Everyone has no doubt seen the IKEA monkey this past week — a Rhesus Macaque monkey that got his identifiable title by simply choosing to wander around an IKEA parking lot with his favorite shearling coat. He caused such a ruckus I don't even think he made it inside the store to do his Christmas shopping. Given his obvious sense of style and eye for design, some of the items on this inspiration board were no doubt on his shopping list.
Move over Paddington Bear. There's a new mammal in town making waves with his choice of winter apparel, and his name is Darwin! Surely a look this fabulous extends beyond clothing. I'm betting the place where Darwin, the IKEA monkey, sends his tweets and writes his upcoming blog is just as warm and lovable. New trends don't scare Darwin so there are more than a couple items from IKEA's newest PS collection including a couple glass door cabinets that make almost as big a statement as himself. His love for textures and muted hues also shows itself in his choice for chair color, and a soft high pile rug he can use to keep his toes warm during those cold winter days in Toronto.
1. IKEA PS pendant lamp
2. IKEA PS Glass Door Cabinets (two shown)
3. IKEA VAGGIS Noticeboard
4. IKEA MALKOLM office chair
5. IKEA PS Extendable Table
6. IKEA FLOKATI rug
This little monkey story has a happy ending - he's found a new home at a sanctuary. Click through to Jezebel for more details.
(Images: (As linked, Darwin from O Canada, board by Chris Perez)
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The poor monkey.
People should really stop using him as a symbol of consuming.
Here in Toronto we're quite sad about Darwin (the Ikea monkey). He's only a 6 month old baby was accustomed to being treated like a human child. He was extremely attached to his human owner. He was taken from her and is now in a 'sanctuary' that seems to consist of him being in a cage and taught to 'act like a monkey'. It was illegal for him to be kept as a pet, but he's the one suffering now. The news reports described him as being in shock. I see that it might be funny to most of the world, but here in Toronto we're pretty sad about it.
@JasmineIsDomestic - It's not a cage at all, nor is it a zoo. It's a habitat where monkeys rescued from labs or other situations just like this one can live with other monkeys and be taken care of by people who aren't going to dress them up and pretend they're people, because they aren't. He's adorable now, but he gets bigger and stronger and will never be permanently domesticated no matter how much time he spends with people. He's much, much better off being at the primate sanctuary. I hate the exotic animal trade; tigers, monkeys, bears, etc. are not pets. They might be cute when they're small, but they get bigger and they can do a lot of damage. They're wild animals.
@Pi - I agree with you about the exotic animal trade, dressing animals up and treating them as humans, etc. And maybe the news here wasn't reporting his situation accurately, but it was sad to see photos of him in a cage (I think he was placed there first, in the city) and the fact that he was distressed at all at having been removed from the home he knew is sad. It's not his fault, it's the fault of the woman who thought it was okay to keep him as a pet. The entire situation is upsetting. I just hope he doesn't miss his old life. I did notice that his twitter account includes information about making donations to the sanctuary for its upkeep. That's good.
@JasmineIsDomestic - That isn't actually the former owner's twitter account.The internet populace created the IKEAMonkey twitter account as a meme.
We in Toronto are on your radar more and more eh Apartment Therapy? When have you ever seen a monkey in your IKEA? Seriously though, poor monkey probably was dressed in a coat because his family left him in a cold car and he wandered in to find warmth. It can get really cold here. ;/ Poor baby. And now he's been taken away - and disrupted from the home he knows because it's illegal to have a monkey here. ;/ I hope the poor baby will have some stability soon. Love the inspiration board though.
I didn't know they put him in a sanctuary?! ;/ Oh NO! My heart breaks for him, that's just not OK. God...sigh. ;/
Why is it okay for him to be with people (not a natural environment but forced to be his norm) but awful for him to be at a primate sanctuary where he can be with other monkeys? He's not being euthanized or anything. He can't be released into the wild because some selfish moron bred him to be someone's pet and some other selfish moron bought him.
Thank goodness he is now going to be treated as a monkey and not a human. He may have a chance now to develop a relatively normal monkey mind. The site of him in that stupid coat was disturbing to say the least.
Am I glad he's in a sanctuary now? Yes.
Are the photos of him running around in that coat hilarious? I'd answer, but I'm too busy snorting into my coffee.
I will never outgrow animals-in-clothes humor.
Move over IKEA Monkey, bring on the dog(s) with gift: http://www.picslap.com/sites/default/files/field/image/dogcostume.jpg
Glad we missed this one down here. Gross.
I watched a special about people who adopt monkeys and how most eventually lose it and lash out being only with humans. The special showed how when they were turned over to a sanctuary they were much happier being with other monkeys. And when the delusional idiots that adopted the one as a pet went to visit after turning him over, the monkey didn't even come close to them. I wish it could be shown to anyone who thinks monkeys would make a good pet. They do not. They are wild animals.
Seriously, people are lamenting over the fact that this animal was taken away from the irresponsible owner and put in an animal sanctuary? Learn a little more about what real animal welfare is, please. Primates should never be pets, ever.
I question why AT has posted this? To generate high volume comments I would assume.
@Deborah Day, probably. But I can't help it. The bizareness of the situation was flat out hilarious but I'm glad the monkey is in a sanctuary now and the lady won't be getting him back. Hopefully she will be barred from getting any more animals.
@Pi - I know that the twitter account is a meme. My point is that while most of the world is laughing at this 'Monkey in Ikea' thing, including the creators of the meme, at least they had the sense to include information about how to donate to the sanctuary.
To everyone else - I don't think anyone is angry that Darwin was moved to a sanctuary. I do think that here in Toronto, where we have been getting daily updates about the situation, is angry that this happened at all. He should NOT have been a 'pet' in the first place, but he's an animal. He doesn't know what's going on. And yet he has the intelligence and emotional range to feel sad, lonely, and miss the home that he knew. It's just a terrible situation all around. I really hate when stories like this become memes and media jokes without people being made to understand the horrible story behind it. Darwin is a living being with feelings. Let's not use this for fun.
Yeah, it's easy to quip about the IKEA monkey, but it's actually quite a tragic situation.
The owner was just interviewed on the radio about how she came to acquire Darwin, and it's awful. He was taken from his mother at only 6 weeks of age to supply the exotic pet trade. I hope that the sanctuary will let him have a happy monkey life.
(The sanctuary is hoping to pair him with a maternal baboon... http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/1551443--updated-darwin-s-feeling-right-at-home-in-brock )
Seriously, why not stick with a dog or cat? Each year, some 8 million dogs enter the kill shelter system; only 4 million make it out alive. For cats, the stats are even worse.
Sad, all around...
Alouette_Jolly- a sanctuary is exactly the right place for him to be. He will get the care he needs and be taken care of by people who actually know how to care for a primate and he will learn how to be a primate & not a fashion accessory or a substitute for a human baby. Primates are cute and cuddly when they are small, but they don't stay that way. Once they reach sexual maturity they generally become unmanageable- remember the chimp in Connecticut who tore off a woman's face and hands? Primates are not suitable companion animals for anyone who has not been trained as a professional. At least he is in a sanctuary and NOT in a lab somewhere.
Hey all you people still using "@" to reply to a comment: quit it. There is a reply feature on comments now. Mouse over a comment and you'll see it on the right.
AT and I thank you.
@ YoNella: Don't boss me.
I feel so badly about this little guy (girl?) being put in a situation like this. Did the monkey look adorable in it's little coat? Sure.
But the reality is that the people who owned this innocent animal should have never owned a primate to begin with. And now this little soul is probably terrified (who knows if it has ever seen another of it's own kind even before?) in a sanctuary. I hope it has a nice, long and happy life.
But you'll excuse me if I don't find it cute to make an AT post based on style around this poor wee thing.
We had one down here that had lived in residential neighborhoods for some time. Not too terribly far from Ikea ;) He was obviously someone's unwanted pet. I never understood why people find it completely OK to dump a pet wherever and whenever they feel like it.
I'm really glad to hear the update on Darwin...especially glad he has a name and is safe. I hope he lives a long happy monkey life in the sanctuary.
Why can't we just leave animals in there natural habitat? I don't even think zoo's are a good idea. Seriously. He is adorable though.
I think it's okay for something to be hilarious and also sad at the same time. Is this monkey adorable in his coat? Absolutely. Is it awful that someone would try to raise it illegally as a pet? Absolutely. I'm glad that he is going to a sanctuary where he will be properly cared for.
There is a really great story from NPR's Radio Lab about Lucy, a chimp, who was raised in a home. It's really worth a listen. http://www.radiolab.org/2010/feb/19/lucy/
I had to scroll so far to find a reasonable comment.
Shame on you apt. therapy for the incredibly poor taste displayed by the use of the poor monkey. Shameless exploitation of a traumatized monkey for commerce??? Y'all have dropped miles in estimation. Would be nice to see you post an apology.