Note: A version of this story originally appeared in 2013.
Groundhog Day is less than a week away - meaning a certain groundhog’s name is on everybody’s lips.
But how much do you really know about Punxsutawney Phil, the great weather predictor? Here’s are 10 “facts” to add to your groundhog trivia.
Phil’s full name is a mouthful. The groundhog’s name is Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.
Phil is one old groundhog. Phil is 127 years old, supposedly. The average groundhog lives to be between 6-8 years, but Phil takes a magical elixir every summer to extend his lifespan. The elixir also changes his appearance (much like the Doctor in “Doctor Who”), which explains why Phil may be grey one year and a youthful brown the next. Alas, the elixir does not work on humans.
Phil has a wife. Well, make that Phil has had many wives. While Phil has an extended lifespan, his wives do not partake in the elixir so they pass away like normal groundhogs do. Phil always finds love again, though. He does not have kids.
Phil was not in “Groundhog Day.” Phil had a full schedule and was not able to partake in the filming of the movie. In the Bill Murray movie he is played by a groundhog named Scooter - who bit the actor three times during filming. Phil was Murray’s first choice for the role. “He’s treated like royalty and is very well-behaved. A true professional,” the actor told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1993. “So when they couldn’t get him - a creature who has been hand-raised since birth and is very tame - what did they do? They went out into the woods and caught this Scooter, a groundhog who hated my guts from day one.”
Phil has his own car. It’s called the Philmobile and it’s a little bus that houses members of the Inner Circle. Phil has a special seat on the outside, so he can be seen on parades.
Phil plays dead, occasionally. Oftentimes during summer parades, crowds will panic as the Philmobile draws through. That’s because they will see Phil lying flat on his back, legs in the air looking dead. But he isn’t, this is just how groundhogs cool off. One tap on the glass and Phil turns himself the right way round again.
Phil has met some notable celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and former president Ronald Reagan.
Phil isn’t a teetotaler. During prohibition he threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn’t allowed a drink.
Phil doesn’t cause the weather. He just predicts it. Don’t shoot the messenger.
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