in a school environment AND through repeat trips through washing machines (and tumble dryers). Stikins® have been independently tested using the BS EN ISO6330 wash test procedure for 60 washes at 40 degrees AND they've gone through millions of washes in homes across the UK. In fact, we’ve received feedback from many families who find that their Stikins actually outlast the items they have been used to label. 

Super Speed

Labelling school uniform and kit isn’t the most fun way to spend your time, so we’ve made sure that Stikins ® labels make this particular task super-fast from start to finish. Customers can order online at any time (or by phone during office hours) – and we print and post labels every day from Monday to Friday.

This means that every order placed before 3pm during the working week is despatched same day. Those placed after 3pm or over the weekend are despatched next working day. We use Royal Mail’s first class service to ensure that orders arrive quickly.

Stikins ® labels are super-fast to apply. Simply peel each label off the backing sheet and stick it down firmly. Instead of spending hours sewing in name tapes or ironing on name tags, you can get all of your children’s school uniform and kit safely and securely labelled in minutes.

To get your hands on your own superhero name labels, head on over to our online order form or give us a call during office hours. Simply send us a bat signal (place your order) and we'll get your order printed and posted faster than a speeding bullet (or as fast as Royal Mail can reach you!).