This stuffed spider monkey toy, Maggie, has an especially interesting story. She was a part of the U.S. Army’s attempt to become the first to circumnavigate the world by airplane in 1924. Unwilling to hand over this first to the U.S., five other countries— Great Britain, Italy, France, Portugal and Argentina —set the same goal. And the race was on!
Each world flier crew adopted a stuffed spider monkey as a mascot for their airplane. Leigh Wade carried “Maggie” aboard the Boston.
Four Douglas World Cruisers, each with a pilot and a mechanic, set off from Seattle and traveled West on April 6. Each airplane was named for an American city—Chicago, Seattle, New Orleans, and Boston. The World Fliers, as they would become known, traveled extremely light; only two changes of clothes! But their supply lists included stuffed spider monkeys weighing two pounds each. Why a stuffed animal?
An unidentified woman holding two monkeys poses with Chicago pilot First Lt. Lowell Smith (left) and Boston mechanic Staff Sergeant Henry Ogden.
Before the eight aviators began their trip, they attended a ball and reception at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The hotel manager removed eight stuffed monkeys from atop imitation palm trees and gave them to the aviators as a mascot. He offered to pay $50 for each monkey that was returned safely. Maggie, who is now safely displayed in our Pioneers of Flight gallery, was taken on board the Boston with pilot Leigh Wade.
There was no guarantee that the flights would be successful. There were many challenges including extreme weather, limited landing fields, small fuel tanks, and unfamiliar cultures. The World Fliers encountered a variety of animals on their adventure. They spotted whales in Alaskan waters, commented on shaggy-haired horses in Japan, and saw elephants at work in teak yards near Rangoon, Burma. In present-day Vietnam, they were surrounded by curious crocodiles while stranded in a lagoon, hiked through tiger country, and were amused by water buffalo. In India, they were surprised that monkeys were as common as birds in the U.S., and that cows roamed the streets. In the Middle East they were amused by the prevalence of camels.
Lt. John Harding (left) and First Lt. Erik Nelson with monkeys.
In the end only two of the four airplanes made it around the world. The Seattle crashed into a mountain in Alaska and the Boston sank in the North Sea. Since Maggie traveled aboard the Boston, she was clearly saved from a watery end. While only two airplanes completed the trip, all of the eight Fliers survived and the people of the United States showered them with adulation. The United States won the race and claimed the honor of the first around the world trip by airplane. Two questions remain: We know what happened to Maggie, but what about the other monkeys? Do all the stuffed monkeys still exist today? Did the Fliers ever claim their $50 reward from the hotel manager? If only Maggie could talk. If you think you know what happened to all eight spider monkeys let us know in the comments.
Cover of the book First Flight Around the World. The book documents the exciting journey of four American planes and their crews on a race around the world. A book by Tim Grove, Museum Learning Chief, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.