Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel
Encyclopedia
Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel is a world-famous animal
novelty act, featuring a squirrel
who skis around a heated pool. The act began in 1979 by Chuck and Lou Ann Best and started with an appearance on Real People
. It has been featured on numerous television shows, newspaper articles, and websites.
The Bests are based in Deltona, Florida
. They found an orphaned squirrel after Hurricane David
and raised it as a family pet who would ride on their shoulders even as they dipped in the pool. Having purchased a remote-controlled boat
for his daughter, Chuck demurred handing over the controls, joking that he had to teach Twiggy to water-ski; the joke was soon taken seriously, albeit with no initial intent of publicity.
Twiggy is actually several gray squirrels
who have been trained in succession. The retired squirrels live out their lives as family pets. The squirrels are trained to ride on buoyant foam blocks, which are then towed behind a remote-controlled boat.
Twiggy has appeared in two Frat Pack
films, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
and Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy
, and on TV in the movie Down to Earth
and Megamind.
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
novelty act, featuring a squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
who skis around a heated pool. The act began in 1979 by Chuck and Lou Ann Best and started with an appearance on Real People
Real People
Real People is an NBC reality television series that aired from 1979 to 1984, on Wednesday and then Sunday nights. Its initial episodes aired live in the Eastern and Central Time Zones.-Synopsis:...
. It has been featured on numerous television shows, newspaper articles, and websites.
The Bests are based in Deltona, Florida
Deltona, Florida
Deltona is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida and is the largest city in Volusia County. It is located east of DeBary and north of Lake Monroe. It is the twenty-ninth largest city in Florida, with a 2010 Census population of 85,182...
. They found an orphaned squirrel after Hurricane David
Hurricane David
Hurricane David was the fourth named tropical cyclone, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. A Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, David was among the deadliest hurricanes in the latter half of the 20th century, killing...
and raised it as a family pet who would ride on their shoulders even as they dipped in the pool. Having purchased a remote-controlled boat
Radio-controlled boat
- Fun Sport :Electric Sport boats are the most common type of boat amongst casual hobbyists. Hobby quality boat speed generally start at around 20MPH and go up from there, and can be just as fast or faster than their internal combustion counterparts, with the latest in Lithium Polymer and Brushless...
for his daughter, Chuck demurred handing over the controls, joking that he had to teach Twiggy to water-ski; the joke was soon taken seriously, albeit with no initial intent of publicity.
Twiggy is actually several gray squirrels
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
who have been trained in succession. The retired squirrels live out their lives as family pets. The squirrels are trained to ride on buoyant foam blocks, which are then towed behind a remote-controlled boat.
Twiggy has appeared in two Frat Pack
Frat Pack
The "Frat Pack" is a nickname given to a group of male Hollywood comedy actors who have appeared together in many of the highest grossing comedy movies since the late 1990s...
films, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, commonly referred to as simply DodgeBall, is a 2004 American sports comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Red Hour Productions, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn...
and Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, or simply Anchorman, is a 2004 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film, which was also written by Ferrell and McKay, is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the then-new Action News format...
, and on TV in the movie Down to Earth
Down to Earth (2001 film)
Down to Earth is a 2001 comedy film directed by Chris and Paul Weitz. It is the third film adaptation based on Harry Segall's stageplay Heaven Can Wait, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait . The film stars Chris Rock as Lance Barton, a comedian who is killed before his time on...
and Megamind.
External links
- www.skiingsquirrel.com - official website - video