Punxsutawney Phil and Phyllis’ baby groundhogs finally have names
And no, it’s not Phil and Phyllis Jr.
After months of mystery, Punxsutawney Phil and Phyllis’ baby groundhogs finally have names.
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle announced the newest additions to the burrow — a boy and girl — would be named Shadow and Sunny.
The babies were born in March, marking the first time in 138 years that the groundhogs have procreated.
» READ MORE: Punxsutawney Phil and his wife had BABY GROUNDHOGS!
Tom Dunkel and Dan McGinley, who lead the Groundhog Club, read the news of the official names from a proclamation at a news conference Sunday.
“Born to royalty, a boy and a girl, names have been chosen to share with the world,” they said. ‘With pride and joy as the kids play, from Punxsutawney, happy Mother’s Day!” A video from the event was also posted to the club’s Facebook page, which avid groundhog fans follow for updates.
The names are the result of a 10-day naming contest set up by the club at the end of April, in which Punxsutawney visitors could submit name suggestions.
Dunkel said he reviewed all the suggestions and — of course — discussed them with Phil at length. In past interviews, the Groundhog Club president said that his special cane allows him to speak “Groundhogease” with the immortal rodent.
Three months back, a Groundhog Club member discovered the babies while feeding Phil and Phyllis in their climate-controlled burrow. According to the lore, the babies will not inherit his season-knowing abilities because, simply, there’s only one Phil.
And no, Phil (or the club if you’d prefer to place blame on the institution) won’t share his life-extending elixir with his wife or their babies. Welcome to the facts of life, kids!
The Inquirer and other news outlets have been unable to verify if Phil is truly 138 years old or the elixir’s legitimacy independently.