A Whale of a Tale of a Whale – March 1972

Kids love animals. But does that include whales – the largest animals on Earth?

I’m not sure. Up until Seaworld’s Shamu was promoted as a lovable creature, and watching/spotting whales became trendy tourist pastimes, whales have traditionally been seen as, well, a nightmarish menace. Something evil to be harpooned and destroyed.

Remember Monstro the whale in Pinocchio? Orca? Moby Dick? Dicky Moe (the worst Tom & Jerry cartoon of all time)?

You get my point. That’s why it's odd to see this ad from the Lorain Journal of March 23, 1971 advertising the appearance of Little Irvy the Giant Whale at Midway Mall. There’s even a cute illustration of a happy whale.

But that’s not the oddest part.

As noted in the ad, “Little Irvy is frozen and has been for Five Years. He weighs 20 tons and is 38 ft. long. On display in cooperation with Cinnamon Lake and Midway Mall Merchants Association.”

So was Irvy a frozen, sleeping giant – silently waiting for his opportunity to thaw out so he could exact his revenge on the cruel promoters who put him on ice?

Nope. He was dead, as unlikely to flop around as a frozen, breaded Mrs. Paul fish stick. As a Monty Python fan might observe, Irvy was an ex-whale.

So what was the story? According to this Wiki entry, "Little Irvy was a traveling sideshow attraction in the United States from late 1967 until the mid-1990s. The body of the 20-ton sperm whale was hauled around the country by trucker Jerry "Tyrone" Malone in Old Blue, a refrigerated tractor-trailer.

"The whale was purchased in 1967 for $6,000 from the Del-Monte Fishing Company, which had captured the whale off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, with plans to sell the carcass for dog food. On July 9, 1967, the frozen whale made its debut at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, and traveled the state fair and roadside attraction circuit for over 25 years.

Like all things sitting in a freezer for too long, there’s a time to dispose of them, and Little Irvy was no different. But don’t blubber for Jerry Malone. He had a great time traveling around the country with his “ partner” Little Irvy. Jerry even published a book about him.

To read more about Little Irvy, click here to read a great 1995 account in the Phoenix New Times.

****

According to its website, Cinnamon Lake was “established in the 1970s as a residential recreational development with a "vacation feel.” 

“The community gradually grew into today's almost 600 permanent residences. However, the “vacation” feel still abounds, giving Cinnamon Lake its unique balance of homeyness and carefree living."