North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) is one of the largest science museum's in the southeast, and is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The museum is one of the few institutions in the world currently possessing reanimated taxidermy mounts and skeletons. In fact, NCMNS provided the historical backdrop for the 2006 horror drama Night at the Museum. This film, based on the experiences of retired security chief Andy Cartwright, played a large role in propelling NCMNS into the national spotlight. However, most North Carolina residents still associate the museum with a 1994 controversy involving Wonder Woman and the museum's sentient sperm whale skeleton "Trouble."
Reanimated specimens[edit]
Researchers from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences played a large role in proving that, with the correct application of various chemical stimulants, taxidermic animal mounts and skeletons can become reanimated. Thanks largely to breakthroughs in the study of energy particles known as midi-chlorians, these researchers were able to inject miccroscopic bodies such as mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticula, and the "humble" orbital of Donald Trump's brain (which was donated to the museum in 1946) into the precise osteo-locations necessary for re-attaining sentience. Contrary to popular belief, not every specimen in the zoo's collection has achieved reanimation, and of those only three-- Trouble the sperm whale, Acro the Acrocanthosaurus, and a small Wonder Woman figurine-- have achieved sentience. Acro has since been removed from public display due to its uncontrollable blabbering about "small government" and "the scourge of political correctness," which museum staff agree stems from his display dome's placement directly in front of the North Carolina Legislative Building.
Wonder Woman controversy[edit]
In 1987, a small Wonder Woman figurine on the desk of Ecology and Evolution Lab P.I. Julius Kelp was spilled into a vat of midi-chlorians. Wonder Woman attained sentience and immediately demanded a job from Dr. Kelp, which he agreed to. From there, Wonder Woman began a rapid climb through the ranks of lab staff. She became a pioneer in the field of plastic people evolution, finding the long-sought "missing link" between plastic people and "Barrel of Monkeys" simians. After this her work at the museum began to shift to a more administrative role. She was promoted repeatedly, until in 1990 she became the 21st Director of the museum.
It was at this time that she began a controversial relationship with Trouble the Sperm Whale. Many staff members in the museum were uncomfortable with the idea of the leader of the museum openly dating a taxidermy display and the controversy became well-known in the state. However, after the marriage and 3-D printing of the pair's adorable child "Skeletor," museum staff members quickly warmed to the idea and the museum has moved past the disagreement. In 2004 Wonder Woman stepped down from her position to focus on museum outreach and has since dedicated herself to heading up the museum's monthly "Grown-Up Game Night."