January 2026 gave us the Nihilist Penguin. February gave us Punch the Monkey. The internet has been crying and cheering ever since. If you haven’t heard of Punch yet, you are about to fall completely in love. We at Ecopetessentials had to share this story. It is one of the most moving animal stories we have ever seen.
January 2026 started with a very different kind of viral animal moment. A 2007 clip from Werner Herzog’s documentary Encounters at the End of the World suddenly went viral. It showed a single penguin walking away from its colony. It walked toward distant mountains, towards a “void” and certain death. Nobody stopped it, as they knew if they did, he would just go back. The internet called it the Nihilist Penguin or the Lonely Penguin. It became a meme about burnout, loneliness, and choosing to walk away. Millions of people felt seen by a bird making a terrible choice alone. Then February arrived. And with it came Punch. This time, the lonely one was not walking away. He was reaching out. Desperately searching for a family after being abandoned by its mum, and still beautifully holding onto hope.
Punch-kun (Japanese: パンチくん) was born on July 26, 2025, at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. His English name is simply Punch. He was named after Monkey Punch, the mangaka who created the beloved manga Lupin the Third. He is a Japanese macaque, also called a snow monkey. These are the same monkeys you may have seen sitting in hot springs in Japan. They are social, clever, and deeply family-oriented animals. Punch is just seven months old. He weighs almost nothing. And his start in life was heartbreaking.
This is the part that will make your chest hurt. Punch’s biological mother rejected him, likely due to a difficult birth during a sweltering heatwave. She simply had no interest in raising him. Punch’s keeper Kosuke Shikano told The Guardian, “Baby Japanese macaques immediately cling on to their mother’s body after birth to build muscle strength. They also get a sense of security through holding on to something. However, because he had been abandoned, Punch had nothing to grip on to.”
From his very first breath, Punch had nothing and no one to hold. The day after he was born, he was artificially fed, drinking milk from a baby bottle. Two caretakers began hand-raising him. These two people became his whole world. They fed him, kept him warm, and gave him the love his mother could not. We at Ecopetessentials often talk about how animals need emotional bonds to thrive. Punch is proof of that in the most real way possible.
Punch needed something to hold. His body and mind were built to cling to a mother. Without her, he showed signs of deep anxiety. So, his caretakers got creative. Zookeepers experimented with substitutes, including rolled-up towels and other stuffed animals, before settling on an orange, bug-eyed orangutan sold by Swedish furniture brand IKEA. They chose it specifically because of its resemblance to a real monkey.
The toy is called the IKEA DJUNGELSKOG orangutan plushie. It costs about $20. And it changed Punch’s life. Internet users began referring to the toy as “oran-mama,” effectively turning it into a stand-in for the mother Punch never had. One particularly adorable but equally heartbreaking clip shows Punch crawling around, desperately trying to get the plushie to hug him back, much to his obvious, and very sad, lack of luck. He does not know it cannot hug him back. He just knows it is warm and orange and his. And that is enough for now.
On January 19, 2026, Punch was introduced to other macaques at the zoo’s Monkey Mountain, with around 60 monkeys. It did not go smoothly, and it broke people’s hearts online. Viral videos show him tentatively approaching older monkeys in search of love, only to be swatted away or ignored. He got rejected over and over. He would walk back to his plushie, hug it, and try again. Some videos appeared to show bullying, as Punch was seen being roughly dragged by other monkeys. The zoo acted fast and issued a statement to X. “The adult monkey that dragged Punch is probably the mother of the monkey with whom Punch tried to communicate. She probably felt that her baby was annoyed by Punch and got upset.”
The zoo reassured everyone: “No single monkey has shown serious aggression toward Punch.” And then they said something we will never forget: “While Punch is scolded, he shows resilience and mental strength. “We see the same thing in so many animals we write about at Ecopetessentials. Read more about how animals cope with stress and anxiety and what we can learn from them.
Clips of Punch have racked up tens of millions of views, some surpassing the 30-million mark on TikTok and Instagram. The hashtag #HangInTherePunch went viral worldwide. IKEA reported a noticeable increase in sales of its orangutan plush in multiple countries. The $20 toy sold out. Resellers listed it on eBay for up to $350. On February 17, IKEA Japan donated several soft toys, including additional orangutans, along with storage items to support Punch and to be used in areas for children visiting the zoo. IKEA Japan CEO Petra Färe visited the zoo that day. Even Stephen Colbert showed up holding the DJUNGELSKOG toy on his show. Punch had officially reached global icon status.
Here is where we start smiling through the tears. The zoo wrote in a post, X: “Punch is gradually deepening his interactions with the troop of monkeys!” The zoo posted its “heartfelt gratitude” to the “unprecedented and unexpected crowds” who came to see Punch. The lines outside the zoo were so long that officials had to apologize for delays. Shikano’s hope is that one day there will be a day when Punch no longer needs his toy at all. He is learning and growing. He falls down, and he gets back up every single time.
We hope Punch’s story touched your heart the way it touched ours. Stories like his remind us why animals matter so deeply and why understanding their behavior, emotions, and needs is so important. It also shows how conservation efforts must be increased, as animals, just like us, feel grief and happiness and harbor a resilient soul. If you loved this story, bookmark Ecopetessentials right now. We bring you the most heartwarming, informative, and real pet and animal stories every week. We cover behavior training tips, honest product reviews, and the science behind why animals do what they do. Save us, share us, and come back often. Because there is always another Punch out there worth rooting for, and we will always be here to tell you his story.
Also Read: Is Your Dog Vomiting Blood But Acting Normal?
➥Who is Punch the Monkey?
Punch (Panchi-kun) is a baby Japanese macaque born July 26, 2025, at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo. He went viral for clutching an IKEA orangutan plushie for comfort.
➥Why was Punch abandoned by his mother?
His mother rejected him, likely due to a stressful birth during a heatwave. She showed no interest in raising him after he was born.
➥How old is Punch the Monkey?
Punch is about seven months old as of February 2026. He was born in the summer of 2025 at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan.
➥What is the plushie that Punch carries?
It is IKEA’s DJUNGELSKOG orangutan soft toy. Zookeepers gave it to him for comfort and muscle development. Fans call it “oran-mama.”
➥Is Punch the Monkey being bullied by other monkeys?
Some videos worried fans online. The zoo clarified that the interactions are normal macaque social behavior. No serious aggression has occurred.
Maya Fields is passionate about animals and saving the earth. She writes to help pet owners make smart choices with proper Care & Products! From healthy treats to earth-safe toys, she believes every pet deserves love and care. Maya wants everyone to enjoy life with pets by choosing the right products.
