【2005 Archives】

For a while005 Archives Britain experienced the Boaty McBoatface phenomenon -- public institutions asking citizens to name boats/gritters/vehicles and getting swamped by a whole lot of ridiculously inappropriate names.

Now local authorities are starting to wise up and they're preemptively hijacking any attempt to sabotage the vehicle-christening.

When asking for suggestions to name two new gritting vehicles, Doncaster Council posted this shady tweet: "Keep em clean and be original - we'd prefer not to spend the next few days trawling through responses of Gritty McGritface and Gary Gritter."

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The council also pledged to open the suggestions to a public vote after being approved "by a very serious panel of civil servants and had their comedy value assessed by a vigorous, five-stage process of course."

Some of the most hilarious names were already taken:

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Then, with GIF-laden posts that show confidence, knowledge in Internet culture and a good dose of sass, the authority announced the #DoncasterGrittingWorldCup

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...with a LIVE DRAW!

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And here are the names that made it to the final:

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There are still a few hours to vote. But Doncaster Council has already won.

Lesson learned? If you can't control it, just own it!

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