Tommy Tuckera domesticated male eastern gray squirrel who became a celebrity in the United States during World War II, is one of the first cases of “animal influencer” of modern history. Dressed in the colorful women’s clothes sewn by his mistress, he enchanted many Americans, and contributed to promote the sale of US war bonds in a time of great crisis for the nation.
The Origins of Tummy Tucker: A Lucky Rescue
It all started in 1942 in Washington, D.C., when Mrs Zaidee Bullis he saw a baby gray squirrel on the ground. The animal had fallen from a tree, and was orphaned, so the woman took it home with her and gave it the name Tommy Tucker, perhaps in honor of the character from the 18th century nursery rhyme Little Tommy Tucker.
The lady still didn’t know that that small gesture would be the beginning of an unprecedented phenomenon.
The squirrel with the star wardrobe
Bullis, who was a very creative and patriotic girl, decided to make the little squirrel’s life extravagant, sewing more than 100 costumes for him by hand, including a coat and hat for going to the market, military uniforms, a wedding dress, a pleated silk dress for guests and a Red Cross one for visiting the hospital. The clothes were all strictly female, despite the animal being male, because its tail prevented it from wearing trousers.
Amazingly, Tommy didn’t seem bothered by the clothes or even in front of the camera which portrayed him in those outfits, and he soon became a perfect model for the photographs of the time, so much so that he became one celebrity.
Tommy’s fame exploded when he appeared in the magazine LIFE in 1944. The photo shoot showed the squirrel engaged in human activities: “reading” a book, eating at the table or wearing his most bizarre clothes.
The animal became so popular that the woman decided to found the Tommy Tucker Clubwhich grew to over 30,000 members (many of whom were children). The squirrel also appeared in some short films and newsreels shown in cinemas.
The squirrel’s contribution to war
At the outbreak of World War II, Tommy also became involved in civic engagement, working with the Treasury Department to encourage Americans to purchase War Bondsi.e. the war bonds necessary to support the United States war effort. To do so, the rodent crossed the US with Ms. Bullis.
He mainly visited schools and hospitals, becoming a symbol of comfort and unity for the nation in difficult times.
After the war, Tommy was increasingly free from official duties, and spent the last years of his life taking trips with Mrs. Bullis and her husband, who always carried a suitcase full of his clothes in the trailer attached to their Packard Touring. The animal died in 1949, and the couple asked a taxidermist to preserve his body with his arms open, so that he could change his clothes even when he was dead.
Upon the couple’s death, Tommy and his clothes went to a relative, who kept them in her cupboard until her death (in 2005). If the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History preserves a rich collection of articles, documents and photographs relating to the little squirrel, while the clothing collection was inherited by the Smithsonian.
If you ever want to see the famous squirrel – a little bit eaten by moths from the old aunt’s cupboard, but still very elegant – you can do so by appointment, contacting the Smithsonian Archives. She will wait for you in her pink satin dress and a pretty pearl necklace.
