After a week-long public vote drawing over 18,000 visitors, National Museum Cardiff has confirmed the winning name for its beloved mammoth display: Tom Bones. The woolly giant, a popular fixture in the Museum’s main hall for the last eight months, is now ready to greet visitors by his new name.
The winning name, Tom Bones, ultimately triumphed over the two other popular shortlisted names, Macsen and Morus. The name is a playful nod to both the mammoth’s skeletal nature and the beloved Welsh musical legend, Sir Tom Jones. Mammoths like Tom once grazed the “green green grass of home,” and despite being discovered over the border in Shropshire, the name suggests that the creature has now declared, “I’m coming home,” echoing the famous 1967 Sir Tom Jones hit.
While the final three names proved popular, the public also submitted numerous imaginative, and often humorous, suggestions that did not make the final shortlist, including: Bendigeidfran, Merlin the Mammoth, Tusks, BFM (Big Friendly Mammoth), Sir Tusk-A-lot, and, of course, Mammoth McMammoth Face.
Mared Maggs, Head of National Museum Cardiff, expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming participation: “We are delighted to finally be able to give our newest resident a name. It was hard whittling the entries down to three, but I’m delighted our campaign managed to capture public imagination and the name was ultimately chosen by our visitors. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who submitted suggestions and visited the museum during half term to cast their votes,” she said.
As the weather turns colder this winter, National Museum Cardiff offers a warm and fascinating day out. We invite you to step inside and capture a memorable photo with Wales’s newest, boniest celebrity, Tom Bones.
The Museum’s public engagements programme, including the display of Tom Bones and the current Hip Hop: A Welsh Story exhibition, is made possible thanks to players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
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