Quayle - is he based on Dan "potatoe" Quayle?

[PetrusOctavianus]

Untill my latest runthrough of Baldur's Gate I've never had Quayle in my party, but I must say this guy really cracks me up like no other Bioware NPCs before Jan Jansen. Especially the "I'm so smart: S-M-R-T, I man S-M-A-R-T" sentence and his voice never fails to amuse me.

I never thought about his name having any significance before, but his mis-spelling made me think of Dan Quayle. Coincidence?

[Western Paladin]

That specific line is a reference to a Simpsons episode. In general, though, it seems possible. I do feel Quayle is a rather unusual name, even for humans, much less for gnomes.