Punch was born in July 2025 at Ichikawa Zoo, on the outskirts of Tokyo. After being rejected by his mother shortly after birth, the zoo’s caretakers came up with a solution. A stuffed orangutan toy from IKEA.
Images of the infant quickly went viral, showing him carrying the stuffed toy around and clinging to it after being pushed away by his mother and harassed by other monkeys in his enclosure. The many videos, which have deeply moved viewers, have been watched millions of times.
While Punch has won the hearts of netizens and drawn crowds of visitors eager to see him, the animal‑rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has criticised the zoo, accusing it of failing to improve his situation in order to profit from his distress.
In an unexpected twist, Punch’s sad story has turned into a commercial success for Swedish furniture giant IKEA, with his stuffed orangutan companion selling out across Japan, South Korea and parts of the United States.
As Punch’s superstar status continues to rise among humans – entirely without his knowledge – he has also begun to find support from his fellow primates. According to animal caretakers at Ichikawa Zoo, the young orangutan is now gradually being reintegrated into the macaque group, suggesting his story may yet be heading toward a happy ending.
