Tommy Tucker ( 1942 – June 25, 1949) was a male
Eastern gray squirrel who became a celebrity in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, touring the country wearing women's fashions while performing tricks, entertaining children, and selling
war bonds
War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are ...
.
A ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' columnist called him "the most famous squirrel ever to come from Washington."
World War II
While origin stories vary, Tommy was adopted in 1942 by Zaidee Bullis and her husband Mark C. Bullis, who may have named him after the 18th-century nursery-rhyme character
Little Tommy Tucker
"Little Tommy Tucker" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19618.
Lyrics
Common modern versions include:
:Little Tommy Tucker
::Sings for his supper.
:What shall we give him?
::White bread and butter.
: ...
.
Zaidee dressed Tommy in women's clothing to avoid the tailoring around his bushy tail that a male wardrobe would entail.
Following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Tommy "married" a squirrel named Buzzy.
In 1943 the Bullis family began taking Tommy on tour in their
Packard
Packard (formerly the Packard Motor Car Company) was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana, in 1958.
One ...
automobile,
accompanied by a bulldog said to have one or more gold teeth and often wearing a
fez.
Audiences were charmed by Tommy's lovingly craftedoften patrioticattire and unusually docile demeanor (though he did sometimes bite). In an early show he performed for 500 elementary school students,
and in conjunction with war bond sales Tommy gave a purported radio interview alongside President
Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
.
In 1944 Tommy was featured in
''Life'' magazine, complete with a gallery of photos by
Nina Leen
Nina Leen (born 1914, died January 1, 1995) was an American photographer born in the Russian Empire. She was a constant contributor to ''Life''. She is remembered above all for her photographs of animals, many published in book form, as well as her ...
.
The article noted that "Mrs. Bullis' main interest in Tommy... is in dressing him up in 30 specially made costumes. Tommy has a coat and hat for going to market, a silk pleated dress for company, a Red Cross uniform for visiting the hospital."
In 1945, at the height of his fame, the Tommy Tucker Club had some 30,000 members.
Later life
After the war, Tommy largely disappeared from headlines until 1948, when the Bullises were denied entry to California for several days when agricultural officials refused to recognize Tommy as a pet rather than a wild animal.
At another point Tommy was barred from visiting Mexico.
Tommy died in the Bullises' trailer on June 25, 1949, while en route to one of the couple's "health and pleasure trips" to the
Southwest United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...
, ostensibly due to "a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
brought on by old age"
Tommy was remembered afterwards by some, such as an Arizona radio station that announced the "world infrequently notes the passing of a squirrel" on August 10, 1949.
His body was
stuffed and mounted "with his arms out so you could pull the clothes over him."
In 2005 Tommy's remains were offered to the
Smithsonian, which however failed to show much interest. He is on view in a display case at a law office in
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...
.
The Archives Center at the
National Museum of American History
The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...
holds a collection of articles, papers, and photographs related to Tommy Tucker.
See also
*
Pinto Bean (squirrel)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Tommy
1949 animal deaths
Individual squirrels
United States home front during World War II