I don't remember having much of an opinion about Cinderella when I was little--I always thought Sleeping Beauty and The Wizard of Oz were more interesting--but I distinctly remember being confused about that fat mouse. His name was Octavius, but they called him Gus. The same thing happens in Cats: Gus the Theatre Cat's name 'is really Asparagus, but that's such a fuss' that they call him Gus. Hm. Very curious. From this scientific research, I've gleaned that the name Gus is a way of taking complicated, fussy, unattractive names, and making them neat and refined. (My research has yet to determine whether Gus can shorten every name, or just ones that end in 'us. ') I'm not saying Gus Modern came up with their name that way--in fact I have no idea how they came up with their name--but it's an interesting coincidence that their furniture is pared-down, minimalist versions of traditional shapes. Hm. Very curious.
