Why Americans love these specific animals so much
A look at the American animal canon: Lion, Elephant, Panda, Bear, and Giraffe.
A lot of facts in this video come from the excellent book “The Circus Age: Culture and Society under the American Big Top” by Janet Davis.
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@TheCarpetbagger
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Amazing video! A real eye opener. It’s actually crazy how such a specific form of entertainment like the Circus formed American culture, even though it is a dying art form
@sparklespark
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
You won an award!
@theocnetwork1521
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I really like the cadence of your voice . You’re really easy to listen too
@aveuch
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
What about the cast of beloved animated series such as Arthur or Franklin?
And the All-American Sock Monkey?
@timetoburn2112
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Why did goldfish become the default pet fish?
@TexBanks
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I loved Zebras, Raccoons and Kangaroos more. But I always thought monkeys and bears can be fun too.
@liamconroy2760
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I know this comment probably comes way too late, but an interesting thing I notice about culture and animals is how we attribute gender to them. I don't just mean romance languages that use feminine or masculine articles for different words, but just how zoo visitors will often refer to certain groups of animals with certain pronouns (ex. "Look at the crocodile, he's basking!" without knowing the sex of the animal).
@dsxa918
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Moose is the only animal so far, that I've been arrested, trying to pet so they're a real point of reference for me
Black bear is the only animal who I have had come out of hibernation while I was camping deep in the woods
Black bear is the only animal (summertime, North Ontario; I was not camping) that I've had one of those "we both startled eachother" in coming into the same area while I was jogging at night in the summer (the heat)
Martin is the only animal I've ever seen 'randomly' and not known immediately what it was – it may not have been a martin in fact but it definitely made me think it was a creature from the Lord Of The Rings, without any other point of referring
Dogs and cats are the most numerous pets I've had
All, re: "name me an animal" or however you posited the introduction to the video.
@SiverFangBlackWing
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
1:48 I'd argue they are most likely to say wolf, as wolves have become incredibly popular in more recent times. I also think the examples you took from have two key problems. They are either an older product that isn't very popular today, or are products made by older individuals guessing what kids would like. Animal crackers, for example, were already mocked as "old people food" when I was in school during the early 2000s
@davidfeltheim2501
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Seeing foreign animals in real life is always more powerful then seeing them on TV unfortunately. The key is how the zoo is designed, is it spacious and cleverly disguised like Animal Kingdom, or is it the Bronx Zoo?
@Supposedit
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
A giraffe costs around 50k in Texas but you need to buy 2 because they get lonely
@Thunder_X_Surge
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Bro did not mention pandas again
@kablutoxyz
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
American Cereal Canon?
@Kellan__they-them
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I was expecting more comments from the furry community lol. Furries (and scalies and avians) have their own set of "most beloved animals" in terms of which animals are the most common fursonas, and I can see how that might be too niche a topic for this channel but I find it just as interesting. I'd hazard a guess that they're more influenced by animation (e.g. The Lion King, Balto, Robin Hood, Zootopia, etc).
@MonkeyDanceAlongs
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I didnt know concern for circus animals well being went back that far. I guess we have always fought between exploitation and ideals
@latexu95
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
13:13 In fact, the national animal of my home country Finland is also a bear (although the official coat of arms depicts a lion).😉🐻🇫🇮
@andrewshanks7053
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Lions and bears, but no tigers – oh, my!
@HarmonicFractals
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Circuses are something I'm really glad to see dying away, specifically from the animal aspect. That brief shot of a bear balancing on a board made me so sad; such a majestic creature enslaved for a brief wow factor for some humans who didn't know any better. Really glad. animals don't feature in circuses how they used to at least.
@algc19
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
There is a very famous kids song about animals in Spanish. The first four animals of the chorus (which are the most remembered) are the crocodile, the orangutan, the snake, and the eagle. Interesting to see no overlap with the 6 you mention
@John-fn2ln
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I just think the People in the USA just love animals
@nicolechafetz3904
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Where have you been, my friend. I am a subscriber and I have my bell set to all videos yeah I haven’t seen you in years.
@GoldGn111
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
We got some gators 🐊 here too
@crsproductions2003
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
7:57: Despite also being a Canadian, I was taught the other pronunciation of zebra (with a long e instead of a short e)
@brandonkellner
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
The Cincinnati Zoo claims to be the second oldest zoo in the US, founded in 1873, although they do say they opened in 1875.
@dragoncat3499
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
2:00 I think its worth mentioning too that there's a degree of exoticism to Americans with these animals. When I was little, a Chinese exchange student came to stay with my family, and just to make conversation, I asked what her favorite animal was. She said, "squirrel! because of his long fluffy tail!" and she would get excited over seeing squirrels and hummingbirds, which were both pretty normal to me growing up in the South.
@smwillia
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I am surprised by the lack of aquatic and marine animals in the canon of popular animals.
@Creepybel-z2r
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
What is specifically funny about monkeys? All of the times I've heard that from anybody I don't get an explanation on why. Aren't they aggressively loud and act like troublemakers?
@LiquidCruelty
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
🦒
@lanadelredneck9513
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I am obsessed with your Canadian accent/ Canadian upspeak. I could listen to you talk for hours.
@michaelr9561
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Great video! Your circus portion made me think it would be cool if you did a video teaching us about the Canadian National Exhibition CNE. If it's interesting enough to spend the time and make a video of it, it would be neat to learn about a little Canadian spectacle that used to be quite popular years back.
@andreasolano8248
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I think chikens, pigs,cows o horses o rabits were the most know animal :v and the cats and dogs
@MrKenichi22
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
pretty good video 🦁
@cumunist2120
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Ravens are awesome they should be on everything
@lindsaymclaughlin8613
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
A North American animal that I enjoy watching at the zoo is the otter! This video has made me aware of how underrated they are.
@wendyleeconnelly2939
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Pet culture would be a very big topic
@spoon_wizardry
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I've always wondered this
@colourmeunimpressed
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
You're a traitor and an american in a cheap Canadian suit.
@tesloche
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
Cuz they're cool
@brendanmurray1213
July 10, 2026 at 8:19 am
I guess I’m ignorant but are these not popular animals especially for children in most countries?
Comments are closed.