Boy Meets World Star Reveals Origins of Topanga's Name
Danielle Fishel, star of Boy Meets World, has explained the origins behind Topanga's unique name. Running until season 7 from 1993 to 2000, the coming-of-age comedy developed a huge following and was one of ABC's most popular shows during its time. Starring Ben Savage and Rider Strong as adored characters Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter, Boys Meets World followed the two leads as they navigated the ups and downs of family, school, friendship, and love.
Topanga Lawrence was introduced to Boy Meets World in season 1, episode 4, as a fellow classmate to Shawn and Cory. Being the daughter of two hippies, Jedidiah and Rhiannon, her name was entirely unique, and Topanga's own personality reflected an eccentric bohemian attitude in the early seasons. Given its distinctive nature, fans of Boy Meets World have often wondered how Topanga got her original name, and now some new light had been shed on the subject.
Speaking at the first ever 90s Con (via People) Fishel shared two origin stories for Topanga's name in Boy Meets World. The first is that the character's creator chose the name based on a specific place in the San Fernando Valley, called Topanga Canyon. In the 60s and 70s, the location was "a known hippie hangout," which fit with the character's origins. The other explanation was that series co-creator, Michael Jacobs, says he was driving down the freeway when he got a call from the Boys Meets World writers requesting a name for the character, and he happened to be passing by the Topanga Canyon offramp at the time. See Fishel's full quote below:
"I think the truth is there was a woman who created the character of Topanga — she was in the writers' room — and I think she wanted the character to be a flower child. And she picked the name Topanga because in the San Fernando Valley, where the show was filmed, there is an area called Topanga Canyon, and that canyon was kind of a known hippie hangout in the '60s and even still is a kind of flower child-y area ... The story that Michael Jacobs tells is that he was in the car on the freeway when the writers called and that he needed a name for this character, and he was at the Topanga Canyon offramp on the freeway. So the joke he made is that had they called him two minutes later, she could have been named De Soto. It's really funny, but I don't know that that's the true story, so there's both!"
Since both Fishel and Jacobs have shared the story about the co-creator naming the character during a drive down the freeway, it's strange to think that Topanga could have been named something completely different by chance. Most fans would say that "Topanga" is now synonymous with the 90s sitcom, as she became such a pivotal part of Boys Meets World. The actress has also mentioned before that, though it's not a common occurrence, she still meets the odd fan every now and then who has named a child after the popular, free-spirited character.
It's difficult to know which of the two stories is the true one behind Topanga's unique moniker. Fishel didn't specifically name the person who created the character, and mentioned only that she was part of the writers room. April Kelly was the other creator behind Boy Meets World and, being there from the beginning, could be the mystery women Fishel is referring to. Regardless of who the credit should go to, based on Topanga's family history, her being named after a place that housed a "flower child" feels extremely fitting.
Source: People