A baby Japanese macaque named Punch stole the internet’s heart back in February when videos showed him dragging an oversized IKEA orangutan plush everywhere he went, treating it like his only comfort after his mom ditched him. Now fresh clips from Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan have fans screaming “he found love!” and the footage is melting timelines all over again.
Punch was born July 26, 2025, at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden just outside Tokyo. His mother abandoned him right after birth, a situation keepers say can happen when moms are stressed or the baby seems weak. The whole troop rejected the tiny guy too, so zookeepers stepped in, bottle-feeding him around the clock. To help him feel safe and practice the natural clinging babies need, they handed him the bright-orange DJUNGELSKOG orangutan plush from IKEA. He latched on instantly.
“Punch immediately bonded with it intensely, carrying it everywhere, hugging it for comfort, grooming it, and even defending it,”
zoo staff explained in updates that exploded online.
A tweet from X.
By early February 2026 the videos racked up tens of millions views on TikTok, Instagram and X. IKEA Japan’s president personally visited the zoo and donated extra plushies after the original started getting worn out. The toy sold out in stores worldwide, resale prices skyrocketed on eBay, and fans everywhere started chanting “Ganbare Punch-kun!” Japanese for “Hang in there, little Punch!”
Fast-forward to mid-March 2026 and the story just got a whole lot sweeter. New visitor videos show Punch, now about eight months old, playing, grooming and getting piggyback rides from older monkeys in the troop. He’s even been spotted cuddling and chasing around with a slightly older female macaque named Moe (or Momo-chan). The pair sit side-by-side, share playful “kisses,” and she tugs his tail while he wraps his arms around her. She looks a lot like his old plush “mom,” which fans are calling the cutest detail ever.
Zoo director Shigekazu Mizushina told reporters the little guy is gaining confidence every day and slowly outgrowing the toy. Zookeeper Kosuke Shikano added that Punch still keeps the plush nearby during new interactions but clearly feels more secure with real troop members now.
Studies in the Journal of Comparative Psychology show surrogate objects like Punch’s plush can cut stress hormones such as cortisol by up to 40% in orphaned macaques. That science explains why the toy worked so well and why real friendships now help him thrive even more.
The internet is losing it. #PunchTheMonkey and #GanbarePunch-kun are trending again. Zoo visitor numbers have doubled, turning the place into a pilgrimage spot. Some early clips of older monkeys scolding Punch sparked animal-welfare worries and “bullying” accusations, but keepers made clear on X that it’s standard hierarchy learning they even temporarily moved a couple of pushy adults to keep things calm. Critics have mostly gone quiet now that the happy updates keep rolling in.
Punch’s journey isn’t a Disney ending; it’s real primate resilience in action. From lonely orphan clutching a stuffed toy to a young macaque earning his spot in the troop, this little guy keeps proving that with patience and the right support, even the toughest starts can turn around. Keep an eye on Ichikawa City Zoo Punch-kun still has a lot of growing up (and probably more viral moments) ahead.
