TGIF for the Spork

U.S. Patent No. D388,664 for "Spork"

Issued January 6, 1998 to

Hubert Gagnon and Aldo Bellatti

of Quebec, Canada

The word "spork" reportedly first-appeared in the 1909 supplement to the Century Dictionary, where it was described as a trade name and "a 'portmanteau-word' applied to a long, slender spoon having at the end of the bowl projections resembling the tines of a fork." U.S. Trademark Registration No. 0901492 (now expired) was later issued for "SPORK" in connection with a combination plastic spoon, fork, and knife by Van Brode Milling Company. Nonetheless, modern sporks should not be confused with knorks, splayds, spifes, pastry forks, grapefruit spoons, and/or runcible spoons. According to one expert on spork etiquette, a suitable alternative utensil must always be provided when soups or sauces are a dominant portion of the meal in question.

Thank Goodness It's Friday,

--Bill Heinze