Sylvester Stallone Reveals That He Has Been Caring for the Turtles From ‘Rocky’ for the Past 44 Years

If you’re a fan of the 1976 film Rocky, then you’ve seen the sequel. And the sequel after that. And all the rest of the movies in the Rocky series. On top of that, you’ve also probably seen star Sylvester Stallone’s 2018 film Creed II. Did you notice anything similar between Rocky and Creed II?

If you said the two turtles, then you’d be right! Cuff and Link, the two turtles form the original 1976 Rocky film, made it into Creed II over 40 years later.

“In CREED 2 with my original buddies from the first Rocky … CUFF and LINK, now about 44 years old!” Stallone wrote in a recently Instagram post showing off his two friends.

If you don’t know what we’re talking about, in the first Rocky, Stallone famously introduced his two turtles to his romantic interest Adrian Pennino as, “the exotic animals I was telling you about. These are my friends, Cuff and Link,” to which she replies that he had bought them from her.

Apparently Stallone has been taking care of the two turtles for the past 44 years. That’s longer than most marriages last these days!

Fans from all over were equally surprised (and thrilled) that Cuff and Link were still alive and that Stallone has been caring for them all these days.

 

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In CREED 2 with my original buddies from the first Rocky … CUFF and LINK , now about 44 years old!

A post shared by Sly Stallone (@officialslystallone) on

“Somehow it makes me feel good knowing that Cuff and Link are still alive,” someone posted on Twitter.

“Cuff and Link are still alive and this is the happiest news I’ve heard this entire year,” someone else wrote.

It’s actually not THAT shocking that Cuff and Link are still kicking. A typical pet turtle can live between 10-80 years or with larger species living over 100 years. So it sounds like these two turtles might have a lot more years left in them!

Still, it doesn’t make the fact that Stallone kept them after all these years less adorable. This is a pretty common trend for the 72-year-old actor however, as this isn’t the only time Stallone has cared for an animal from one of his films

Stallone was also the caretaker of the bull mastiff named Butkus, who made cameos in both Rocky and Rocky II.

However, he had to to sell Butkus when he was in his 20s to a stranger outside of a 7-Eleven store “because I couldn’t afford food,” he explained via Instagram back in 2017.

“Then like a modern day miracle, the screenplay for Rocky sold, and I could buy him back,” Stallone said. However, it definitely cost him. “The new owner knew I was desperate and charged me $15,000,” Stallone said. “He was worth every penny!”

You can catch Stallone in his fifth installment in the iconic franchise Rambo: Last Blood, which is scheduled for a September 20, 2019 release. Will there be some kind of animal cameo in it that he’ll keep for another 40 years? Only time will tell!

Who knew Stallone was such an animal lover? How does it make you feel that Cuff and Link are still in his care?