WE HAVE A WINNER! Drum roll, please...
And the winner is... Rusty!
Break out the bamboo and pour the grape juice: it’s celebrating time!
Rusty would like to thank Shama, the Zoo, his devilish good looks, and the good people of the Internet for this wonderful victory.
Rusty's VIP crown dedication goes out to all the red pandas of the world.
There may only be 10,000 adult red pandas left in the wild, but it has been a great summer for red panda conservation at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Four litters of red panda fluffballs? Yes, please!
Now for some fond farewells...
And loving "thanks" to our other contestants.
DEFEATED - Final Round: T. Rex
Our favorite bipedal carnivore had a lot of fun during the standoff, but Rex is off to attend other activities. The dinosaurs have to find someway to keep themselves entertained while the Smithsonian's dinosaur hall undergoes its five-year renovation. Rex's activity of choice? Jump rope. Obviously.
DEFEATED - Round III: Henry the Elephant
Henry is sad he won't be in the final round, but he can't wait to cheer on his fellow Natural History Museum friend, Rex. Peace out to our favorite pachyderm!
DEFEATED - Round III: Apollo Lunar Module #2
When informed of its loss to Rusty, LM-2 responded with interpretive dance. We can only assume it is trying to express regret at missing the chance to represent the out-of-this-world crew in the finale. We'll certainly miss those sweet dance moves at the Garden of Wonders, LM-2! You'll always be a VIP with the Peanuts.
DEFEATED - Round II: Hope Diamond
Well, it was bound to happen. The Hope Diamond has other shindigs to attend to, so she's sparkling and shining her way off into the sunset! You go, Hope Diamond.
DEFEATED - Round I: George Washington's Portrait
George is a little disappointed to be out of the running, but he recognizes not everyone understands how to party with a portrait. Maybe next time he'll show up in currency form, but for now, George is off to find a different party.
DEFEATED - Round I: Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis
The Lone Eagle and his plane were gracious in defeat, having already achieved instantaneous and lifelong fame years ago.
DEFEATED - Round I: Space Shuttle Discovery
Houston, we have a problem. Discovery is bummed to be bumped from the competition, but in a later interview, admitted it was a little worried about how it would arrive. "It's not as easy for space shuttles to break out of museums. If I were a little panda, though, that would be a different story." Is that an official endorsement for Rusty, Discovery?
DEFEATED - Round I: Phoenix the Whale
Seriously, guys. You thought a whale was going to make it to a garden party? To be fair, we think something might have gotten lost in translation when we asked Dory to pass along Phoenix's response to her participation in the contest. Sorry Dory…
As for the others,
Our friends from American History wish the rest of the contestants good luck, but they have been called back to the museum to help prepare for the Fourth of July. Cheers!