IKEA’s plush orangutan becomes brand hero
By Staff on Thursday, February 19, 2026
When a rejected baby macaque found solace in an IKEA soft toy, the internet turned a tender zoo moment into a global brand story.
Punch, a six month old Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba, was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth and struggled to bond with the rest of his troop.
他のお猿さん達が騒ぎ始めて怖くなって、オランママと一緒に穴に逃げ込もうとするパンチ君…何とかオランママも中に入れてあげようと懸命に引っ張る姿が健気🥺#市川市動植物園 #がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/8dW3o8oIAH
— まーーらぶ (@MaAlov2) February 14, 2026
Hand reared by keepers, he still lacked the physical reassurance young primates instinctively seek.
The solution came not from specialist equipment but from the toy aisle.
Enter DJUNGELSKOG Soft Toy Orangutan from IKEA. With Velcro-fastened arms and a size close to an adult female macaque, the $19.99 plush became Punch’s surrogate.
IKEA Spain responded, repurposing Punch’s image in a catalog-style layout and confirming online that the toy was theirs.
IKEA Hong Kong joined in too
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and IKEA Netherlands
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Videos of him clinging to the toy, dragging it around his enclosure and curling up to sleep quickly went viral on X.
Visitor numbers at the zoo surged, with staff admitting they were “greatly surprised by the unprecedented and unexpected crowds.”
