The Berlin Zoo's famous polar bear, and our Discover Insanity mascot, Knut the Cute, who was rejected by his mother but went on to win the hearts of millions around the world, celebrated his first birthday Wednesday with more than 2,000 well-wishers. But Knut - no longer a tiny cub, thanks partly to his penchant for croissants, didn't get a taste of his own giant birthday cake, made with 300 eggs and 22 pounds of marzipan. Our mascot now tips the scales at more than 240 pounds and has been on a diet since July. Damn.
The Berlin Zoo pulled out all the stops to fete its star attraction, who has gone from a fluffy white powderpuff of a cub to a full-grown polar bear with a cheeky curiosity and a penchant for muddying his coat by rolling in the dirt. The zoo estimated that some 2,000 people had visited the birthday bear by noon and a steady stream were still heading toward his pen, despite the cool weather and overcast skies.
Instead of the massively caloric Birthday cake, Knut was a healthier concoction of fresh fruit, vegetables and rice - topped with a toy wooden candle. Yet Knut himself seemed more interested in playing with his toy candle and licking the crumbs from the platter that bore his birthday treat than with the crowd. The cheerful crowd applauded when Knut was given his birthday cake made of boiled rice, bananas and raisins. A group of school kids sang "Happy birthday to Knut," turning this otherwise gray day into a celebrity party.
The zoo said the Knut craze has generated up to $14 million over the past year through ticket sales that have more than doubled and the licensing of Knut toys, books and other trinkets. A new Knut medal was presented on Wednesday as well, in honor of the polar bear's birthday.
Knut was abandoned at birth, along with his twin brother, who only survived a couple of days. By the time Knut was a 3-month-old white fur ball, with button eyes and his own fan club, he had been photographed for the cover of Vanity Fair - and attracted hundreds of thousands to the zoo. Now that he is grown, zoo officials say they do not have room to keep him permanently and are considering other offers from zoos in Europe, with an eye to finding him a hottie to shack up with!
Thomas Doerflein, who raised Knut by hand, playing with him and feeding him from a bottle, was quoted Wednesday saying that Knut needs, "a female partner. At some point, Knut needs to leave me." If, that is, his future dates don't mind a polar bear who is often more gray than he is white. "He is a bit on the chunky side, but that isn't such a big deal," Zoo Director Bernhard Blaszkiewitz said during his birthday oration, "I wish for Knut that he lives 30 or 40 years and that he reproduces. But given his looks, I don't think that will be much of a problem."
A star of Knut's stature hardly needs to worry about his looks. I'm sure there's some nice hot lookin' babe out there in a teddie bear nightie who wouldn't mind a romp in the mud with our mascot who has rocketed to international stardom. A little advice buddy, don't you go hookin' up with some Britney Spears or Paris Hilton type polar bear! You go for the Heidi Kulm type! Happy Birthday Knut! Here's to many more and play it safe...where a condom! ![]()
The Berlin Zoo's famous polar bear, and our Discover Insanity mascot, Knut the Cute, who was rejected by his mother but went on to win the hearts of millions around the world, celebrated his first birthday Wednesday with more than 2,000 well-wishers. But Knut - no longer a tiny cub, thanks partly to his penchant for croissants, didn't get a taste of his own giant birthday cake, made with 300 eggs and 22 pounds of marzipan. Our mascot now tips the scales at more than 240 pounds and has been on a diet since July. Damn.
The Berlin Zoo pulled out all the stops to fete its star attraction, who has gone from a fluffy white powderpuff of a cub to a full-grown polar bear with a cheeky curiosity and a penchant for muddying his coat by rolling in the dirt. The zoo estimated that some 2,000 people had visited the birthday bear by noon and a steady stream were still heading toward his pen, despite the cool weather and overcast skies.
Instead of the massively caloric Birthday cake, Knut was a healthier concoction of fresh fruit, vegetables and rice - topped with a toy wooden candle. Yet Knut himself seemed more interested in playing with his toy candle and licking the crumbs from the platter that bore his birthday treat than with the crowd. The cheerful crowd applauded when Knut was given his birthday cake made of boiled rice, bananas and raisins. A group of school kids sang "Happy birthday to Knut," turning this otherwise gray day into a celebrity party.
The zoo said the Knut craze has generated up to $14 million over the past year through ticket sales that have more than doubled and the licensing of Knut toys, books and other trinkets. A new Knut medal was presented on Wednesday as well, in honor of the polar bear's birthday.
Knut was abandoned at birth, along with his twin brother, who only survived a couple of days. By the time Knut was a 3-month-old white fur ball, with button eyes and his own fan club, he had been photographed for the cover of Vanity Fair - and attracted hundreds of thousands to the zoo. Now that he is grown, zoo officials say they do not have room to keep him permanently and are considering other offers from zoos in Europe, with an eye to finding him a hottie to shack up with!
Thomas Doerflein, who raised Knut by hand, playing with him and feeding him from a bottle, was quoted Wednesday saying that Knut needs, "a female partner. At some point, Knut needs to leave me." If, that is, his future dates don't mind a polar bear who is often more gray than he is white. "He is a bit on the chunky side, but that isn't such a big deal," Zoo Director Bernhard Blaszkiewitz said during his birthday oration, "I wish for Knut that he lives 30 or 40 years and that he reproduces. But given his looks, I don't think that will be much of a problem."
A star of Knut's stature hardly needs to worry about his looks. I'm sure there's some nice hot lookin' babe out there in a teddie bear nightie who wouldn't mind a romp in the mud with our mascot who has rocketed to international stardom. A little advice buddy, don't you go hookin' up with some Britney Spears or Paris Hilton type polar bear! You go for the Heidi Kulm type! Happy Birthday Knut! Here's to many more and play it safe...where a condom! 
