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Chiquita

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Animal

The Resume

    Josephine Baker's famed pet Cheetah
    Frequently billed as Chiquita the Cheetah
    Originally ordered from Hamburg, Germany
    Given to her by club owner, songwriter, and producer, Henri Varna, to publicize their new Folies-Bergere act, 'Paris que remue,' in 1930
    Was maintained, after the act's end, as part of her menagerie of domesticated exotic animals, which included Ethel the Chimp, Kiki the Snake, and Albert the Pig
    Could regularly be seen in Baker's company, usually on morning strolls down the Champs-Elysees, restrained by a leash with his diamond-studded collar
    Apprehended by the police and interred in the local zoo after escaping the grounds of Le Beau-Chene, in 1931

Why Chiquita might be annoying:

    He had a nasty reputation for clawing at ladies' legs.
    Google searches for him tend to turn up images of Cheetos spokesman, Chester the Cheetah.
    Like Lassie, he was saddled with a girl's name, leading people to mistakenly identify him as a female.
    Biographers also tend to confuse him with a leopard, and identify him as such in their books.
    In all fairness, some available photos DO resemble a leopard more than a cheetah (based on the angles and lighting).
    He figured into his owner's controversial 'banana dance' act, contributing to the 'primal' and 'savage' atmosphere of the show.
    He frequently wreaked havoc during rehearsals, often escaping into the orchestra pit and once even biting a hole in the trousers of a dancer.
    On one occasion, Baker took him to the Paris Opera, where he leapt into the orchestra pit during the performance, terrorizing the show's musicians. The incident was reported internationally as yet one more example of La Bakair's wildly flamboyant lifestyle.

Why Chiquita might not be annoying:

    He loved to be taken to the movies. 'Especially those jungle pictures,' Baker once told a friend.
    He makes an animated cameo, along with his famed mistress, in the 'Paris Holds the Key' number from Fox's 'Anastasia' movie.
    He was featured in promotional photos for Baker's club acts.
    One ad specifically featured him on his hind legs, like a dog, offering a naked, pearl-clad, Josephine a bouquet.
    His diamond-studded collars, made to match his owner's extensive wardrobe, were valued at $20,000 (his owner eventually had to pawn them off during her bankruptcy in the '60s).
    Once, when she was entertaining a guest, Chiquita entered the room flanked by several of her barking little pet dogs. She joked 'poor Chiquita... he has to be happy with a pigeon, it is the closest he can come to the flesh of lovely chorus girls!'
    He escaped by leaping over the property’s wrought-iron fence, while Josephine was touring. After exploring the neighborhood, he crawled through the window of an elderly neighbor, who frantically called the police.
    Josephine, after failing to get him released, visited him regularly at the zoo, although the less frequently in later years. Whenever asked, she would merely say ‘he had died.’
    He was more loyal to Josephine than any lover would have been. Or any publicist would be, for that matter...

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 17 Votes: 35.29% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 104 Votes: 52.88% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 37 Votes: 67.57% Annoying