Editing Spanky McFarland (section)

==Namesake==
The 1960s [[sunshine pop]] rock group [[Spanky and Our Gang]] named themselves after McFarland's character because singer [[Spanky McFarlane|Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane's]] last name was similar to his. However, this is disputed by biographer Bruce Eder, who has said her fellow musician Arnie Lanza gave her the nickname "Spanky," based on what he saw as her resemblance to George McFarland who played "Spanky" in the Our Gang comedies.<ref name="AllMusic">{{Cite web |last=Eder |first=Bruce |title=Spanky & Our Gang |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/spanky-our-gang-mn0000008245/biography |access-date=2020-11-21 |website=AllMusic}}</ref>

In 1990, McFarland filed a $100,000 lawsuit against a bar owner in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]]. McFarland claimed that "Spanky's" bar on East 7th Street used his name and face for thirteen years without permission. The lawsuit also called for McFarland to receive all of the internal merchandise and equipment featuring his likeness. The case was eventually settled, and the owner changed the name to Checker's Bar.<ref name="SpankysBar">{{Cite web |date=1990-09-14 |title=Saloon Ordered to Keep "Spanky" Out of Name |url=https://apnews.com/article/bb325a7134c38cac46c4d9127f3016ce |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129092630/https://apnews.com/article/bb325a7134c38cac46c4d9127f3016ce |archive-date=2022-11-29 |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=AP News}}</ref>