Punxsutawney Phil
Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2 (Groundhog Day) of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob, located in a rural area about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of town. According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an early spring.[1] The date of Phil's prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada. He is considered to be the world's most famous prognosticating rodent. During the rest of the year, Phil lives in the town library with his "wife" Phyllis.
A select group, called the Inner Circle, takes care of Phil year-round and also plans the annual ceremony. Members of the Inner Circle are recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos. As of 2011[update], Phil has two co-handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.[2]
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[edit] Punxsutawney Phil lore
Zoological data suggest that groundhogs have an average lifespan of ten years in captivity and six years in the wild, with a maximum lifespan of 14 years in captivity documented.[3] Punxsutawney Phil fans say that there is only one Phil (all the other groundhog weathermen are impostors), and that he has made weather prognostications for over 121 years as of 2011. They say that every summer, Phil is given a sip of the mysterious Groundhog Elixir, which magically lengthens his life for seven years. This is done by Inner Circle members.[4] According to the Groundhog Club, Phil, after making the prediction, speaks to the Club President in "Groundhogese", which only the current president can understand, and then his prediction is translated for the entire world.
The Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a German superstition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, the Pagan holiday of Imbolc, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early. The result is decided in advance by 14 members of the Inner Circle, who don tuxedos and top hats for the event.[5]
[edit] In media and popular culture
- Phil and the town of Punxsutawney were portrayed in the 1993 comedy film Groundhog Day. The actual town in the film is Woodstock, Illinois.
- In 1995, Phil flew to Chicago for a guest appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired on Groundhog Day, February 2, 1995.[6][7]
- Phil was also the main attraction on an episode of the MTV series Viva La Bam. The episode was titled "Groundhog Day" and it aired on April 10, 2005. In the episode, street skater Bam Margera held a special race in honor of Punxsutawney Phil.
- Until 2009, Ty Inc. annually released a "Punxsutawney Phil" Beanie Baby to celebrate Groundhog's Day. The toy is shown consistently wearing a top hat and bow tie in order to appear as a member of the Inner Circle. Three varieties are known to exist. The first is a consumer model with a black bow-tie (some have black or purple capes as well), which is available nationwide. A second, with a red bow-tie, is sold in a few stores in Punxsutawney itself, including at the Chamber of Commerce (both the red- and the black-tie versions benefit the Groundhog Club Inner Circle of Punxsutawney). The third version, with a silver bow-tie, is sold directly through the Ty Store online shop, raising funds for the Clearfield-Jefferson Red Cross. The "Punxsutawney Phil" Beanie Baby for 2009 (with a red bow-tie) was the last in the series; it was available only at the Punxsutawney Souvenir Shop.
- In 2010, a new text service was started to announce Phil's predictions. Mobile phone users could text the word "Groundhog" to the number 247365.
- The Pennsylvania Lottery uses an animatronic groundhog called "Gus", who bills himself in television commercials as the "second-most-famous groundhog in Pennsylvania" (as an unspoken nod to Phil) as their mascot for their instant scratch-off games.
- A tetraploid cultivated variety of daylily named "Punxsutawney Phil" was registered with the American Hemerocallis Society in 2003.[8]
[edit] Past predictions
| Year | Prediction |
|---|---|
| 1887–1888 | Long winter |
| 1889 | No record |
| 1890 | Early spring |
| 1891–1897 | No record |
| 1898 | Long winter |
| 1899 | No record |
| 1900–1901 | Long winter |
| 1902 | Early spring |
| 1903–1933 | Long winter |
| 1934 | Early spring |
| 1935–1941 | Long winter |
| 1942 | "War clouds have blacked out parts of the shadow."[9] |
| 1943 | No appearance (World War II) |
| 1944–1949 | Long winter |
| 1950 | Early spring |
| 1951–1969 | Long winter |
| 1970 | Early spring |
| 1971–1974 | Long winter |
| 1975 | Early spring |
| 1976–1982 | Long winter |
| 1983 | Early spring |
| 1984–1985 | Long winter |
| 1986 | Early spring |
| 1987 | Long winter |
| 1988 | Early spring |
| 1989 | Long winter |
| 1990 | Early spring |
| 1991–1994 | Long winter |
| 1995 | Early spring |
| 1996 | Long winter |
| 1997 | Early spring |
| 1998 | Long winter |
| 1999 | Early spring |
| 2000–2006 | Long winter |
| 2007 | Early spring |
| 2008–2010 | Long winter |
| 2011 | Early spring |
Of these 115 predictions on record so far, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an early spring 15 times (13%). As to his accuracy, according to the StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887, Phil's predictions have been correct 39% of the time.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Groundhog.org FAQ". Groundhog.org. http://www.groundhog.org. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
- ^ http://www.groundhog.org/inner-circle/
- ^ Light, Jessica E. Marmota monax, woodchuck. Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ http://www.groundhog.org/more-to-know/faq/
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110202/ap_on_re_us/us_groundhog_day
- ^ Pulling, Anne Frances (2001). Around Punxsutawney (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. pp. 128. ISBN 9780738505305.
- ^ a b Groundhog Day History. Stormfax Weather Almanac.
- ^ "Daylily 'Punxsutawney Phil'". AHS Online Cultivar Database. American Hemerocallis Society. http://www.daylilies.org/DaylilyDB/detail.php?id=146277&name=Punxsutawney. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ The Punxsutawney Spirit. February 2, 1942.
[edit] External links
- Groundhog.org, the official site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
- PunxsutawneyPhil.com
Coordinates: 40°56′10″N 78°57′14″W / 40.93611°N 78.95389°W
