After a cramped ride in the zookeeper ’ s minivan , Arnold , thankful for the extra legroom and third row seating , entered the gates of his new home . A home he would share with 117 other animals for the next 15 years ( about an hour before Arnold ’ s arrival that total was 120 , but a few of the Golden Tamarins [ a snack sized monkey ] wandered into the Tiger cage right before lunch ).
15 years and thousands of pounds of peanuts later 4 , Arnold would look back on those early days at the zoo fondly . Now , approaching retirement , he looked forward to reading more , going for long walks , and perhaps writing that book he ’ d always thought about . The lack of opposable thumbs ( or fingers of any kind really ) would probably require the hiring of a ghostwriter , but with his pension and savings that shouldn ’ t prove too difficult .
1 . The kids ’ party scene can be incredibly demeaning . But at Arnold ’ s last party , after a particularly hyper , kick-friendly , birthday boy climbed off of him , Arnold left a huge parting gift on the cake to show his appreciation .
2 . Fun fact , the Ring Master of this circus was named Morton Gibbons ( Mortz , to friends and creditors ). He was a third generation Ring Master who was moonlighting as a semi-professional unicyclist at another circus across town .
3 . It wasn ’ t that the zookeeper didn ’ t have the cash to acquire Arnold . It was the lifetime supply of whipped cream and clown pants that would eventually prove too expensive . To settle his debt he had to spend weekends hand feeding the clowns lunch ( it ’ s just too difficult to eat a sandwich with those giant gloves on .)
4 . Arnold wanted it clear that the peanuts in no way contributed to his weight . He works out frequently . According to ‘ doctors ’ his weight is a ‘ glandular ’ issue that makes everything he eats go right to his hips .
Doug Skinner
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