Michael Jackson’s chimpanzee Bubbles celebrates his 40th birthday with a party years after leaving Neverland fame

More Info: New York Post

Michael Jackson’s pet chimpanzee Bubbles recently turned 40, and the King of Pop would have been pleased with the celebration. The party’s theme was bubbles. There were tubs of bubble baths with paper bubbles everywhere, according to The Center for Great Apes’ founding director, Patti Ragan, who lives in Wauchula: Florida, the “retirement home” where Bubbles has resided since 2005. Bubbles, who is just under 5 feet tall and weighs around 185 pounds, even had a special ape-healthy cake with his name inscribed in blueberries and decorated with mashed bananas and blue food coloring.

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Bubbles had a long and intriguing journey to the Center for Great Apes. The bubble was a spoiled ape that Jackson purchased as a baby in 1985 from a Texas research facility. Jackson’s room contained a crib where Bubbles slept at Neverland Ranch. Bubbles were transported into Bob Dunn’s California ranch in roughly 1989, though, as he had become too big to be around people. He was then sent to the Center for Great Apes when he became too big to be a pet, where he has remained ever since.

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Ragan said that DVDs of Jackson, which Bubbles appears to appreciate, are used by sanctuary personnel to amuse Bubbles and all of their primate inhabitants. Michael Jackson’s sister, LaToya, visited the center to be featured in the 2010 documentary “Michael Jackson and Bubbles,” Her presence visibly moved bubbles.

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Ragan made it plain that all of the rumors that had been made up about Bubbles over the years were false. She refuted the claims that Bubbles attempted suicide once and was the wealthiest chimpanzee in the world due to a $2 million bequest in Michael Jackson’s will. She pointed out that although there was nothing in Michael’s will, his estate contributed to their annual care for Bubbles.

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Bubbles is one of the famous primates kept at the Center for Great Apes, along with Ripley the chimpanzee, who appeared in “Seinfeld” alongside Michael Richards’ Kramer, and Popi, the orangutan from the 1981 movie “Going Ape!” starring Danny DeVito and Tony Danza. Alongside Mark Wahlberg, other inhabitants appeared in the 2001 film “Planet of the Apes.” 27 orangutans and 43 chimpanzees, the oldest of 64, are kept at the Center for Great Apes.

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The 40th birthday celebration of Michael Jackson’s pet chimpanzee, Bubbles, served as a reminder of his extraordinary journey. Bubbles no longer have a home but still enjoys a comfortable life at the Center for Great Apes, where he receives tender loving care.