Dippy Revisited

Here's a blog I wrote in 2015

"The Fangs are out.

And the flippers are in.

The Natural History Museum has just announced that Dippy is being retired. The rather splendid cast of diplodocus is being removed and being replaced by the skeleton of the blue whale.

But not after a fight. Some of us it seems, are rather fond of Dippy and are not going to let him go without a fight.

The plaster cast skeleton was a gift to the Museum from Andrew Carnegie (from Val McDermid and Ian Rankin country in the kingdom, of Fife) and he bears the name Diplodocuscarnegii for that reason.  At that time, 1905, he was the largest dinosaur known.

Although there are other copies of Dippy... Dippy doubles…10 of them, decituplets? something… in Berlin, Paris and Milan, he is always associated with the Natural History Museum in London.

He has taken pride of place in the main hall since 1979 and he reflects the beautiful architecture around him. He seems to fit in a way that I’m not a blue whale would.

Dippy has appeared in numerous films and documentaries and is a bit of a star in his own right. He had his own twitter account, 'save Dippy' is trending in the world of hashtags.  Petitions are being signed to keep him or her in place. (it is impossible to sex the diplodocus ... but as long as Dippy  or Miss Dippy himself knows the difference that’s all that matters.)

Rumours are now abounding that the Museum have ill judged the denizens depth of devotion to Dippy.

If they have their way, over the next two years Dippy will be dismantled and replaced with a mounted blue whale skeleton that will dive down from above. It may be very conservative and environmental and worthy, but will it be fun!  Museums must change with the times and the blue whale is an iconic image in the green movement to look after the planet, but  a whale is a whale is a whale. I’ve seen them in the wild and on the tv. I’ve seen blue whale models in long beach aquarium for one instance… and it is impressive, they are impressive…

But  Dippy is engaging, and he talks to the young.  There is a sense of evolution when you talk to Dippy.  Dippy discourse. Of course."

That was the story then. Dippy has finally arrived in the Dear Green Place, where he has pride of place in the main hall of Kelvingrove Museum.

      

                                               
                                                         Dippy The Magnificent.

He looks rather fitting in these surroundings.

He's big, bigger that you might think.

You can just make out the whip of his tail just above the video screen.

And the bones do look very familiar, femurs, pelvic bones, the ribs.

And those vertebrae are very similar to ours.

He has  big teeth and a very small brain just like some politicians. 

                                                 

           Intrepid MIE bloggers had to investigate. Dippy was so big they had the move the coffee shop.

Dippy Shortbread!

We settled for this. A big tick on the bucket list,  Caro and Dippy were reunited.

Caro Ramsaydoccus  08 03 19