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| **A Message from Tony "The Monkey Man" Lupo: (Owner of New England based Hurdy Gurdy Monkey and Me Entertainment) Welcome to the Hurdy Gurdy Monkey and Me website! Here you'll find information about me and my monkey Coco, one of the last remaining organ grinder/monkey shows left in the U.S.! Based in the Greater Boston area, we have been all over New England and throughout the Northeast providing unique entertainment for birthday parties, corporate functions, events, fairs and more! Since our first appearance in 1980, we've entertained over 1,000,000 kids (and adults too) with our Old Fashioned Organ Grinder and Monkey show, and 31 years later we are still going strong! So have fun exploring our site and please feel free to email us with any questions or suggestions! Click here to email Tony and Coco! Or click here for booking information. |
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Coco Stars With Dave Matthews in John Varvatos Ad Campaign!
A Brief History of Organ Grinding: The Organ Grinder originated in Egypt 5 centuries ago. Later he made his way to Europe as a man with an out of tune organ who cranked one single song over and over until people paid him to take his melody elsewhere. Eventually, the Organ Grinder evolved and moved across the ocean to America.
The Organ Grinding tradition in the United States dates back to 1864 in Boston's Old Back
Bay. The Organ Grinder started here as a street performer who cranked a hand organ or "hurdy gurdy" and had a monkey who did tricks and collected coins from passers-by. As this tradition dwindled in the 20th Century, Organ Grinding became a lost art.
Our History:
Established in 1980, Hurdy Gurdy Monkey and Me started out as a man, a monkey and a dream...ok ok, it wasn't that dramatic - but close...Tony Lupo founded Hurdy Gurdy Monkey and Me after studying the lost art of Old Fashioned Organ Grinding. Coco the monkey, (Tony's famous better half), has been with Tony for 30 amazing years. Tony raised her since she was a baby, creating his own special variety of reward training system. Coco and Tony have a special bond that radiates whenever they perform. Tony has crafted a unique and original brand of entertainment that is unparalleled in the world of children's entertainers. Currently, Tony and Coco are one of only two organ grinder and monkey teams left on the east coast and one of only three teams in the U.S., preserving this 140 year old entertainment tradition.
New England's only live performing monkey act has been featured on many television programs including: Late Night with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, Chronicle, and NBC's The Today Show. Tony and Coco have also been featured in the made for TV movie The Kennedy's and the Fitzgerald's and have received the prestigious comedic honor of a lifetime membership to the Harvard Lampoon.
Click here or on the images below to see a history in pictures!
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Our Show:
This New England based Organ Grinder and Monkey act is an original and modern version of an age-old historical treat, pleasing kids of all ages and adults alike! Full of high intensity action, the show is a guaranteed hit featuring the monkeyshines of Coco, the live performing monkey and the tomfoolery of her sidekick Tony, the Hurdy Gurdy man. Coco's repertoire of tricks include:
The mystifying shell game where you'll get a chance to test your wits against the monkey's! (Trust us, you'll be surprised who wins!)
The bing bang boom shot where Coco jams and slams her basketball into the hoop with the grace and style of an NBA pro! 
Coco plays catch - donning her big league baseball cap Coco catches every ball thrown her way and returns it back inrapid fire!
Coco is an accomplished musician! Watch
as she does impressions of her favorite piano playing stars, Elton John andLittle Richard. She also plays the tambourine, a "South of the Border"
style maraca and finally, the world's
only ELVIS impersonating monkey plays the guitar just like the King himself!
Hurdy Gurdy Entertainment has several entertainment
formats to choose from that cover just about every venue from the smallest
indoor space to the largest outdoor area. These formats can be combined to
customize an entertainment presentation that's just right for your event. Click here to see our options!
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 Animation courtesy of Kitty Roach |
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What Clients
Have to Say:Below are some comments emailed to us by Hurdy Gurdy Customers!
Michele Slung, Chair of the 75th Annual Woodstock Library Fair writes: "...what I am so happy about is how everyone is still talking about you both. You yourself made a wonderful impression on all the people who saw or connected with you, but, of course, so did she [Coco]...(My neighbor says she did ball-throwing with her!) You truly were the hit of the Fair!"
Elaine from Ipswich writes:
"Tony and Coco came to my daughter Emily's 6th birthday party. They were such a hit! I knew the kids would enjoy them but I had no idea how excited the adults would be too! Tony and Coco relate to everyone and the show was really funny. My favorite part was when Coco dressed up like Elvis!"
Kathleen from Boston writes:
"My company hires Tony every year for our Holiday party. He is the always a big hit and every year people ask if he is coming back again. The answer is always YES!"
Dan from Brookline writes:
"I first met Tony and Coco when my son and I went to a neighbor's bar mitzvah. It was all my son could talk about for months so as a member of my son's schools PTA I suggested Tony for a school event. The kids and teachers laughed from the minute Tony started the show until the very end, (especially when Coco put on her Red Sox gear to play catch with the kids). Tony is really funny and great with the kids. He was by far the best entertainer I have ever seen and I would highly recommend him to anyone!"
Theresa writes:
I just wanted to say Thank You for a great performance. Jacob is still talking about it. Yesterday, at school, his teachers told me that all the kids were talking about Coco and his athletic abilities. Thanks again for making Jacob's birthday one to remember
If you had Tony and Coco at your event and would like to send us your comments, click here!