Little Irvy was a traveling sideshow attraction in the United States from the 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.[1]

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.[2] After the whale was harpooned, it was frozen by pumping 40 tons of liquid nitrogen pumped throughout the carcass.[3]: 333  It was then kept in a glass tank in the refrigerated truck, with a sign reading "This Exhibit Is Dedicated to the Preservation of Whales".[3]: 333 

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.[2]

See also

Notes and references

References
  1. ↑ Deford, Frank (August 11, 1969). "Little Irvy". Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Inc. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 Webb 1995.
  3. 1 2 Nickell, Joe (2005). Secrets of the sideshows. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-7179-2. OCLC 65377460.
Works cited
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