Monkey Day facts for kids

Monkey Day is a fun, unofficial international holiday celebrated every year on December 14. It was started in 2000 by two art students, Casey Sorrow and Eric Millikin, at Michigan State University. This special day celebrates all kinds of monkeys and other amazing non-human primates. This includes apes, tarsiers, and lemurs. People all over the world celebrate Monkey Day. It is also known as World Monkey Day or International Monkey Day.

The Start of Monkey Day

Monkey Day began in 2000 with artists Casey Sorrow and Eric Millikin. They were art students at Michigan State University at the time. Casey jokingly wrote "Monkey Day" on a friend's calendar. Then, they and other art students decided to celebrate it. They made monkey artwork, wore monkey costumes, and even acted like monkeys!

The holiday became more popular each year. Casey and Eric included Monkey Day in their art and online comics. Other artists also joined in. Now, Monkey Day is celebrated in many countries. These include the United States, Canada, Italy, India, and the United Kingdom.

Even big companies like Hallmark Cards say Monkey Day is a time when "monkey business is actually encouraged." The Washington Post newspaper suggests it's a day to "learn something about these adorable and highly intelligent primates."

Many groups that care about animals and the environment love Monkey Day. Famous supporters include Jane Goodall, Greenpeace, and National Geographic. Big art museums like the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art also support it.

How People Celebrate Monkey Day

People celebrate Monkey Day in many different and exciting ways around the world.

Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Fun

Many zoos and animal sanctuaries hold special events for Monkey Day.

• The Lahore Zoo in Pakistan has art contests and teaches about monkeys. Children wear monkey masks and learn about monkey evolution.
• The Tallinn Zoo in Estonia auctions art made by chimpanzees. They also do intelligence tests with Japanese macaques.
• The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in India teaches kids about wildlife. They encourage people to "adopt" monkeys.
• The Faruk Yalçın Zoo in Turkey highlights why monkey populations are shrinking.
• The Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland tells monkey stories to raise awareness about dangers to primates.
• In Colombia, the Primatological Association has celebrated Monkey Day since 2009.
• The National Zoo & Aquarium in Australia has activities and talks. They raise money to help endangered species like Cotton-top Tamarins.
• The Zoo Debrecen in Hungary lets visitors share meals with tufted capuchins and mantled guerezas.

Monkey Art and Exhibitions

Artists like Casey Sorrow and Eric Millikin create special monkey-themed art and comics for the day.

• In 2012, Eric Millikin made paintings called The 12 Stars of Monkey Day. These were inspired by the brave space monkeys who helped humans explore space.
• In 2013, Eric sent Monkey Day cards to famous people, including Koko the sign-language gorilla and President Barack Obama.
• Since 2016, Eric has created Danger Beast street art. These are portraits of endangered animals made from endangered plants. One famous piece was of Harambe the gorilla made from Venus flytraps.

Casey Sorrow also keeps a "Monkeys in the News" blog. He shares stories about monkeys, like monkey science or rescue efforts. Every Monkey Day, he lists the top monkey news from the past year.

Helping Monkeys Through Fundraising

Many Monkey Day celebrations help raise money for primate causes.

• In 2008, an art show and auction helped the Chimps Inc. animal sanctuary. It featured art by both humans and chimps from the sanctuary.
• The Biddle Gallery in Detroit had an art sale with a free banana for each purchase!
• In 2013, the International Primate Protection League offered drawing classes. People could learn to draw Gary the gibbon to help raise money.
• Greenpeace says Monkey Day is a great time to "swing into action" and protect monkey homes.

Monkey Day Parties

People often have costume parties to celebrate. These parties also help bring attention to important topics about primates. These topics include medical research, animal rights, and evolution.

• There are often contests for the best monkey costumes.
• People might compete to act like a monkey the longest or do the funniest monkey impression.
• Some people enjoy speed knitting monkey dolls.
• Other fun activities include shopping for Paul Frank "Julius the Monkey" items or eating Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream.
• Sometimes, if a monkey causes a funny bit of trouble, like driving a stolen bus, people joke that the monkey is celebrating Monkey Day!

Movies and Music About Monkeys

Films and songs about monkeys are popular during Monkey Day events.

• The movie King Kong was released on the fifth anniversary of Monkey Day in 2005.
• For Monkey Day 2014, the creators of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb released a short video starring Crystal the Monkey.
• Popular films like King Kong and Planet of the Apes movies are often watched.
• monkey Kung Fu films like Lady Iron Monkey are also enjoyed.
• Monkey-themed songs, such as Major Lance's "The Monkey Time" and The Rolling Stones' "Monkey Man", are part of the festivities.

See also

• International Primate Day