Twiggy the waterskiing squirrel is our new summer crush

Our latest furry Internet crush is a squirrel named Twiggy. And guess what, you guys…she can water ski! Because what would a summer crush be without a little aquatic fun? Amirite?

Twiggy’s water-skiing legacy is actually pretty famous. Waaay back in the days of polyester leisure suits (1978), a Florida couple named Chuck and Lou Ann Best took in a squirrel that had been orphaned during hurricane David (aww!). The Bests’ daughter had a toy remote control boat, so Chuck decided to see if he could train the squirrel to waterski behind it. Obviously. I mean, that’s what any of us would do, right?

Since a squirrel who can waterski is pretty amazing, it didn’t take long for Twiggy to appear on national television. Then she became quite the squirrel-about-town as a regular on the boat-show circuit. Which is actually rather genius. I mean, raise your hand if seeing a squirrel on waterskis would make you want to buy a boat. I rest my case.

We know what you’re thinking right about now. Wait a minute…1978? Just how long do squirrels live?

Sadly, only 15-18 years. After the original Twiggy, another squirrel stepped into her very talented shoes (er…skis). There have been five Twiggys in all. So in this way, she’s sort of like Lassie. (Wait…should I have included a spoiler alert for that bombshell? Sorry.)

You may have seen Twiggy in the movies Dodgeball or Anchorman. Yes, she’s that legit. Or if you were lucky enough to be the X Games in Austin recently (where Twiggy was named MVP – Most Valuable Pet), you saw her in action live in the pool. Fortunately, GoPro was on hand to record her performance and they uploaded a video to YouTube last week. Brace yourselves, because it might be the most awesome thing we’ve ever seen. The music! The waves! The slo-mo sequence! Oh, the drama…

(All images via GoPro YouTube video.)