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I’ve been thinking a lot about Punch — the tiny Japanese macaque who’s become the internet’s newest emotional barometer.
Maybe you’ve seen the videos: this small, scrappy baby monkey who was cast aside at birth, then handed a rust-orange IKEA orangutan that became his entire sense of safety.
He drags it around. He sleeps on it. He buries his face in it when the world feels unfriendly. And millions of us are… weirdly invested and looking for our own $20 cuddly cohort.
IKEA DJUNGELSKOG Plush Orangutan Toy
$20
Available at IKEA, but not for long, given all the attention this guy’s been getting courtesy of his real-life pal, Punch.
I get why, too. I’m a mom of three kids ages nine and under, with my fourth due in July — the same month Punch came into the world last year. I’ve spent nearly a decade watching small humans cling to whatever makes them feel held: a blanket, a stuffed sloth, a dinosaur whose neck has been chewed beyond recognition. Kids don’t overthink comfort. They seek it. They claim it. They love boldly.
Punch reminds us that maybe adults need that, too.
And that’s why I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the now-viral orangutan plush. At 14 inches tall (just a few inches shorter than a female macaque monkey), he’s not big or fancy or high-tech. He’s just soft. Huggable. Able to cling to a bedpost or backpack with those Velcro hands and feet. There’s even a mini version for $7!
He’s the kind of thing you tuck in the corner of a room and forget about — until the day you sit on the edge of your bed feeling overwhelmed, and suddenly realize you’re not above grabbing the orangutan for a quiet reset.
There’s something universal about wanting a companion who doesn’t talk back, doesn’t glitch, doesn’t judge and doesn’t need charging. A presence that’s steady, silly, gentle, and always exactly where you left it.
Punch found that in an orange IKEA orangutan.
Which is probably why DJUNGELSKOG (the Swedish word for ‘jungle forest,’ IKEA’s bestselling line of wildlife plushies) is quietly taking over grown-up bedrooms, office chairs and dorm rooms. Not because adults need stuffed animals, but because everyone needs an uncomplicated source of comfort within arm’s reach.
And right now, an orange orangutan seems to be the one doing the job.
