Riff Raff?? The Story Behind the Name
I thought you liked possums. So why call them Riff Raff??
To answer that properly, I need to introduce you to Merlin. Merlin is an African Grey Parrot (Timneh), and let’s be honest about who runs the household. For those parrot parents, you know exactly what I’m talking about!
So when Merlin first chose us to come live here, I must admit a secret … I *loved* singing the music to Disney’s Aladdin (the original w/Robin Williams, of course!). Well Merlin fell in love with it as well (he has such good taste), and his favorite tune was the One Jump Ahead Reprise, sort of a personal anthem for him.
From Disney’s Aladdin
Song by Alan Menken and Tim Rice
When we were brainstorming what to call the rehab, I solicited ideas from friends and family far and wide. Lots of great ideas but I was struggling to select one, it’s like I just hadn’t quite found the perfect name. So I was talking to someone about it and debating the name, when Merlin kept interjecting with “Riff Raff”. Of course, I thought “yeah, yeah, you want me to sing you Riff Raff”. Then it hit me… WAIT… Riff Raff… that’s it!
The lyrics are perfect for possums. “Riff Raff, Street Rat” — is what some think of possums as just a nuisance. “If only they’d look closer. They’d find out, there’s so much more to me”. Exactly! These animals aren’t Riff Raff. They are ecologically useful, gentle, docile, fascinating little critters from the dinosaur era who can do many things humans can not (like survive a rattlesnake bite)!
Shout out to Merlin for naming our rehab 🐦👏🏻
