E.L. Gumby’s changes name to GoombaS Pizza

Editor’s Note: This article was changed to accurately reflect the Gumby’s locations that changed their names to GoombaS Pizza U.S.A.

College students, prepare for Pokeme Stix.

The breadsticks popular among some MSU students — formerly known as Pokey Stix — and the restaurant that makes them, Gumby’s Pizza, 311 W. Grand River Ave., have undergone name changes to get around royalty costs, owner Gail Sutton said.

The East Lansing location, as well as the location in Kalamazoo, Mich., officially changed the name to GoombaS Pizza U.S.A. yesterday.

The cost of paying royalties for Gumby and Pokey, two characters in a television show during the 1950s and 1960s, became too much of a burden for Sutton.

“Paying royalties to them is more than what I earn,” Sutton said. “I’m just trying to rise above and separate myself from that.”

Sutton said the word “goomba” is an Italian word for “friend,” and thought the name was an appropriate term to describe the feeling at the restaurant.

As for “Pokeme Stix,” Sutton said the name derived from the Facebook concept of “poking” friends.

She said some students already had been calling the breadsticks by that name before the change.

“Most students have a lot of names for Pokey Stix,” she said. “That’s one of them we get quite frequently.”

Some students have expressed confusion and disbelief at the change.

Jazz studies freshman Jordan Vale said he was surprised by the name changes, particularly of the breadsticks.

“Pokeme is not a good idea,” Vale said. “It’s not really the right route to take.”

Vale said he wouldn’t care as much about the name change if it correlated with lower prices of food at the restaurant.

Although the name changes of the restaurant and its trademark breadsticks have confused some hungry students, general manager Chris Geer said the food, location and employees are not going to change.

“Pretty much nothing has changed, except for the name,” Geer said.

Sutton said she hopes the name change will be a success and believes students will still enjoy the Gumby’s they used to know without oppressing royalty charges.

“Hopefully they’ll accept it as a little guy trying to break out of the corporate grasp,” Sutton said. “We’re going to be passing our savings on to the customer.”