Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel is an
animal novelty act, featuring a
squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
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 live in
Sanford, Florida
Sanford is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Seminole County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 61,051.
Known as the "Historic Waterfront Gateway City", Sanford sits on the southern shore ...
. 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
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
, ''
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story'' and ''
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy''. Twiggy has also made an appearance on TV in the movie ''
Down to Earth'', ''
Megamind'' and the music video for
Brad Paisley's "
River Bank
Riverbank or river bank may refer to:
*Bank (geography), the bank of a river
Places
*Riverbank, California
*Riverbank, former name of Bryte, California
Enterprises and organizations
*Riverbank Academy, a special school in Coventry, England
* Ri ...
".
The business is now owned and operated by Chuck Best Jr., son of Chuck and Lou Ann. He starts his tour celebrating the 40th Anniversary while adding Twig Jr and Roxie the Lifeguard to the show.
Lou Ann Best and Twiggy performed their farewell tour in 2018 before retiring the act.
The act was re-established by the couple's son Chuck Best Jr., and has performed at the
Toronto International Boat Show
The Toronto International Boat Show is an annual boat show held in January at the Enercare Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1959, and is the largest indoor show held in North America. In 2019, it featured 550 vendors exhib ...
and Vancouver International Boat Show in 2020 and boat shows in the United States.
References
King of The Hill.
Episode 5 Season 17
Dale Gribble mentions a “water skiing squirrel” on the news after the weather. Due to the time frame of the show, it is presumed to be a reference to Twiggy.
External links
www.twiggysinc.com- official website
Individual squirrels
Radio control
*
American water skiers
Deltona, Florida
Individual animals in the United States
Waterskiing
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