Talula doesn't Hula no more

A judge in New Zealand has criticised parents who give their children unusual names, after making a nine-year-old girl called Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii a ward of court. The young girl had referred to herself simply as "K" because she did not want her friends to know her real name. Judge Rob Murfitt cited names like Sex Fruit and Kennan Got Lucy, which had not been allowed by registrars, and Number 16 Bus Shelter and Violence, which had. "The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgement which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name," he wrote.

"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap unnecessarily."

While the ruling had been made in February in New Plymouth on the North Island, it has only become public now.

The country does not allow names which are offensive or longer than 100 characters, but some other strange ones have slipped through the net.

While Fish and Chips were not permitted as names for twins, Benson and Hedges were allowed.

Whether Benson and Hedges will be affected by the country's smoking ban when they attempt to enter bars later in life remains to be seen.