Embarrassed that their street name contained the syllable "butt", the residents of DeButts Terrace, named for the Malibu family that once owned that lovely canyon, raised a ruckus and insisted the street be re-named.

First, the "DeButts" street sign mysteriously vanished. Then came meetings with the Malibu City Council, and a story in the LA Times:

"It's an embarrassing name," said Allison Thomsen, one of 16 or so property owners on the street, which sits atop a ridge near Escondido Canyon with views of ocean, mountains and waterfalls.

One resident hasn't told his preschool-age son the name of the street for fear the boy would be ridiculed by other kids. Others have promised to plant a tree and mount a plaque to honor the street's namesakes, if only the City Council will approve the name change.

Residents had wanted the street renamed Paradise View Way, but then-mayor Ken Kearsley objected to obliterating a quirk of Malibu history. The powers that be have split the difference by renaming the street Murphy Way, for another early Malibu resident.

As for the DeButts family, whose name was stripped from the street they themselves named, they've now got a plaque celebrating not just their place in Malibu history, but their ability to see the humor in everyday life.

Funny, no?