J. Fred Muggs
J. Fred Muggs (left) and companion, Phoebe B. Beebe, with Dave Garroway, 1954
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| Born |
March 14, 1952 French Cameroon |
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| Occupation | Television personality |
| Years active | 1953–1975 |
J. Fred Muggs (born March 14, 1952) is a chimpanzee that was the mascot for NBC's Today Show from 1953 to 1957.
Muggs was born in French Cameroon. He first became popular when he was in Henry Trefflich's pet store in New York; a "name that chimp" contest led to his being named Mr. Muggs, to which the Today Show later added "J. Fred". Carmine "Bud" Mennella and Leroy "Roy" Waldron, former NBC pages, bought him for $600 when he was 10 months old, and Mennella trained him. He appeared on the Perry Como Show and Pat Weaver of the Today Show saw potential in him; Mennella had an appointment with NBC executives for Muggs to audition for the Today Show, but missed it; however, Muggs' antics in a coffee shop led the president of the network to offer him a contract anyway. Muggs first appeared on the show on February 3, 1953, dressed in diapers like a baby.
The Today Show had begun in 1952, with Dave Garroway as host, but was doing poorly. The introduction of a chimp caused Jim Fleming, the original newsreader, to quit; he was replaced by Frank Blair. However, the addition of Muggs boosted ratings and helped win advertisers; the program's producer, Richard Pinkham, once estimated Muggs had brought the network $100 million. Muggs sat in Garroway's lap, mastered more than 500 words, and had a wardrobe of 450 outfits. He "read" the day's newspapers, imitated Popeye and played the piano with Steve Allen. Merchandise featuring him included books, comics, and games; as a star, he was called on to open supermarkets and commission US Navy ships.
Many sources refer to Garroway as jealous of Muggs. Joe Hagan of the The New York Observer notes, without attribution, that "Legend has it that ... Mr. Garroway grew jealous and began spiking Muggs' orange juice with Benzedrine to make him misbehave and deliver his human co-host back to center stage." Many sources suggest that Muggs did not have a good disposition. He has been described as "a nasty little monkey" and as "throwing legendary tantrums". He is said to have learned that if he misbehaved when the red light was on, indicating that the program was broadcasting live, he could not be disciplined. At the press conference announcing his addition to the show, Muggs yanked Garroway's glasses off. He was restrained in a harness and leash, but sometimes escaped: during one remote broadcast he climbed a tree and had to be lured down with bananas, and in Beirut an associate producer had to chase him in her underwear down a hotel hallway.
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