J. Fred Muggs

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Former chimpanzee mascot of NBC's Today Show

title: "J. Fred Muggs" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chimpanzee-actors", "primate-mascots", "nbc-news", "mad-(magazine)", "1952-animal-births", "individual-primates-in-the-united-states", "real-life-animal-mascots", "mascots-introduced-in-1953", "television-mascots", "chimpanzee-attacks"] description: "Former chimpanzee mascot of NBC's Today Show" topic_path: "arts/film" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Fred_Muggs" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Former chimpanzee mascot of NBC's Today Show ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox animal"]

Field	Value
name	J. Fred Muggs
image	File:J Fred Muggs Today Show 1954.jpg
caption	J. Fred Muggs in 1954
birth_date
birth_place	French Cameroon
occupation	Television personality
years_active	1953–1975
species	Common chimpanzee
gender	Male
::

J. Fred Muggs (born March 14, 1952) is a chimpanzee born in the African colony of French Cameroon that forms part of modern-day Cameroon. Brought to New York City before his first birthday, he was bought by two former NBC pages and eventually appeared on a host of television shows on that network including NBC's Today Show where he served as mascot from 1953 to 1957. Muggs worked in several television shows including a short-lived eponymous series, toured the world and worked at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. He officially retired at age 23.

Life and career

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. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Dave_Garroway_J_Fred_Muggs_Today_show_1954.JPG" caption="Muggs (left) and companion, Phoebe B. Beebe, with [[Dave Garroway]], 1954"] ::

The Today Show had begun in 1952, with Dave Garroway as host, but was doing poorly. The introduction of a chimpanzee 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. 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 New York Observer noted, 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." and as "throwing legendary tantrums". 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.

Many contemporary websites refer to Muggs as having bitten comedian Martha Raye on the arm. Though Gerald Preis told Hagan that this story was a "tabloid rumor" and "just plain bullshit.",

Muggs's handlers at one point sued Garroway in the chimp's name for allegedly ruining Muggs's career by claiming to have been bitten by him; Garroway said Muggs had bitten him on the face on live TV. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Dear_phoebe_1954.JPG" caption="date=April 2016}}"] ::

Muggs was also an artist. In 1958, one of his finger paintings was used as the cover of Mad #38. Supposedly, Muggs bit editor Al Feldstein.

Muggs was associated with Mad in another way, when the magazine ran an article titled "The Dave Garrowunway Show". This article focused on the chimpanzee, whom writer Harvey Kurtzman named "J. Floyd Gluggs", and his apparent ambition to take over "Garrowunway's" spot as anchor. Sure enough, by the end of the article, with "Garrowunway" rapping rudely on the window from outside the building, "Gluggs" appears in Garroway's familiar closing pose, in suit, glasses and lavalier microphone, saying "vootie" in place of the anchor's tagline "Peace," with his right palm thrust forward. The caption reads, "By George...we've warned Garrowunway to watch out..."

Today interrupted its coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation (which involved slightly delayed still pictures and BBC radio audio) with foolery and advertising for tea, featuring Muggs. This was severely criticized in the United Kingdom and by some US television critics, including Jack Gould in The New York Times; in the UK the introduction of commercial television was being debated at the time, and its opponents felt that it strengthened their case. It was arguably a key factor in the strong regulation of ITV (by the Independent Television Authority) written into the Television Act 1954, including its ban on advertising breaks during programming featuring the Royal Family.{{cite book |editor1-first=Ben |editor1-last=Calvert |display-editors=etal |title=Television Studies: The Key Concepts |contribution=Taste |edition=2nd |series=Key Guides |location=London |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |isbn= 9780415371490 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cNYDD-PHoEEC&q=Muggs+coronation+ITV+1954&pg=PA284 |page=284 }}

Muggs went on a world tour to promote Today; in Japan, where his popularity was second only to that of Marilyn Monroe, 15 geishas waited on him, He then worked at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, and appeared on Good Morning America (on ABC) to celebrate his 23rd birthday, before retiring.

Muggs and his "live-in girlfriend", Phoebe B. Beebe (who also made appearances on Today), were still alive as of January 12, 2012, and living in Citrus Park, Florida, in the care of Gerald Preis, Mennella's son. In 2004, Joe Hagan reached Preis at his home, where Preis stated that Muggs "has a little gray, mostly in his beard."

Legacy

For many years, TV Guide ran an annual feature highlighting its takes on the year's most dubious television programs, episodes, activities, and issues, "The J. Fred Muggs Awards for Distinguished Foolishness". And in the 1994 film Quiz Show, chronicling the infamous quiz show scandal of the late 1950s, actor Ralph Fiennes as Twenty-One champion Charles Van Doren—shown being offered a regular job on Today—says to the Dave Garroway character (played by Barry Levinson), "I hope you're not firing the chimp!"

References

"Advertising Mascots - Animals: J. Fred Muggs".
Woo, Elaine. (March 15, 2002). "Carmine 'Bud' Mennella, 80; Trained TV Star J. Fred Muggs". [[Los Angeles Times]].
Zimmer, Josh. (March 14, 2002). "Trainer of famed chimp J. Fred Muggs dies at 80". [[St. Petersburg Times]].
Martinez, James. (January 17, 1992). "'J. Fred' missing at 'Today' special". The Robesonian.
Battaglio, Stephen. (2011). "From Yesterday to Today: Six Decades of America's Favorite Morning Show". Running Press.
Ingram, Billy. (December 2005). "Sixty Years of NBC's ''Today'' Show: Part One".
Stark, Steven D.. (1997). "Glued to the Set: The 60 Television Shows and Events that Made Us who We are Today". Free Press.
Merchandise featuring him included books, comics, and games;Ingram. [http://www.tvparty.com/50stoday2.html Sixty Years of NBC's ''Today'' Show: Part Two].
Spadoni, Mike. (January 2002). "US Television ... Peacock's Finest Plumage: The 20 Defining Programs Of NBC".
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.McMahon, pp. 56–57.
Battaglio, p. 34; according to this author, Garroway said that Muggs behaved on-camera but misbehaved as soon as the red light went off.
[http://www.madcoversite.com/mad038.html J. Fred Muggs' MAD Magazine cover (#38, March 1958)] at Doug Gilford's ''Mad Cover Site'', retrieved April 5, 2016.
(2008). "The Mad Auction, Lot 92029. 'J. Fred Muggs'. ''Mad'' #38 Cover Original Art (EC, 1958)". [[Heritage Auctions]].
Battaglio, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wf3V_1q9T-8C&q=Mad&pg=PA34 p. 37].
Kelner, Martin. (2012). "Sit Down and Cheer: A History of Sport on TV". Bloomsbury.
while in Russia ''[[Izvestia]]'' described him as "a symbol of the American way of life" and said he was "necessary in order that the average American should not look into reports on rising taxes, and decreasing pay, but rather laugh at the funny mug of a chimpanzee." In 1957—supposedly following the Martha Raye incident—he was replaced on the show by another chimpanzee called [[Kokomo Jr.]] NBC's press release stated that he intended "to extend his personal horizons", and he briefly starred in ''The J. Fred Muggs Show''.McMahon, p. 161.
Fretts, Bruce. (September 4, 2013). "''TV Guide Magazine''{{'}}s 60 Greatest TV Animals of All Time". [[TV Guide]].

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