{"id":12069,"date":"2025-11-13T03:21:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T03:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=12069"},"modified":"2025-11-13T03:21:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T03:21:02","slug":"hes-not-the-man-you-see-stallones-2-exotic-pets-from-his-first-rocky-scene-are-50-years-old-the-simple-hobby-proving-his-true-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=12069","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHe\u2019s not the man you see\u201d : Stallone’s 2 exotic pets from his first Rocky scene are 50 years old\u2014The simple hobby proving his true nature"},"content":{"rendered":"

Behind the explosive action and muscle-bound persona of <\/span>Sylvester Stallone<\/span><\/b> lies a surprisingly tender, decades-long commitment to two tiny, shelled reptiles: <\/span>Cuff and Link<\/span><\/b>.<\/span> The two red-eared slider turtles<\/b> were purchased by Stallone in 1976 for the set of the original Rocky<\/b> film and have remained his personal pets for nearly 50 years<\/b>, offering a heartwarming contrast to his on-screen image as the “muscle machine.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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This simple hobby\u2014caring for two small animals for half a century\u2014proves the humble, enduring nature of the man behind the iconic roles.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\ud83c\udfac A Piece of Cinematic and Personal History<\/span><\/h3>\n

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The introduction of Cuff and Link is a quiet, iconic moment from the first film, humanizing the struggling boxer, Rocky Balboa<\/b>. Rocky tells his love interest, <\/span>Adrian (Talia Shire)<\/span><\/b>, who works at the pet store: <\/span>“These are my friends, Cuff and Link.”<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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  • Longevity Data:<\/span><\/b> Red-eared sliders are a notoriously long-lived species.<\/span> As Stallone himself has confirmed, Cuff and Link have been in his care for nearly 50 years (they were estimated to be about 44 years old when <\/span>Creed II<\/span><\/i> was filmed in 2018).<\/span> Well-kept aquatic turtles of this species can routinely live into their 40s, with some sources suggesting lifespans of <\/span>50 to 70 years<\/span><\/b> are possible, making Stallone’s commitment a monumental feat of pet ownership.<\/span><\/span>\n
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  • The Big Break Contrast:<\/b> In 1976, when Stallone purchased the turtles, he was a struggling actor and screenwriter.<\/span> He earned an initial salary of only <\/span>$35,000<\/span><\/b> for writing and starring in <\/span>Rocky<\/span><\/i> (which had a minuscule budget of approximately <\/span>$960,000<\/span><\/b>), a figure that stands in stark opposition to his current estimated net worth of <\/span>$400 million<\/span><\/b>.<\/span> His choice to keep the humble, inexpensive animals from his breakthrough film anchors him to his hard-scrabble past.<\/span>\n
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    \u2728 The Unexpected Cameo of 42 Years Later<\/span><\/h3>\n

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    The true testament to the turtles’ significance and the actor’s dedication came in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    • Creed II Reunion:<\/span><\/b> Cuff and Link made a nostalgic return to the screen in the film <\/span>Creed II<\/span><\/b>.<\/span> Stallone (who was 72 at the time) shared a photo on Instagram with his “original buddies,” confirming they were the same turtles from the 1976 film.<\/span> Their presence in the background of Rocky’s apartment served as a quiet, powerful symbol of the character’s long, continuous life and enduring innocence amidst the chaos of the boxing world.<\/span>\n
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      \ud83d\udc96 The True Heart of the Action Star<\/span><\/h3>\n

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      This simple, close-to-nature hobby offers a compelling counterpoint to his global persona, one that also links to his most famous film role:<\/span><\/p>\n

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      • Butkus the Dog:<\/b> Stallone\u2019s fierce loyalty to his animals is also tied to his bullmastiff, <\/span>Butkus<\/span><\/b>, who appeared in the first two <\/span>Rocky<\/span><\/i> films.<\/span> During a period of extreme poverty before Rocky<\/i>‘s success, Stallone was agonizingly forced to sell Butkus. After the script was bought, he famously bought the dog back from the new owner for the immense sum of <\/span>$15,000<\/span><\/b> (a substantial portion of his initial salary), illustrating a profound and enduring loyalty to his companions.<\/span><\/span>\n
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        Cuff and Link are not merely pets; they are living relics, chronicling the actor’s journey from a struggling writer to a global icon, proving that the man who created the “Italian Stallion” carries a heart brave enough to care for the simplest creatures.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Behind the explosive action and muscle-bound persona of Sylvester Stallone lies a surprisingly tender, decades-long commitment to two tiny, shelled reptiles: Cuff and Link. The two red-eared slider turtles were purchased by Stallone in 1976 for the set of the original Rocky film and have remained his personal pets for nearly 50 years, offering a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12069\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}