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 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 and put on regular shows to entertain crowds from all over.
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 and Lou Ann Best rescued the original Twiggy in 1978 after it was displaced from its nest due to a hurricane.
The Bests decided on the stage name Twiggy since she used to chew off leaves from Lou Ann’s house plants and leave nothing but twigs.
Since 1979, There have been 11 Twiggys who have learned how to water ski
“It all started as a joke…” the website reads.
When Chuck Best bought a remote control boat for her birthday, he quipped that he “to learn to drive the boat so I can teach my squirrel to water-ski!”
It wasn’t long until Twiggy’s popularity caught the attention of the press and news outlets and “the little squirrel was on her way to stardom.”
Best had a heart attack and drowned in 1997 while rescuing his stepfather, but Lou Ann kept Twiggy going, touring with the third one and adjusting the act to focus on water safety.
Lou Ann decided to retire in 2018, almost ending Twiggy’s adventures and legacy — but Best Jr. and Tedesco decided to pick up the show.
Last month, Twiggy made an appearance at the first annual Yuma County Fair Fall Fest in Yuma, Ariz., waterskiing behind a remote-control boat with his little hands on a tiny handlebar.
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 ten 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 is loved by both children and adults, and Tedesco said they always get “outstanding” feedback and compliments after shows, however, they have gotten negative responses when they post videos on social media.
“Kids are always laughing and cheering but for me the greatest fulfillment is seeing grown adults completely entertained,” Tedesco shared.
She believes any negativity stems from people not seeing a show or not watching prior videos to understand the story behind the water skiing squirrel.
“The shows we put on are not only the thrill of a squirrel waterskiing 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 go on tour 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.