We are given the names of the Today Show chimps.
But what do those initials stand for.
J. Fred Muggs
Phoebe B. Bee
Does anyone know?
The J stands for “Jay” and the B stands for “Bea.” 
(I don’t know this for a fact, I just made it up. I never met a chimp with a birth certificate.)
Interesting how times change, eh? Back in those balmy days before the internet, Cecil often tackled “trivia” type questions, because they weren’t so easy to look up. Nowadays, of course, such info is readily found on the internet, and Cecil doesn’t bother with 'em.
He still gets asked a lot of such, of course; he just doesn’t bother to answer 'em.
The J never stood for anything - it was invented by the Today Show
Just as a follow-up, apparently Mr. Muggs is still alive (at 50 :eek: ), but his trainer recently died 
Wow.
Thanks for the update. I wonder how the monkey is taking it?
Since that article was written in 2002, Muggs is presumably now 52. The oldest chimp on record, however, is Tarzan’s friend Cheeta, who is now 72.