Play the Name-Droppers Quiz!

Like many a pop idol, a lot of rock-star companies transcended their troubled or humble origins with the help of a new name for themselves or their wares. This quiz will ask you to guess the birth names of a host of major consumer brands—and to reflect on how some of the most brilliant business minds of the last 100 years could have come up with "Baby Gays," "Brad's Drink," or "Cadabra" for their products.

Question 1 of 12

Starbucks was named after a character in Moby-Dick when which name from the same novel was rejected?

Question 2 of 12

What was the original name of Google's search engine?

Question 3 of 12

Which common household item used to go by the name Baby Gays?

Question 4 of 12

For its first 17 years in business, Best Buy shared its name with which famous musical?

Question 5 of 12

Brad's Drink was the underwhelming first moniker of which future bottled-drink juggernaut?

Question 6 of 12

Which grocery-aisle mainstay was first marketed as Country Squares?

Question 7 of 12

Which television channel began life as the Pinwheel Network?

Question 8 of 12

Traf-O-Data, a company that interpreted data from roadway traffic counters, was the first failed startup by the founders of which future software giant?

Question 9 of 12

Hugh Hefner was forced to change the name of his future media company due to a trademark challenge by a rival magazine. What was Playboy's first name?

Question 10 of 12

Amazon incorporated in 1994 under the name Cadabra, as in "abracadabra." Why did Jeff Bezos' lawyer reject the name?

Question 11 of 12

Which chain launched as Pronto Market?

Question 12 of 12

What was the original name of Yahoo, which combined the names of founders Jerry Yang and David Filo?

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/business/when_big_businesses_were_small/2013/10/quiz_match_the_great_business_with_its_terrible_original_name.html
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