Tuffi
Encyclopedia
Tuffi was a female circus elephant
that became famous in Germany
in 1950 when she jumped from the suspended monorail
in Wuppertal
into the river below.
On 21 July 1950 the circus director Franz Althoff had Tuffi, then 3 years old, take the Schwebebahn
in Wuppertal, as a marketing gag. The elephant apparently did not enjoy the ride, trumpeted wildly and ran through the wagon, broke through a window and fell some 12 metres (39.4 ft) down into the Wupper
river, suffering only minor injuries. A panic had broken out in the wagon and some passengers were injured. Althoff helped the elephant out of the water. Both the circus director and the official who had allowed the ride were fined.
Tuffi was sold to Cirque Alexis Gruß in 1968; she died there in 1989.
To this day, a manipulated picture of the fall circulates around the world and a building near the location of the incident, between the stations Alter Markt and Adlerbrücke, shows a painting of Tuffi. A local milk-factory has chosen the name as a brand.
The Wuppertal tourist information keeps an assortment of Tuffi-related souvenirs, local websites show original pictures.
In 1970 Marguerita Eckel and Ernst-Andreas Ziegler published a Children's picture book about the incident, named Tuffi und die Schwebebahn.
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
that became famous in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1950 when she jumped from the suspended monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
in Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
into the river below.
On 21 July 1950 the circus director Franz Althoff had Tuffi, then 3 years old, take the Schwebebahn
Schwebebahn Wuppertal
- Current modernisation :The Wuppertal Schwebebahn nowadays carries up to 82,000 passengers a day through the city. Since 1997, the supporting frame has been largely modernised, and a lot of stations have been reconstructed and brought technically up to date...
in Wuppertal, as a marketing gag. The elephant apparently did not enjoy the ride, trumpeted wildly and ran through the wagon, broke through a window and fell some 12 metres (39.4 ft) down into the Wupper
Wupper
The Wupper is a right tributary to the Rhine river in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Rising near Marienheide in western Sauerland it runs through the mountainous area of the Bergisches Land Berg County and enters the Rhine at Leverkussen, south of Düsseldorf...
river, suffering only minor injuries. A panic had broken out in the wagon and some passengers were injured. Althoff helped the elephant out of the water. Both the circus director and the official who had allowed the ride were fined.
Tuffi was sold to Cirque Alexis Gruß in 1968; she died there in 1989.
To this day, a manipulated picture of the fall circulates around the world and a building near the location of the incident, between the stations Alter Markt and Adlerbrücke, shows a painting of Tuffi. A local milk-factory has chosen the name as a brand.
The Wuppertal tourist information keeps an assortment of Tuffi-related souvenirs, local websites show original pictures.
In 1970 Marguerita Eckel and Ernst-Andreas Ziegler published a Children's picture book about the incident, named Tuffi und die Schwebebahn.