Topo Gigio: You Learn Something New Every Day (Almost)!

This post originally appeared on my now-deleted blog, You Learn Something New Every Day (Almost)!

When I was a child, back in the Stone Age 1960s, I used to love it when the Italian mouse, Topo Gigio, appeared on Ed Sullivan's variety show. (That's Ed Sullivan on the right; the mouse is on the left. Just sayin'.)

However -- and I'm not sure this really counts as qualifying for a YLSNED(A) post -- until today, I had no idea that the ten-inch puppet was an international sensation. We Americans are so self-involved! It reminds me of hearing Willie Nelson on the Tonight Show, talking about how he'd heard Julio Iglesias sing, and suggested the duet "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" to boost Iglesias' career... blissfully ignorant of the fact that Julio was already an international superstar!

Topo Gigio's worldwide fame continues to this day. In fact, there's even a restaurant named after Topio Gio, Topo Gigio Ristorante... but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd feel eating at a place so evocative of mice!

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