NAME.....The Gucci Kangaroo
CODE.....AW1901
ORIGIN...1902, Australia
STATUS...False

During the Americas Cup, held in the waters of Perth, Western Australia, a group of Gucci representatives who were sponsoring the Italia yacht team decided to look for Kangaroos to kill time in between races. They had cruised the outback all afternoon trying to spot a 'Roo', and had just about given up when a Kangaroo jumped out straight in front of their Land Rover. Unable to avoid the unfortunate animal, they skidded into the 'Roo', knocking him down with a bone shuddering thud.

Instead of feeling saddened by the dreadful accident, the Italians felt quite pleased with their catch. They propped the motionless Kangaroo up against the side of the Land Rover, dressed him with a pair of sunglasses and one of the representative's Gucci jacket, and began taking photos.

It was at this point that the startled animal (only stunned) jumped up and bounded off, still wearing the sunglasses and jacket. The loss of an expensive jacket wouldn't have been so bad, if the Land Rover's keys had not been placed in the inside pocket!

Summary

The earliest found version of this UL dates back to 1902 from Australia, and was traced to a book called 'Aboriginalities' by Australian folklorist Bill Scott. In that version a train and not a car knocked out the 'roo', and of course he didn't make off with a Gucci jacket to add to his collection. In fact, the Kangaroos must have quite an extensive collection judging by all the variations to the legend. Over the years they have not only bounded off with Gucci jackets, but also Ray Ban sunglasses, expensive cameras, baseball caps, crew jackets, passports and expensive jewellery to add to their collection. I think the Kangaroos are setting themselves up for quite a jumble sale out there in the outback!

The Italians are not the only callous foreigners who got their just desserts. 1950's versions were told about the English cricket team, and in more recent years, the Canadian yacht team. All these versions underline mistrust towards foreigners, highlighting the lack of respect and callousness shown towards the host nation. Just for a cheap prank, the foreigners act disgracefully and pay the price. The Kangaroo gets the last laugh, and that's fair dinkum' mate!

During the 1960's the UL hit celebrity status, and became associated across America with the "The Kingston Trio". The Kingston Trio were a popular folk-singing group, and one member told the legend as a personal experience that had actually happened to them while the group were touring Australia.

Final Thoughts

Another similar American UL exists that is very similar to this one, and it is called the 'Deer Departed'. The story goes that while a man is hunting in a forest, he manages to shoot down a deer with huge antlers. He set up his camera on a tripod and posed with the animal, placing his expensive high-powered rifle with its telescopic sight across the deer's antlers. Only stunned, the Deer jumps back onto it's feet and bounds off into the forest, with the rifle still firmly placed between its antlers!

The 'Animals revenge' stories may have originated from the late 1890's, when the stories were rife in both America and Australia. These tales were normally about a cruel man who ties a stick of dynamite to the tail of an animal (e.g. dog, coyote, rabbit) as an evil prank. The joke always backfires when the animal runs back into the man's house!