Breaking News: Mr. Bean could have been Mr. Cauliflower. Before Rowan Atkinson settled on the iconic name, there were a bunch of other names tossed around… See More

Yes, the iconic character could’ve had a quirky, vegetable-inspired name, which tossed around—including Mr.

White and Mr. Cauliflower. But thankfully, Mr. Bean stuck. The change came down to the need for something short, sharp, and memorable, a name that would stick in people’s minds—and the rest, as they say, is comedy history.

Back in the early days, Atkinson first tested out the character in Canned Laughter, a comedy sketch collection. Here, he played Robert Box, a socially awkward proto-version of Mr. Bean.

Box was a bit less peculiar but still showed flashes of the Bean-like awkwardness that would later become world-famous. The standout moment? Robert making coffee—not in a cup, but directly in his mouth.

Sounds messy, right? This bizarre gag even made a cameo in Bean, Rowan Atkinson’s big-screen debut, cementing that quirky humor as part of Bean’s legacy.