According to his autobiography, the name "Soupy Sales" was derived from two things. "Soupy" came from "Soupbone", a nickname he got in his youth which was a mispronunciation of his real last name, Supman; and Sales came from the suggestion of an Ohio television manager who knew of a comic named "Chick Sales". Soupy knew that the man was referring to 1920s comic actor Charles 'Chic' Sale, but did not correct him and accepted the name. Sales also went by the name of "Soupy Hines" for a while, which was a reference to (and a misspelling of) the famous soup company.
