Boing-Boing Becomes Simon

(Photo/Milwaukee County Zoo)

This bush baby is a star.

The bush baby formally known as Boing-Boing will now be called Simon, in honor of the American Idol judge.

From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Wednesday night, "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest announced on the air that the show was donating $1,500 to sponsor a wide-eyed, cuddly, real-life bush baby in Milwaukee in commemoration of the bush baby brouhaha that hit early in the TV show's season.

"Idol" fans will recall that decidedly uncuddly judge Simon Cowell told "Idol" hopeful Kenneth Briggs that he looked like a bush baby. The rip caused a national outcry.

So the zoo's eight-year-old resident "bushkin," Boing-Boing, whose ancestors hail not from Britain but from Central Africa, is getting a new handle: Simon. Like Cowell, bush babies are known for their rasping nocturnal hoot calls.

Unlike him, "they're so cute," says Jenny Diliberti, a zoo spokesman.

The sponsorship came about through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. The show's producers tried tracking down an American bush baby to sponsor, but it turns out examples of Galago moholi are harder to find than "Idol" finalists in Oshkosh.

According to Diliberti, the Milwaukee County Zoo got the "Idol" call two days ago because Milwaukee has one of the few bush babies registered with the national zoo group.

County Executive Scott Walker has gone ape over the "Idol"/Milwaukee hookup.

"For us, this is a major coup," says Walker. "It's a great thing that we have such a vibrant zoo with such rare animals. When I watched the show last night, I was worried that Seacrest was going to step on it, talk over the name of the zoo or something, but he did pretty well."

Walker hopes the Simon-"Simon" connection will only get bigger.

"We plan to invite Briggs to the zoo and give him a permanent pass," Walker says.

The zoo should capitalize on the American Idol attention and put out a line of bush baby Simon souvenirs -- T-shirts, caps, key chains, mugs, etc.

I imagine online sales of the stuff would be profitable.

I'm sure there are Idol fans around the country, even around the world, that can't make it to the Milwaukee County Zoo but would like to purchase a little piece of Simon bush baby memorabilia.

If handled properly, the bush baby could be a real windfall for the county.

Scott Walker -- idol maker.