subject of numerous songs, including "Carve dat Possum," a minstrel song written in 1875 by Sam Lucas. Although it is widely distributed in the United States, the Virginia opossum's appearance in folklore and popularity as a food item has tied it closely to the American Southeast. In animation, it is often used to depict uncivilized characters or "hillbillies". Not surprisingly, then, the Virginia opossum is featured in several episodes of the hit TV show The Beverly Hillbillies, such as the "Possum Day" episode in 1965. The title character in Walt Kelly's long-running comic strip Pogo was an opossum. In an attempt to create another icon like the teddy bear, President William Howard Taft was tied to the character Billy Possum. The character did not do well, as public perception of the opossum led to its downfall. In December 2010, a cross-eyed Virginia opossum in Germany's Leipzig Zoo named Heidi became an international celebrity. She appeared on a TV talk show to predict the 2011 Oscar winners, similar to the World Cup predictions made previously by Paul the Octopus, also in Germany. The Perelman Building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, an annex of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was formerly the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company Building. Built in the late 1920s its facade is decorated with polychrome sculptures of animals symbolizing various attributes of insurance, including a possum to represent "protection." References External links The National Opossum Society Opossum Society of the United States Virginia Marsupials of Central America Marsupials of North America Mammals of Canada Mammals of the United States Mammals of Mexico Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Virginia opossum Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Fauna of the Great Plains Virginia opossum Virginia opossum Mammals described in 1792 Articles containing video clips Fauna of the Northeastern United States Symbols of North Carolina