Herb <snip>

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>Yes, I don't know the exact date but the BK campaign definitely
>popularized this term. We now have evidence slightly earlier than
>1993.

Search Google groups under "nerd [and] herb" and you'll find an item from
1986 in which BK's Herb is characterized as a "burger-chomping nerd" and a
"pencil neck geek".

I think "Herb" was an 'innocent' name previously without any association
with geekery ... there was Herb Alpert [Tijuana Brass] for example ...
possibly a "Herb" was a prosaic guy, "Joe Citizen", but not a pencil-neck
or sucker or whatever. As for "Herbert", how long ago did the Herbert
Tareyton cigarette label disappear? Surely it was still around in the 1960's?

-- Doug Wilson