Why Ricky's Last Name In Trailer Park Boys Means More Than You Think
Fans of the hit Canadian comedy series "Trailer Park Boys" know that while the plots and schemes Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay), Bubbles (Mike Smith), and the rest of the gang from the Sunnyvale Trailer Park come up with aren't always the best or brightest, they're always good for a laugh.
The show highlights the humor found in the everyday goings-on in a modest Canadian trailer park, and the creators have done a great job filling the show with as many jokes, puns, ridiculous scenarios, and "Rickyisms" as possible for the enjoyment of the audience since the show debuted in 2001 (per IMDb). In fact, the writers decided to have a bit of fun when coming up with the perfect last name for the trailer park's cannabis-loving, pompadour-sporting resident.
Love the show, but not sure what we're talking about? Don't worry, we'll fill you in on why Ricky's last name in "Trailer Park Boys" means more than you think.
Ricky's last name in Trailer Park Boys has a double meaning
In "Trailer Park Boys," Ricky's last name is a mystery until Season 12 (via Screen Rant), so the writers had quite a bit of time to think about what would be an appropriate surname for the lovable small-time felon. In fact, they were able to give Ricky's last name in "Trailer Park Boys" a double meaning that may not be obvious at first, but totally makes sense when you take a moment to think about it — especially if you're familiar with certain facts about Canada.
Ricky's last name in "Trailer Park Boys" is LaFleur, which is the French word for "flower" and an obvious nod to Ricky's love of growing, smoking, consuming, and selling cannabis buds, which are in fact the flowers of the plant. A less obvious bit of Canadian trivia is that LaFleur is also the last name of one of the country's most famous hockey players, Guy LaFleur, and fans of the show know how much Ricky loves his hockey.
The character of Ricky Lafleur on Trailer Park Boys is inspired by multiple people
All in all, "LaFleur" is quite a fitting name for Ricky's character on "Trailer Park Boys," and the fact that it has multiple meanings is even more appropriate since the cannabis cultivating crook is based on multiple people.
In a 2006 interview with The Globe and Mail, Wells explained how he developed Ricky's character through his experiences with various people in his past. He told the publication, "You draw on different things. Some of it is from people you knew growing up. One third of the character I'm based on a guy [I knew]who constantly messed up words, and I'd write them down. There are different bits and pieces of a few people."
Now that you know why Ricky's last name in "Trailer Park Boys" means more than you think, you can fill in your best buds the next time you binge the show together. If you really want to impress them, learn the backstory on those crazy glasses Bubbles wears.