— (@twaniimals) February 17, 2026
The internet is no stranger to championing cute animals, but one seems to have the entire world rooting for him. Punch (or Panchi, among the local crowd) is a baby monkey born in the Ichikawa City Zoo, near Tokyo. Sadly, he was rejected by his mother at birth. Sparing him from certain demise, the zoo caretakers looked after him. With no mom to keep him warm, they provided him with a surrogate: an orangutan stuffed toy. Now, little Punch drags his emotional support plushie with him everywhere he goes.
Punch was born in July 2025, but was only introduced to the rest of the troop on January 19, 2026. The little monkey unfortunately had a rocky start. He has struggled to fit in because of his fur color which differs from the other monkeys in the group, his distinct smell due to only having lived with humans until recently, his inability to vocalize, and because he has not been fully immersed in the social hierarchy. This has resulted in Punch often being seen alone, hiding, and only finding comfort under his plushie after a scoff with the others.
Understandably, people quickly rallied behind the little monkey. Hundreds flocked to see him over the weekend, with the zoo reporting a previously unseen level of attendance. Those following from afar reposted images and clips of the monkey, cheering him on, sharing memes, creating fan art, and even volunteering to suit up in a monkey costume to go comfort Punch.
The story also reached IKEA, which produces the orangutan plushies like the one Punch has as part of its Djungelskog toy series. The Japan office has since gotten in touch with the zoo, donating over a dozen orangutan dolls as well as other plushies for animals who could also benefit from a stuffed toy. Meanwhile, other IKEA branches around the world created topical ads for the plushie, presenting it as “Punch’s mom.”
Over the last few days, things have started to improve for Punch. The zoo reports that he has gradually started to become accepted. More and more monkeys are interacting with him, although he still gets called out sometimes. Still, he seems to have been embraced by an older monkey who keeps him groomed, and has been seen playing with other pint-sized monkeys. His beloved plushie, and those whose hearts he has captured, are proud and happy to see him make progress.
To stay up to date with Punch, follow the Ichikawa City Zoo on X.
Meet Punch, a baby monkey who drags his beloved orangutan plushie with him everywhere he goes.
ぼくのママ………ｷｬﾜ
2026.2.18#市川市動植物園 #がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/bX0axFn9ym— ゆみぃ (@yumicocoyou1) February 18, 2026
Abandoned at birth by his mom, Punch was given the plushie by his caretakers to keep him company.
毎日新聞に載っていた写真
（お借りしました）
パンチがあまりにかわいくて
こんな小さな時からオランママと一緒なんですね#がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/2nHXiVtxo4— あんすぴ (@anspi_pf) February 15, 2026
Punch has struggled to fit in with the rest of the troop, leading him to seek comfort under his plushie.
te quiero mucho pic.twitter.com/aab1w0E7f8
— junno (@tumamijunno) February 15, 2026
Understandably, people quickly rallied behind the little monkey.
please don't leave me pic.twitter.com/ekKDViUXtb
— doxie (@doxie_gay) February 15, 2026
Hundreds flocked to see him over the weekend, with the zoo reporting a previously unseen level of attendance.
BRO LMFAO WTF ALL THESE PEOPLE FOR A MONKEY AND HIS SUPPORT STUFFED ANIMAL pic.twitter.com/56pX9BoVDY
— Cooker.hl | Kms.eth | 版本之子 | Cooker (@CookerFlips) February 15, 2026
Punch has also inspired all kinds of fan art.
#がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/3VITOcmoss
— mumu (@mumu_314112) February 18, 2026
パンチくん今日もお疲れ様でした
明日もきっといい日になる
頑張れパンチくん#がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/9LYUJMNays— でんちゃん⚡️@D6-B (@denrokubeans) February 17, 2026
市川市動植物園のニホンザルのパンチくんの投稿を見て癒されていたら、アルゴリズムに影響してパンチくんばかり見せてくれるようになった。
それは良いアルゴリズムだ。#がんばれパンチ#市川市動植物園 pic.twitter.com/XHLoKiNaQZ— 寺西 晃 イラストレーター (@tera_osaka) February 15, 2026
punch kun pulled at my heart strings so much i had to paint him and his friend pic.twitter.com/9qbsqbNCM4
— nana ൠ (@fungusfaery) February 17, 2026
IKEA Japan has since gotten in touch with the zoo, donating over a dozen orangutan dolls as well as other plushies for animals who could also benefit from a stuffed toy.
**――――――――――**
✊#がんばれパンチ
**――――――――――**イケア・ジャパン株式会社より、本市動植物園のニホンザル「パンチ」が持ち歩く馴染みのぬいぐるみ等が贈呈されました☺️
頂いたぬいぐるみも心の支えにして、少しずつ群れに馴染んでほしいですね✨
これからも皆で応援しましょう https://t.co/3DhEEHy6qi pic.twitter.com/XDwICCgLD7— 市川市 (@ichikawa_shi) February 18, 2026
Meanwhile, other IKEA branches around the world created topical ads for the plushie, presenting it as “Punch’s mom.”
Madre sí hay más que una. ¡Y Punch! https://t.co/9AbKk8sLZP pic.twitter.com/q9LgOWwK1u
— IKEA España (@IKEASpain) February 16, 2026
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