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Gorilla suits are a type ofcreature suit resembling agorilla. The gorilla suit is a popularHalloween andcostume partycostume, and is also used as a source of humour, while more realistic suits have been used both to represent real gorillas in film and on stage.
In 1869, Noah Brooks' short story, "Mr. Columbus Coriander's Gorilla" appeared inBret Harte'sOverland Monthly Magazine. The story concerned a young man employed at a menagerie dressed in a gorilla suit.[1]
In film, gorillas are often portrayed by actors in gorilla suits. The 1918 silent filmTarzan of the Apes has the first known instance of an ape suit, worn by an uncredited actor.[2] The early history of the art of gorilla impersonation saw the rise ofCharles Gemora in the late 1920s, an early practitioner of the art in such short films asCircus Lady and theOur Gang entryBear Shooters. Gemora's original gorilla suit was hand-made and stuffed withkapok.[2] In later decades, in addition to abounding in the Ape Woman films (consisting ofCaptive Wild Woman,Jungle Woman, andThe Jungle Captive) and B movies such asBela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla. Other noted Hollywood gorilla performers wereGeorge Barrows,Steve Calvert,Ray Corrigan,Emil Van Horn andJanos Prohaska.Marlene Dietrich famously donned a gorilla suit in the filmBlonde Venus (1932), when making a stage entrance to sing "Hot Voodoo". This moment was parodied by the characterPoison Ivy inBatman & Robin (1997).
In recent[as of?] decades, the work of performers or designers have altered the mechanics and effect of gorilla suits, often usinganimatronics, taxidermy eyes, realistic fur, and other aides.Jim Henson utilized typical gorilla suits and even a full-bodied gorillaMuppet in several productions (like inTime Piece,The Cube, some episodes ofSesame Street, and theAvery Schreiber episode ofThe Muppet Show). The person inside the gorilla suit is often uncredited.Jim Henson's Creature Shop has contributed to this development in its own way, through work onBuddy,George of the Jungle, andMirrorMask. Many suit performers of Henson's characters portrayed gorillas in other productions.
Gorilla suits and masks are also used to disguise their wearer. Members of the feminist artist groupGuerrilla Girls maintain their anonymity by wearing gorilla masks for their public appearances.[3] In an effort to avoid reporters,Boston Red Sox managerTheo Epstein donned a gorilla suit when he leftFenway Park after announcing his resignation in 2005.[4]
During the annual Great Gorilla Runs held in North American and British cities, runners in gorilla suits take part in an eight-kilometrefun run to raise money for The Gorilla Organization. The event started in 2003 in London.[5] Finnish racing driverKimi Räikkönen was part of a gorilla-suited motorboat race crew in 2007 and has attended parties in a gorilla suit.[4]
In 2013, authorDan Savage referenced gorilla suit fetishes when speaking at theUniversity of Oregon.[6] The gorilla suit is often used sexually in burlesque theater, stag parties, and strip shows. One episode of the reality TV showThe A-List: Dallas featured male models hired to strip out of gorilla costumes to show off the skimpy underwear products underneath.[7] ComedianSarah Silverman posed for aMaxim cover, scantily dressed inside a gorilla suit.[8]
In a video that went viral, the problem ofsituational awareness was demonstrated when viewers were asked to watch carefully and count the number of times a team of basketball players wearing white passed the basketball back and forth while playing against a team wearing black. During the gameplay, a gorilla-suited human walked onto the scene, stood in the midst of the players, beat his chest for a few seconds, and then exited. Because of situational awareness, a large percentage of viewers did not notice the gorilla.[9]
In 2017Francesco Gabbani wonSanremo Music Festival and took the 6th place at theEurovision Song Contest inKyiv accompanied by dancer Filippo Ranaldi wearing a gorilla suit.[10]
In 1963,Don Martin publishedNational Gorilla Suit Day in a collectionDon Martin Bounces Back [d], in whichFester Bestertester mocks the (fictitious at the time) concept of a National Gorilla Suit Day, and suffers a series of incredible assaults from gorillas and other beasts in various suits.[4][11] Martin and his collaborator E. Solomon Rosenblum wrote the story as a satire of the greeting card industry. "It's only an excuse for gorilla suit manufacturers to sell their products!" Bestertester complained.
Subsequently, Don Martin fans have celebrated National Gorilla Suit Day on January 31.[12]
Agorillagram is a gift message, similar to asinging telegram, but delivered by a performer dressed in a gorilla suit.[13] "Gorilla-Gram" is an abandoned trademark of Gorilla Gram Inc., first used commercially on March 20, 1980.[14]