Introducing Franky Banky

Author’s commentary

It is very common for people who stutter to have great difficulty saying their own names. If I had a nickel for each time someone asked me if I had forgotten my name, I’d be a very wealthy man. We simply need a little extra time to say what we need to say.

It’s because of this, that I thought of using this comic of Franky Banky introducing himself would make a great first comic for this website. Saying our own names is nerve wracking. Remember how on the first day of school, the teacher would make us introduce ourselves one by one to the entire class? That continues well into adulthood at the beginning of meetings in the workplace. We say our names at parties, networking events, whenever we meet new people, even when we have to order coffee at a certain chain.

And we get laughed at or asked if we had forgotten our names. Again. Stuttering isn’t the issue. The world needs stuttering awareness. That’s the issue.

Notice, though, how Franky Banky is smiling after he finished saying his name. Stuttering on your name doesn’t have to be an emotionally scarring ordeal. It can instead provide an opportunity to spread stuttering awareness.

“No, I didn’t forget my name. I just stutter and I need a little extra time to say what I need to say”.

The response you’ll get would be either “Oh! That’s ok!” or the beginning of a pleasant conversation about how your listener used to know someone who stuttered. Either way, you’ve educated one more person about stuttering and made the world a little better for kids who stutter.

Of course, there is more to Franky Banky than the way he talks. Learn a few fun facts about Franky Banky in the About section.

August 15, 2020