A seven-month-old macaque named Punch became an online star last week after a video from Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan showed him clinging to a stuffed orangutan toy.
The clip, shared widely on social media, showed the baby monkey holding the toy tightly after being pulled around by an older monkey in the zoo’s troop.
Punch was abandoned shortly after birth and is being cared for by zoo keepers. To help him feel safe and comforted, they gave him a soft orangutan toy called Djungelskog from IKEA. In the video, the small monkey can be seen hugging the toy closely, which touched the hearts of many viewers.
Some people watching the video worried that Punch might be lonely or hurt. However, the zoo explained that the older monkey’s behaviour is known as “scolding”, which is a normal way adult monkeys teach younger ones how to behave. Keepers also said Punch was not injured and has since been playing and interacting normally with the rest of the group.
As the video spread, more visitors came to see Punch at the zoo. At the same time, many people rushed to buy the same orangutan toy online. The £19.99 toy quickly sold out in several countries, including the United States, Japan and South Korea.
The toy has even appeared on resale websites, where some have been sold for as much as £100. In a cheerful social media post, IKEA wrote that “we’re all Punch’s family now,” celebrating the baby monkey who turned a simple stuffed toy into a worldwide favourite.
