The Pun Map Story
The Islands of Pun and the Free Associations had its origin in a 7th grade Geography class at Dunedin (Florida) Junior High School in the early 1960s. A girl who sat in front of Rick was doodling a crazy map that she called Cows Intestine Island. The island contained place names such as Liverpool and Cud. Because he liked the girl, Rick remembered the map. Many years later, a co-worker asked Rick where he had gone on a recent vacation. In a goofy mood, Rick made up a place name and the co-worker asked, “Where’s that?” Rick replied, “I’ll draw you a map.” When Rick sat down to draw up the map of his fictional vacation spot, the memory of his classmate’s map came back to him and he started putting in puns and other odd place names. He showed the map to Will and Will said, “That’s great! Why don’t you add…” “Yeah!” Rick replied. “And we could also put in…” The give and take of ideas for pun place names went on for nine months and by the time it was done, Rick and Will had amassed several hundred of them. They selected the best 350 and drew up The Islands of Pun and the Free Associations.