A gigantic toy gorilla based on one of the most famous animals that’s ever lived has won hearts in our February saleroom.
Dakin, a hefty hunk of a toy made in the 1980s, is totally unmissable thanks to its sheer size. But there’s a sadness around the eyes too, and a tale to tell to melt hearts.
Dakin is based on a real-life gorilla called Hanabiko ‘Koko’ (1971-2018), a female western lowland gorilla born in San Francisco Zoo. She lived most of her life at The Gorilla Foundation’s preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains and gained public attention for adopting a kitten as a pet and naming him All Ball, revealing her ability to rhyme.
Her instructor Francine Patterson reported that Koko had an active vocabulary of more than 1,000 signs of what Patterson called ‘Gorilla Sign Language’. This put Koko’s vocabulary at the same level as a three-year-old human.
Koko asked for a cat for Christmas
Researchers at The Gorilla Foundation said Koko asked for a cat for Christmas in 1983. So, on her birthday in July 1984 she got her pick from a litter of abandoned kittens. Koko selected a grey male Manx and named him All Ball – and cared for him as if he were a baby gorilla.
Sadly, in December 1984, All Ball escaped and was killed by a car. When Patterson signed to Koko that All Ball had been killed, Koko signed ‘Bad, sad, bad’. Patterson later reported hearing Koko making a sound similar to a human weeping.
Dakin is lot 4228 in Hansons’ February 24 Toys and Models Auction, estimate £80-£120. Catalogue www.hansonslive.co.uk. To arrange a free toy valuation email David Wilson Turner: [email protected].
