IKEA donates plush toys to viral baby monkey Punch

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The president of IKEA Japan recently visited Ichikawa City Zoo after hearing the heartwarming story of Punch, a baby monkey who finds comfort with a stuffed animal since being separated from his mother.

After seeing Punch, the orangutan, become a popular sensation on Japanese TV and social media, Petra Fare, head of IKEA Japan and its sustainability efforts, paid a visit to Ichikawa City Zoo on February 17th.

After being abandoned by his mother soon after birth, Punch the orangutan needed extra care from zookeepers. A soft, stuffed orangutan has become a major source of comfort for him as he grows up.

So, this whole thing started with this super popular IKEA orangutan, everyone calls him “Oran Mama.” Apparently, the original one was getting pretty worn out, so IKEA was awesome enough to donate a bunch of new ones – and even some extra plushies – when we visited! It was really cool of them.

Viral baby monkey now has more IKEA plushies

IKEA Japan has given the Japanese macaque, ‘Punch,’ at our city zoo and botanical garden some of its popular stuffed animals and other items to play with, according to a post on Ichikawa’s official X account.

We hope the plush toys continue to help Punch feel comfortable and settle in with the group. Let’s all work together to support him during this adjustment.

Following the donation, Ichikawa City Mayor Ko Tanaka posted an update on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.

You know, there’s this little monkey, Punch-kun, who’s become a real star! He’s been doing so well on his own, and people just love him. It’s gotten to the point where whenever I see him with his favorite stuffed animal – which he clearly sees as his mom – everyone starts shouting ‘Ganbare Punch-kun!’ to cheer him on. It’s really heartwarming to see.

IKEA Japan has generously donated some familiar plush toys carried by Punch, a Japanese macaque at our city’s zoo! We hope these new comfort items will help him continue to adjust and feel more at home with the troop. Let’s all keep cheering him on! 💖

— 市川市 (@ichikawa_shi) February 18, 2026

The president of the stuffed animal company visited Ichikawa Zoo and Botanical Garden today, bringing a large collection of toys with them.

Punch is slowly improving, and the zoo has shared videos of him starting to get closer to and interact with other monkeys.

We hope these new plushies will help Punch feel better as he searches for his family. Stay strong, Punch!

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2026-02-18 13:49