Animal Magic Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charles M. Schulz

Charles M. Schulz was a popular American cartoonist who was well known for bringing the comic strip, "Peanuts", to life. We all got to know and love the characters Charlie Brown, Patty, Linus van Pelt and Snoopy the beagle from 1951, when the cartoon was first published, until 2000 when their creator suddenly died.

A 1962 cartoon saw Lucy van Pelt walk up to give Snoopy a pat and a hug, then walk off muttering, "Happiness is a warm puppy".

Answer: A. A. Milne

The inspiration behind "Winnie the Pooh" came from A.A. Milne's son, Christopher, and his teddy bear called Edward. The honey loving bear and his friends in Hundred Acre Wood brought a lot of enjoyment to those who read about their exploits. "I don't feel very much like Pooh today," said Pooh. "There there," said Piglet. "I'll bring you tea and honey until you do."

Answer: Equal

Old Major was a pig who fuelled the revolution against their human masters in George Orwell's satirical novel. "All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others" was a quote taken from chapter 10, which belied the ten original commandments quoted earlier in the book by the Major.

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1949) was an Indian spiritual leader and advocate against war. He led the events which saw India's independence from British rule in 1947. He is often quoted about animals and is known for having said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Answer: Mark Twain

Mark Twain was a huge fan of animals and this was reflected in some of his stories. Animal related writings included "The Stolen White Elephant" (1882), "A Dog's Tale" (1904) and "A Horse's Tale" (1907). During his lifetime, he had a dog called Pickles, and several cats including Bambino, Appolinaris, Beelzebub, Zoraster, Blatherkite and Sour Mash. It is believed he had up to 19 cats at one time.

Answer: Alice Walker

"The Color Purple" was Alice Walker's prize winning story about a black woman's struggle against abuse and her eventual self discovery and freedom. Walker is a political and animal activist. One of her best known quotes was "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men."

Answer: Robert Southey

Robert Southey was an English poet and one of the "Lake Poets" along with William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He wrote the tale "The Story of the Three Bears" in 1837 and this became better known as "Goldilocks". As Poet Laureate for 30 years between 1813 and 1843, he wrote official poems for the court of King George III and his successors.

Answer: Gerald Durrell

The early life of Gerald Durrell (1925-1995) is well documented in his 1956 book, "My Family and Other Animals". He became very attached to his menagerie of animals which included birds, tortoise, donkeys, owls, scorpions and even woodlice. This gave him a background that helped him in his future vocation as a naturalist.

His legacy still lives on through his zoo on the island of Jersey called the Durrell Wildlife Park.

Answer: W. C. Fields

"Never work with animals or children" was one of W. C. Field's most well known quotes. It is well documented that he could not stand either although this was not completely accurate as he sometimes owned a dog and doted on his grandchild. The actor was well known for his cantankerous quips in front of the camera and alcoholic activities behind which led to his eventual death in 1946.

Answer: Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson played the stereotypical blonde bimbo in the 2005 film, "The Dukes of Hazzard". She starred as Daisy Duke who ran a moonshine business with her cousins, and her oft worn denim shorts were known as "Daisy Dukes". In 2003, Simpson's appearance in the reality television show "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" saw Nick winning a stuffed platypus at an amusement park, hence the dumb quote about the "platymapus".

Oh, and by the way, I am so very sorry but I couldn't find a decent image of a platypus, so instead I found one of a fatty-puss!