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Animal Rentals Blog
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April 21, 2015 by Mindy the Monkey
I know that Mother’s Day is not for a few weeks yet, but today I wanted to tell you a little bit about our “mama” here at Animal Rentals. Her name is Mrs. Clean and she really takes care of me and all my exotic animal friends of Mindy’s Menagerie. She is really loving, sweet, and small. Mrs. Clean is a Hairless Rat.
A lot of people are scared of rats or think they are unclean or carry diseases. But rats are actually very clean and friendly and incredibly smart…maybe even as smart as monkeys! When I typed that Mrs. Clean just said, “Yes, dear, we are as smart as monkeys but it is not polite to brag about it.” I won’t argue, we never argue with “mama”. She is always right and besides that we wouldn’t want to do anything to upset her because we love her so much.
Anyway, Mrs. Clean is like a cross between Mary Poppins and a schoolteacher and the world’s best grandma. She loves all of us and she is always making sure we are comfortable and happy while we are traveling and that we have and do what we need. She’s the one that always asks, “Did everyone use the bathroom before they got in the van?” And, “Did you all remember to wash yourselves after touching the humans?” And “Does anyone need a snack? I’ve got some nice fruit and nuts right here.”
Back home at Animal Rentals, Mrs. Clean helps us and reminds us too. You will often hear her say things like, “Purse, be sure to brush those big alligator teeth so you can keep your nice, white smile.” And, “Let’s blow a fan on Chi-Chi the Chinchilla so he is not so hot while the rest of us are so cold.” And “Bugsy, you Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches need to stop stealing Mindy’s cookies when she’s not looking.” Mrs. Clean is the best!
She loves people, too…especially children. She really enjoys traveling to all different types of parties, events and locations for our Animal Shows – she thinks birthday parties are the best because she adores kids and cake. Her favorite part of working with Animal Rentals is meeting all the new people and hugging them while they hold her. Most people don’t even realize that they are being hugged by Mrs. Clean – she is so light and gentle and soft! They think they are just holding her but really, she is holding them right back.
That’s our “mama”, Mrs. Clean the Hairless Rat. She just loves and cares about and cares for and takes care of all of us. We are lucky to have her. Next time I’ll tell you about Mrs. Clean’s favorite philosophy and why “Bald is Beautiful”.
Category: Animal Friends Tags: animal, animal rentals, animal shows, birthday parties, events, exotic animals, hairless rat, Mindy's Menagerie, monkeys, parties, rat | Comments Off
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April 18, 2015 by Animal Rentals
One could probably say street performers have been around since streets were invented. It is estimated that the first organ grinder appeared about 300 years ago. They were crude, very small with only a few notes. Originally designed as an aid to encourage canaries to sing, one day an enterprising young man in need of money took one of these organs outside and played it. Over the years the organs improved. The larger they grew, the more pipes were added. Soon they were capable of playing complex melodies with many different notes.
Like any street performer in the 17th and 18th century the organ grinder himself was the subject of adoration as well as contempt. What was looked upon as entertainment by some was viewed as begging by others. The inventions of the radio and phonograph would come years later leaving the melody of the organ grinder the only source for music and dancing. People would give the organ grinder coins to show their appreciation. Organ grinders at this time were disliked because they were typically foreigners and sometimes used small children in their acts. Then someone came up with the idea of using an animal.
Many animals were incorporated to attract attention to the organ grinder. Birds, cats, and dogs were just a few. While they were all successful to a point, there was no one around to collect the money. Monkeys were often used because they possessed a thumb that allowed them to carry a cup to hold coins. Today, if you ask anyone to give you a description of an organ grinder they will tell you, “a man dressed in old clothes and floppy hat with a monkey playing music”.
Bill Hoffman crisscrossed the country with Mr. Adam Monk as one of the last remaining organ grinders with a monkey. Shopping malls, auto dealerships, grand openings and just anyone who wanted to attract people hired Bill and Mr. Monk to do what their forefathers had done: amuse and entertain the audience. They did it well. The brightly colored organ, the whimsical, old fashioned music and the delight in seeing a real live monkey beckons them to come. The times may have changed but the people have not. They listened and danced to the music and to show their appreciation place some coins in the monkey’s cup.
Category: Animal Rentals Comments Off
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April 9, 2015 by Mindy the Monkey
The past few weeks have been sort of strange and sad here at Animal Rentals since my Uncle, Mr. Adam Monk, passed away. All of my human and exotic animal friends in Mindy’s Menagerie here sure miss him! But it has been wonderful getting notes from people that knew him. Uncle Monk was one monkey people never forgot meeting!
Uncle Monk was 43 when he left us – which is pretty old for a monkey. Even though he lived to a ripe old age, people say that it is never long enough. The sad truth is, though, that most animals just don’t live as long as humans do. A lot of my tropical bird friends – like Ruby the African Grey Parrot or Piwackett the Scarlet Macaw – can live 60 to 75 years or longer! And there are some whales, giant tortoises and other animals that live for more than 200 years. But most domestic and exotic animals have a much shorter time on earth. So we should be happy that Uncle Monk had 43 years, and an incredible life.
Dad, of course, misses Uncle Monk the most. The two of them started Animal Rentals and built the business together. Of course dad says he did it and Uncle Monk just helped, and of course Uncle Monk said that all the best ideas were his and he was the “real” boss. I really miss all the great advice he gave me – like when I was learning to be an Organ Grinder monkey and Uncle Monk told me to never take the pennies from people, only the “big money”. If someone ever handed him a penny while he was working he would actually throw it right to the ground. If it wasn’t silver or green, he wouldn’t take it. Lol!
Uncle Monk retired years ago, so he never traveled with us for our College Entertainment shows. But he certainly did his share of touring and working with lots of people and celebrities doing Animal Shows, charity events, theme parties, strolling entertainment, fairs, festivals, corporate parties, birthday parties, commercials, tv shows…you name it and Uncle Monk was there putting on a show and making people laugh and smile. I am happy and proud to continue the work he started here at Animal Rentals and to carry on his legacy of making people laugh and smile.
Goodbye Uncle Monk…I love you and I miss you!
Category: Animal Friends Tags: animal, animal rentals, animal shows, college entertainment, events, exotic animals, macaw, Mindy's Menagerie, monkey, organ grinder, parrot, parties, tropical bird | Comments Off
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Animal Rentals, Inc., licensed by the USDA, is fully insured and has been in business for over 40 years. |
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