The online masses — and live audiences in Florida — are going nuts over a squirrel doing tricks while water skiing.
Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel’s talents are now on full display in the Sunshine State, and crowds can’t seem to get enough.
Toni Marie Tedesco, 36, and her husband, Chuck Best Jr., 41, teach their talented pet squirrels how to water ski, regularly putting on shows that entertain crowds from far and wide.
Twiggy, Inc. is actually a family business, and the current Twiggy is the fourth squirrel with the moniker to be taught how to water ski by the Florida couple.
“Chuck has been raised doing this as his parents are the ones who started Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel. For myself, I have been doing this for two years,” Tedesco told Caters News.
Chuck Best Sr. and Lou Ann Best rescued the original Twiggy in 1978 after the animal was displaced from her nest by a hurricane.
The Bests decided on the performing name “Twiggy” because she used to chew the leaves on Lou Ann’s house plants and leave nothing behind but twigs.
Since 1979, 11 Twiggys have been taught to water ski by the family-run enterprise.
“It all started as a joke…” the website reads.
When Best Sr. bought a remote control boat for her birthday, he quipped that he had “to learn to drive the boat so I can teach my squirrel to water ski!”
It wasn’t long until Twiggy’s shows caught the attention of the media and “the little squirrel was on her way to stardom.”
Best Jr. died tragically in 1997, after jumping into a lake and successfully saving his stepfather from drowning, but in the course of the rescue himself suffering a heart attack and drowning. However, Lou Ann kept Twiggy going, touring with the third installment and adjusting the act to focus on water safety.
Lou Ann decided to retire in 2018, almost bringing the Twiggy saga to an end — but Best Jr. and Tedesco decided the show must go on.
Last month, Twiggy made an appearance at the first annual Yuma County Fair Fall Fest in Yuma, Arizona, water skiing behind a remote-control boat with his little hands resting on appropriately tiny handlebars.
Tedesco noted that all of their squirrels are rescues — they don’t breed them or take them from their natural habitat in the wild.
“When we rehabilitate squirrels, they become part of our family and are extremely spoiled and well cared for,” she said, via the Daily Mail. “Once you earn an animal’s love and trust it’s easy!”
A squirrel doing water tricks is definitely a shock sighting, but it turns out it’s not that difficult to train the smart animals to do so.
“We start off with getting the squirrels to stand on the skis outside of the water and then we walk with them in circles in the pool and start getting them to do one lap,” Tedesco explained. “It takes a few months and practice is only about five to 10 minutes. We don’t force them; it is something they like to do.”
She added, “Every squirrel has a different personality and if they don’t want to learn to water ski, then that is totally fine with us.”
Twiggy has been popular with both children and adults, and Tedesco said shows always get “outstanding” reactions. However, the couple have received negative feedback when posting videos to social media.
Tedesco believes any negativity stems from people either not watching a show or not watching prior videos that explain the story behind Twiggy.
“The shows we put on are not only the thrill of a squirrel water skiing but it’s also for people to learn about water safety, rescuing/rehabilitation of squirrels and that 100% of donations we receive go back to squirrel rehabbers,” Tedesco said.
The most recent Twiggy to tour also starred in two movies: “Anchorman” and “Dodgeball.”
Twiggy is also now the official spokesanimal for the National Safe Boating Council’s “Wear It” water safety campaign.
