Unusual TV star Jay Fred Muggs (6 photos + 1 video)

These days, videos of various funny animals are quickly going viral. In the era when this character’s star rose, there was no Internet yet. And if there was, then Mr. Muggs would definitely conquer the Network and users.





“Television, which certainly made monkeys out of some famous stars, is now making famous stars out of monkeys.” This commentary by Hal Boyle of the Associated Press appeared in 1953. It was about J. Fred Muggs, a chimpanzee who co-starred with Dave Garroway on NBC's Today show.



That's right, the monkey was the co-host of the Today show. For four years.

The Today program debuted in 1952 with host Dave Garroway, but ratings were low, and by early 1953 the network took steps to increase viewership. J. Fred Muggs, born March 1952, recently appeared on The Perry Como Show and attracted the attention of the Today network. On February 3, the chimpanzee made his debut as a co-host.

Viewers quickly fell in love with his antics, and the show's ratings began to skyrocket. However, Garroway wasn't thrilled about having a monkey as his co-host. Jim Fleming, the newsreader, wasn't happy either. He quit. But J. Fred Muggs didn't quit and became a regular on the show.





“Garroway works hard for his money. "All J. Fred does is make a little faces, be rude to Garroway, fiddle with his socks and look as much like any other chimpanzee as possible," Boyle wrote.



By 1954, the monkey began to earn about two thousand dollars a month. The chimpanzee acquired a wardrobe of over 300 costumes and received hundreds of fan letters every week. Many of the letters were from adults, including one from a wealthy woman who offered Muggs her limousine on the condition that she could ride with him.

In the summer of 1954, Muggs began a worldwide promotional tour for Today. Flying by plane, he made stops in Paris, Rome, Cairo, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Mexico City and other cities. He was a star wherever he went. In Tokyo, for example, newspapers reported that “Muggs was the guest of honor at the geisha house. It was the first such beautiful party ever held in Japan for animals.” Muggs, dressed in a kimono, wooden clogs and carrying an umbrella, was fanned by the geisha, treated to sake and relaxed on cushions while the girls danced for him.



Muggs continued to appear on the show until 1957. Garroway reportedly never became a fan. He threatened to leave the program if the TV channel did not remove the animal from the air. Despite his popularity, NBC relented.

In a 2004 interview with the New York Observer, Muggs owner Gerald Preuss said of Garroway: “He had to live with the idea that it took a monkey to save his show. And this has really bothered him throughout the history of television. And in some ways I don't blame him, but Muggs was the animal that saved the TV show that still exists today."



Muggs continued to be involved in show business until 1975, even finger-painting a magazine cover and starring in his own children's program, The J. Fred Muggs Show.

Since then he has remained retired. As of early 2012, Muggs was still alive and in Florida with his girlfriend Phoebe Beebe.