Baby Tomato and the Etymology of Nicknames

I would guess that most of us have had nicknames before, and even currently. Once, I had a friend that I knew as 'Dino' which I thought was his real name - until a full year after we were friends, when I found out his birth name was 'Steve.' Sometimes, like Steve, our nicknames have obscure origins that might stick with us for no other reason than that's what people begin to call us.

Yesterday, one of my students told me a joke that I heard in a movie years ago:

Momma Tomato, Papa Tomato, and Baby Tomato were walking down the street. Baby Tomato kept lagging behind and Papa Tomato was getting annoyed. Finally, he went up to Baby Tomato and smushed him, saying "Ketchup."

She followed this up with,

Scottie is Baby Tomato. I always need to remind him to get to work and catch up!

*Note: Names have been changed to protect the innocent

Now, all teachers have many kids that lag behind in classwork because they either can't stay focused, don't think the work they're doing is important, or a little of both. Nonetheless, the nickname stuck - mostly because it is a silly reminder for the student to get back on task, but also because the kid prefers it to being called out directly for losing concentration.

Will "Baby Tomato" be a nickname that will stick with this kid (who is already a head taller than the rest of his classmates) for years? Only time will tell...