Ikea Spotlights Viral 'Lonely Monkey' Punch's Stuffed Animal Given As 'Surrogate Mother'—And We're Sobbing

No one is immune from loneliness, and all of us have our own ways of coping with it.

And, as it turns out, this includes monkeys.

A baby macaque monkey in Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan named Panchi-kun, but known to a wider audience as simply "Punch," has stolen the hearts of the internet thanks to a viral video of the adorable creature hugging a stuffed orangutan.

According to the post on X (formerly Twitter) by user @Rainmaker1973, Punch was abandoned by his mother, and was instead raised by the zoo keepers, who had the doll readily available for Punch to embrace in lieu of a mother's hugs.

The tender moment had X users clutching their hearts, and reaching for their tissues:

Included among those who were touched by Punch and his stuffed friend was Ikea Hong Kong.

And the Hong Kong location of the housewares giant also saw a brilliant marking opportunity, as they would later share on their Instagram page:

The post included a picture of two stuffed monkeys, a chimpanzee and an orangutan, with the chimpanzee embracing the orangutan in the same sweet way Punch embraced his stuffed toy.

Ikea took advantage of the fact that countless people were probably eager to take Punch home and squeeze him just like he was squeezing his toy.

The said in the caption:

"You can't adopt Panchi: he's already part of the zoo."

"Buy this IKEA one instead, and you won't even have to help catch fleas."

Another post from Ikea pushing the sale of the stuffed primates also made the rounds on X, this time showing the two plush monkeys superimposed into a wildlife setting.

The caption read, "Sometimes, family is who we find along the way."

Many applauded Ikea for their swift marketing strategy, with some finding the advertisement almost as touching as the first viral video:

Not everyone was quite as moved or impressed by the ad, with some finding it a shameless cash grab on Ikea's part, and others wondering if they were donating some of the profits to benefit Punch or other abandoned animals:

Indeed, those who were annoyed by Ikea's marketing might have found themselves even more upset when subsequent news of Punch came to light.

Shortly after his connection to his stuffed animal went viral, Punch reportedly started bonding with living monkeys in his enclosure:

His happy connections proved to be short lived, as another viral video saw Punch being dragged about by a larger monkey within his enclosure, resulting in his once again finding solace with his stuffed friend:

Viewers of this video, particularly Punch's growing fanbase, were alarmed and saddened by this new development, with many demanding Punch be given his own enclosure:

Following the concerned reactions to the video, Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Gardens eventually released a statement clarifying the situation:

“The adult monkey that dragged Punch is probably the mother of the monkey with whom Punch tried to community.”

“She probably felt that her baby was annoyed by Punch and got upset, expressing, ‘don’t be mean.’”

Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Gardens went on to say that despite how serious the incident looked in the video, Punch seemed like his normal self at feeding time, showing “resilience and mental strength.”

Thankfully, things seemed to end happily for Punch, as a later viral video showed the adorable monkey seeming to at last find a new, adoptive mother:

Monkeys are just like us, in that sometimes all we need is a warm embrace. It's wonderful that Punch seems to have finally found a mother figure who can give him just that.

But when that isn't an option, it's also good to know he has another, immediate source of comfort.