STAFF
at Twycross Zoo are mourning the death of one of the chimps who starred in the
famous PG Tips adverts.
Jilloch
was born at the zoo, near Nuneaton, and died there of heart failure aged 34.
She
had taken part in the chimps’ tea parties and was part of the family group of
chimps that were on television screens from the late 1950s until 2002.
The
ads starring the chimps captivated TV viewers and portrayed everything from
removal men and Tour de France cyclists to a bride and groom. But in 2002 they
hung up their costumes and were replaced by animated characters.
The
PG Tips chimps made their debut in 1956. Their popularity reached its height in
the 1970s and 1980s, when phrases such as: ‘Can you ride tandem?’ and: ‘Do you
know the piano’s on my foot? You hum it, son, I’ll play it’ became nationally-renowned.
In
2003, they were named Britain’s favourite advertising characters in
a poll of viewers.