Jumbo was an elephant sold from the London Zoo to P.T. Barnum's circus in 1882, causing an uproar in England. Barnum brought Jumbo to America to join his circus. After Jumbo's death, Tufts University adopted him as their mascot in 1889. In 1949, the University of Bridgeport challenged Tufts' claim to Jumbo as their mascot, arguing that Barnum only owned half of Jumbo and could only bequeath that half to Tufts.

1. The Story of Jumbo
Ahmet Baygal-Berk Barlak-Berk Esi

2. The Story of Jumbo
• In a vote organized by the
National Directory of College
Athletics, the Tufts Jumbos
are ranked among the Top
25 College Nicknames. It
placed 18th, wedged
between the Gorillas of
Pittsburgh State and the
Nanooks of AlaskaFairbanks, but far behind the
first-place Banana Slugs of
California-Santa Cruz.

3. The Story of Jumbo
• However, in 1882 the Zoo sold him for
$10,000 to Barnum. Jumbo's sale caused a
great uproar throughout England, with
Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales
among many expressing. Despite attempts
to block the sale, the ever-resourceful
Barnum managed to secure his elephant.

4. The Story of Jumbo
• In 1949, Jumbo's place at Tufts was threatened by the University of
Bridgeport, who also wanted to claim the enormous pachyderm for its own
mascot because Bridgeport had been home to Barnum and his circus. This
challenge was based on the grounds that Barnum owned only half of Jumbo
(with Bailey owning the other half ), and he could only bequeath his half of
the elephant to Tufts.