In the past, it was apparently popular to train chimpanzees and other apes to perform plate spinning, statue tricks, and other juggling-related skills. The most famous of these was Bubu, the incredible performing chimpanzee of the 1920’s and 30’s. Bubu was trained by a Danish man named Viggo Benny to do balancing tricks similar to Enrico Rastelli, the great juggling star of the era. While the chimp’s tricks were much easier than those of Rastelli, they were still quite impressive. Much to Rastelli’s dislike, Bubu would often be booked for the same shows as the juggling star and would perform just before Rastelli. Below are three photos of Bubu.
Below are other images of other plate spinning and “juggling” apes.
Gubi
David Cain
David Cain is a professional juggler, juggling historian, and the owner of the world's only juggling museum, the Museum of Juggling History. He is a Guinness world record holder and 16 time IJA gold medalist. In addition to his juggling pursuits, David is a successful composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer as well as the author of twenty-six books. He and his children live in Middletown, OH (USA).