Today would have been National Gorilla Suit Day, however, in November 2007, mark_evanier indicated that Don Martin’s widow had asked him not to mention him or his holiday. So, in celebration of the fact that today is Not National Gorilla Suit Day, please do not wear your gorilla suit. Keep it in the closet for another holiday.
What is (or more precisely, was) National Gorilla Suit Day? The holiday was concocted by MAD cartoonist Don Martin in a 1964 paperback Don Martin Bounces Back! The most notable story in the book revolves around Fester Bestertester, who dares to mock the concept of National Gorilla Suit Day as a day invented by the Gorilla Suit manufacturers solely to sell gorilla suits, and is then repeatedly pummeled by gorillas.
However, do remember that not all gorilla suits look like gorilla suits, and although you might dress up a monkey, at heart, he’s still a monkey. And so, in honor of monkeys in suits everywhere, we present this song from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels:
| Dress up a monkey in Armani, He may seem precocious and cute. Despite all that primpin’, You still got a chimp in a suit. Teach him the second Verse of “Swanee” Shprizt him ’til wet Dampen him well |
Take him to see Don Giovanni, Show him Cezanne’s lovely fruit, Teach him to cook from Escoffier’s book, He’s still a gorilla en croute You still got a chimp in a suit. So you’ve shaved off his fur, Give him a dandy little topper, And a cheap little hat! |
