There were a lot of rascals over the years, so it’s not surprising that it’s tough to remember everyone’s names. The weird thing is, though, there’s a slew of stories about imposters. In 1990, the news show “20/20” had to issue a huge apology (via the Associated Press). They had done a segment on “Little Rascals” favorite Buckwheat, claiming that they’d found him working at a grocery store in Arizona. The problem? The real Buckwheat — Billie Thomas, pictured — had died in 1980, after suffering a heart attack. Thomas’ family was understandably outraged.
Also speaking out about the imposter getting some serious cred was George McFarland, who’s better known as Spanky. He, too, said he had been targeted by imposters, like a woman named Sally Bowers. Bowers, reported The Washington Post, died in 1987, after convincing everyone she knew that she had been Spanky. She dressed like the character, told stories about filming, and spent at least 40 years claiming she had been hired by Roach after cutting her hair and dressing as a boy. It was, of course, not true in the least.
In 2008, the Decatur Daily reported on the death of Mollie Brown, who claimed to have played Darla. The report was quick to stress that although she had been a vaudeville performer from the era, there was only one Darla — and her real name was Darla Hood.
