The Story of Stumpy the Woolly Mammoth

The cake decorating thread www.abovetopsecret.com... reminded me of one of my daughter's finer moments in her first volunteer job. The kid was a real artist and I wanted to make sure she kept busy as she was homeschooled and y'know... socialization and such.

I somehow scored her a volunteer position at the local science museum's art department, painting backgrounds for exhibits and other things like that. She was in heaven.

Well, they were getting a Woolly Mammoth exhibit ready because they had acquired a full skeleton from a local farmer's field. There was going to be the skeleton displayed in a glass case, and a separate full size model to be displayed in a swampy habitat, the production of which was farmed out to an outside firm. For the next week or two, she came home covered in paint that was determined, by the most scientific of criteria, to be 'swamp' colored, but mostly looked to me like green, grey and brown all mixed together.

Turns out that the model Mammoth was delivered after hours and the museum was closed... the Mammoth modelers and delivery team, after having rang the delivery door numerous times without response, elected to leave the entire Wooly Mammoth there. In the parking lot. In full view of the street. Suffice to say that apparently no police were called or other untoward events happened all night long (although you'd think someone would have asked a few questions...) and in the morning when the museum staff arrived, there was a Mammoth. That was very large. We're talking larger than the very large delivery doors.

Much consternation followed, but finally the decision was made to cut down the Mammoth at the knees, bring him in piecemeal, and reassemble him in the exhibit, using the long fur to cover the damage.

And that's how Stumpy got his name.