It Was Supposed to Be Called “Hammer Time”
But the popularity of MC Hammer forced the creators to change the name. After the massive success of MC Hammer’s inescapable single “U Can’t Touch This,” which, as we all know and are singing in our heads right now, declared, “Stop! Hammer time!” And so, the producers settled on a less catchy and less problematic title, deciding between “Home Improvement” and “Tool Time.”
Source: MoviestillsDB.com / Copyright: Walt Disney Studios
Both the creators and Tim Allen came up with “Home Improvement,” which they felt just worked better. The way they saw it, the title referenced both Tim Taylor’s show and the work a man does as a husband and father, keeping the family together. Essentially, it was a double entendre. But it even went triple, as a nod to keeping the house repaired – something Tim managed to mess up quite often.