Chimpanzees' tea party

The Chimpanzee tea party was a form of public entertainment in which chimpanzees were dressed in human clothes and provided with a table of food and drink.^[1][2][3]

The first such tea party was held at the London Zoo in 1926, two years after the opening of Monkey Hill.^[4][5] They were put on almost daily during the summer until they were discontinued in 1972.^[6] Tea parties were also adopted by other institutions seeking to draw crowds.^[1][4][5][2] The chimps, adorned in hats, dresses, and other garments, would engage in activities reminiscent of a sophisticated tea party, such as sipping from cups, nibbling on snacks, and interacting with each other in playful ways.^[3][2][1] This idea was even used for marketing techniques in the 1900’s.^[3] They were the inspiration for the PG Tips television advertisements which began in 1956.^[7][3] Neil Heath notes that concerns over animal welfare and the potential for exploitation have been a result of using chimps for advertising campaigns.^[3]