After lonely baby monkey goes viral, his Ikea comfort toy sells out

What s it like to have millions of fans but struggle to make friends? ForPunch, a 7 month old macaque, fame and loneliness have collided, leaving t...

What’s it like to have millions of fans but struggle to make friends?

For Punch, a 7-month-old macaque, fame and loneliness have collided, leaving the world watching as he clings to a stuffed orangutan toy from Ikea.

Punch was abandoned shortly after birth and raised by the staff at the Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo. Baby monkeys often clutch their mothers for comfort and security, so the staff gave Punch a surrogate. He carries the toy around with him and runs back to it for comfort when scolded or rejected by other monkeys, according to a statement on X from the zoo.

The zoo and botanical garden has been posting regularly about Punch’s progress as he tries to integrate with the other macaques after moving in with them last month at the zoo’s "Monkey Mountain.” The baby monkey now has masses of dedicated human fans around the world cheering him on - though he’s still learning how to socialize with his own species.

Videos have gone viral showing Punch looking lonesome and snuggling with his soft toy, or approaching other monkeys in the enclosure with varying degrees of success. Some videos show Punch being outright rejected by the group of primates, or even seemingly bullied.