January 21 marks an important holiday, one we know you’ve been waiting for—it’s National Squirrel Appreciation Day! To celebrate, we’re featuring one of our all-time favourites, Twiggy the waterskiing squirrel (not to be confused with Twiggy).
According to Twiggy’s website, “In 1978, a baby squirrel was rescued after being blown from her nest during a hurricane. Chuck and Lou Ann Best chose to take her in and make her a part of their family. The little squirrel adapted very well to her new home in Sanford, Fl.”
2020 also happens to be Twiggy’s 40th anniversary, which means she may have been waterskiing and promoting water safety even longer than most of our readers. Twiggy is taking her act on the road this year, traveling the United States and Canada with her pal Roxie.
We gathered these photos of Twiggy in action—from her first show in 1979 to now. Scroll down for bonus photos of Twiggy in print. (Turns out, we’re not the first publication to feature her likeness.)
Twiggy on the cover of the Winter ’79 edition of Spray magazine. Photo by Jungle
Twiggy in National Geographic World, July ’80
Twiggy in National Geographic World, July ’80
Twiggy on the cover of Traveling Times magazine, Summer ’03
Twiggy on the cover of National Geographic Kids, June ’04
Featured Video
Related Story 6 easy tricks to get anyone up on waterskis