1971 American Tourister "Gorilla" Commercial

This famous, long-running commercial for American Tourister featured a guy in a gorilla suit beating the hell out of a piece of luggage in a zoo cage. He never could destroy that thing!

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• 1971
• 1970s
• commercial
• Americian Tourister
• luggage
• suitcase
• gorilla
• zoo
• cage
• beat
• jump
• torture
• destroy
• durable

[FelchBelcher]

This was neither a gorilla nor a guy in a gorilla suit - it was a real chimpanzee. A few years after this ad started, American Tourister issued a PR statement through the ASPCA. There was a rumor they had starved the chimp and put food inside the case - they hadn't. He just loved to play rough.

[loganteal27205]

Here is the deal folks, seeing as I work at the zoo where this gorilla, (and yes he's a real life gorilla), spent more than a few years of his life. His name is Ramar. He is wild born, and he came to the NC Zoo after being raised from the wild by a trainer from California. When Ramar became to big, he gave him to the NC Zoo in Asheboro, NC. He destroyed every "toy" he was given, but this luggage. In 1997 or 98 he was sent to the Brookfield Zoo. Look it up. He's a pretty amazing beast.

[alphabetsoupsandwich]

@OBAMASTINKSLIKEANAPE I was thinking the exact same thing!

[yoshimra]

I thought this was Otto. Otto was a Silverback Lowland Gorilla who was the star of the luggage ad. He passed away in 2007.

[0wNrFTW]

This gorilla is Willie B the longest living gorilla ever

[usagoodbyeisayhello]

I was three in 1971, yet I remember that commercial!

[bobbyluciano]

This commercial should be used today! It is EPICly great.

[maxpowers518]

"It's that damn TV Guide again!"

lol, from Apollo 13

[OBAMASTINKSLIKEANAPE]

This is a video of obama at his first high school job.

[morrisonAV]

@AnemicChia I did a photo shoot there back in the '90s and the staff said that the ad was done there.

[AnemicChia]

@morrisonAV Was this really filmed in Tarpon Springs? What an incredibly small world!