Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Can one little monkey, clutching onto a huge stuffed orangutan doll, bring joy to the world? Oh, Punch, we see you. And we cannot seem to look away. The little seven-month-old macaque, born in Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan was rejected by his mother. So, the zookeepers stepped in to care for the baby monkey named Punch, giving him a plush toy that he could cuddle with.

And just like that, a star was born. Sure, there may be big problems in the world. Wars, politics, crimes, make a list of what madness is in today’s news. Evidently, we are sick of it! Because we cannot resist looking at the videos of Punch’s shenanigans. Social media has practically devoted entire sites to the little monkey.

Punch is our new hero. At times, appearing lonely and bullied by other monkeys, he scampers off dragging his orangutan, jumping into the arms of his zookeeper. We are witnessing a full range of human emotions played out in front of us. Rejection. Loneliness. Fear. Comfort. Strength. Courage. Hope. “Go Punch” is the new battle cry for the millions of folks watching the saga unfold. Punch is trying. He is beginning to make new monkey friends.

After seeing Punch on Facebook being chased by a few other monkeys, one of our esteemed politicians made the announcement that, “Japan, take this as a warning. Protect Punch. Do not allow anything to happen to him! Or there could be consequences!” Yep, we’ll fight for Punch.

Six million folks watch Punch daily on social media, at times peaking at an astounding 30 million views. We can’t seem to get enough of his monkey business. The IKEA plush orangutan has sold out world-wide. Five thousand people a day line up to see Punch at the zoo (which is not equipped to handle this crowd). Flights to Japan have increased because people want to “rescue” Punch. We have all collectively gone off the deep end for one cute baby monkey.

I had a dog that we rescued from a puppy mill. She was a three-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever. We got her a white plush goat as a toy and for the rest of Molly’s life, she carried that goat around. In the house, down to the horses, in the barn, into her bed. She would sit nervously in front of the washing machine when I had to wash it and then patiently wait for it to dry. Many animals do like stuffed animals. Especially if it represents something. For Molly, it was a puppy she could never keep. For Punch, his toy is the mother who abandoned him.

Folks are showing love with their pocketbooks. Punch has been gifted over $100,000 by one donor, to provide ongoing care. An offer was made of $250,000 (refused by the zoo) to purchase Punch. And a meme coin inspired by Punch reached $13 million market capitalization.

One donation and the floodgates opened. Monkey see, monkey do. Or money see, money do. Are there better causes? Maybe. But one thing seems clear – the entire world has gone bananas over a monkey named Punch.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com