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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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12

Whatever Happened to Jacko's Bubbles?

Bubbles was Jackson's infamous "bosom pal," but where is he now?

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(Newser) – In the wake of Michael Jackson’s death, Neal Rubin of the Detroit News wondered: Whatever happened to Bubbles the chimpanzee? “For a while, Bubbles appeared to be Jackson’s best friend, which was sort of sad for both of them,” Rubin writes. The odd coupling lasted from 1985, when Jackson adopted 3-year-old Bubbles from a cancer research center, to 2003, when the chimp’s aggressive behavior threatened Michael’s real baby.

After all, “you wouldn't want a chimp dangling a baby over a hotel balcony or anything dangerous like that,” Rubin observes. He went into investigative mode and found that Bubbles was relocated to an animal trainer’s California compound. In short, “he’s 26 and living like a wild animal, as opposed to dressing in costumes, wearing a diaper, and sharing the bathroom of an internationally famous musician.”

In this Wednesday Sept. 10, 2008 file photo, the sculpture
In this Wednesday Sept. 10, 2008 file photo, the sculpture "Michael Jackson and Bubbles", by artist Jeff Koons, is shown on display in the chateau de Versailles in Versailles, outside Paris.   (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, file)
Jeff Koons' 1988 sculpture,
Jeff Koons' 1988 sculpture, "Michael Jackson and Bubbles," a portrait of the pop star and his pet monkey, is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago on Thursday, May 29, 2008.   (AP Photo/Russel A. Daniels)
Bubbles, a chimpanzee owned by Michael Jackson, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, holds up a photo of himself and the singer, while a plush Bubbles doll stands beside him, Tokyo, Japan, 1987.
Bubbles, a chimpanzee owned by Michael Jackson, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, holds up a photo of himself and the singer, while a plush Bubbles doll stands beside him, Tokyo, Japan, 1987.   (Getty Images)
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Michael Jackson's chimpanzee Bubbles "moonwalks" in 1987.   (daprincedallas)

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A tabloid report from 2003 claimed that Bubbles had tried to commit suicide, but details are sadly wanting even as the mental pictures dance. Did he use his superior primate strength to rip the door from a medicine cabinet? - Neal Rubin

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12 comments
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2-bits
Jun 29, 09 10:00 AM CDT
“you wouldn't want a chimp dangling a baby over a hotel balcony or anything dangerous like that,” - okay now you're being kind of an asshole. Reply
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paul123
Jun 29, 09 10:31 AM CDT
I don't know, i thought it was kinda funny, as long as there were no racist undertones in it.
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peacenique
Jun 29, 09 10:36 AM CDT
I didn't read it as racist. To me it just seemed like yet another mean jab at MJ.
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2-bits
Jun 29, 09 12:04 PM CDT
I thought it was mean on multiple levels, but possibly a racist one at that. The writer had to know the connotation of what he wrote.
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IN RESPONSE:
DarkFrancis
Jun 29, 09 4:11 PM CDT
It was definitely a dig, but of all the stuff Michael did that people can PROVE, dangling the baby over the railing was really stupid, and can't even be defended by diehard fans.
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