What is this thing called Monkey Day?
Monkey Day is an annual celebration of all things simian, a festival of primates, a chance to scream like a monkey and throw feces at whomever you choose. Or perhaps just a reason to hang out with your friends while grunting and picking fleas off each other.
(note: for legal reasons, the publishers of the Monkey Day website in no way endorse throwing feces in any manner at any time.)
When is Monkey Day?
Annually on December 14th.
Where did Monkey Day come from?
The true origins of Monkey Day are deeply shrouded in mystery. Some say that the Monkey Day movement began as a tool to further the awareness of simian species and habitats. Others say that Monkey Day began as a scientific backlash to all of the religious holidays permeating the month of December, an evolutionary finger to the creationist holidays. Still others say that the concept for Monkey Day was brought on by the drunken debauchery of several young hooligans with a special affinity for monkeys, spending the first Monkey Day tauting their simian virtues and screaming obscenities at the local pub. Whatever the conception, Monkey Day has certainly evolved beyond any simple beginnings into a greater movement.
Why Monkey Day?
Why not Monkey Day?
I’ve noticed apes as well as monkeys appearing all over your monkey pages, can’t you tell the difference between a monkey and an ape?
Although Monkey Day is mainly about monkeys (via wiki: A monkey is any member of either the New World monkeys or Old World monkeys, two of the three groupings of simian primates, the third group being the apes. Because of their similarity to monkeys, apes such as chimpanzees and gibbons are often called monkeys in informal usage, though they are not monkeys. Conversely, due to its size the Mandrill is often thought to be an ape, but it is actually an Old World monkey. Also, a few monkey species have the word “ape” in their common name. Because they are not a single coherent group, monkeys do not have any particular traits that they all share and are not shared with the remaining group of simians, the apes.), we here at the Monkey Day website feel it wouldn’t be proper to exclude all primates from the joy of Monkey Day just because they swing on a different branch of the evolutionary tree. So, yes, occasionally you may see non-monkey simians invading and celebrating Monkey Day.
How do I celebrate Monkey Day?
In whatever monkey themed manner you deem appropriate. Dress in your favorite simian attire, talk like a monkey all day long, throw a monkey themed party, send some monkey greeting cards, draw a monkey comic, or perhaps give your favorite simian a monkey themed gift, or maybe even give to your favorite simian charity. Whatever you find most appropriate without being arrested, and if you want to share your experience with the world, please post it on our Facebook, Reddit, or contact us directly and tell or show us all about it.
Monkey Day in the wild
Web and media sightings, a selection of our favorite mentions:
2016-
- Stephen Colbert
- Nintendo “Celebrate Monkey Day with King Kong“
- Wellington High School: Faculty Bulletin
- The Rolling Stones
- Cleveland.com “Weird, wild and wacky holidays“
- Dunya News (Pakistan)
- PBS Nature
- Radio4 (Greece) “
- Hua Hin Today (Thailand)
- Express.co.uk “Top 10 facts about monkeys“
- Animal Welfare Issues “National Monkey Day“
- Educational Quizzes
- The Daily Times (Pakistan) “Every monkey has a day“
- Cowely County Emergency Management
- Neolaia (Greece)
- Police HEART
- The Nation (Pakistan)
- The Hindu “Monkey Day has a seriuos message for children“
- Q104.3 (New York) “If Monkeys Could Talk…“
- Dukascopy Bank (Switzerland)
- 99.5 The Wolf (Texas)
- Holiday Calendar Babes
- Petfinder.my (Singapore)
- Native Planet (India) “Spot 10 Unique monkeys…“
- WTKR.com “Cute pictures for International Monkey Day“
- Özgür Kocaeli (Turkey)
- Arab News Network
2015
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- Today Show (TV Australia) video at www.MSN.com (2015)
- World Wildlife Fund (2015)
- Chicago Tribune (2015)
- USA Today (2015)
- Cake Wrecks shows us how not to make monkey cakes. (2015)
- 92.5 FM Radio Mongagua (Brazil) (2015)
- Daily Telegraph (2015)
- Love Nature interviews Casey Sorrow (2015)
- Joie de Vivre Hotels makes us some great monkey treats. (2015)
- Bucknell University Press (2015)
- ABC WTXL TV News with National Geographic! (2015)
- The Odyssey Online (2015)
- Monsters in the Morning (iHeart Radio) (2015)
- Red Heart gives out some free crochet monkey patterns. (2015)
- Headlines & Global News (2015)
- Orange Coast has some monkey travel tips. (2015)
- Pub Crawl on FCC Free Radio flings some poo. (2015)
- NikVesti (Ukraine) (2015)
- Firstpost (2015)
- Trendspotters brings some bad-ass monkeys to the party! (2015)
- Scotland Now (2015)
- Red Tricycle has some monkey ideas for the kids! (2015)
- The Science Explorer brings us 16 monkey facts. (2015)
- Earth Touch News (2015)
- Hello Magazine has the cutest celebrity monkey cameos! (2015)
- No Strings is talking monkey puppets! (2015)
- Great Projects (2015)
- Curator’s Corner delves into some monkey art history. (2015)
- NRK Radio (Norway) (2015)
- Samaa TV (Pakistan) Lahore Zoo (2015)
- Africa Geographic (2015)
- Holiday Doodles (2015)
- International Business Times: Five Endangered Primate Species and Cool Facts, Cute Photos (2015)
- MSN.com (2015)
- Sneer Campaign (2015)
- The News Girls CLub (2015)
- Sky and Telescope (2015)
- Jane Goodall (2015)
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (2015)
- Google Maps (2015)
2014
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- Herald Sun (2014)
- Animal Planet (2014)
- Lahore Zoo celebrates with children’s masks. Dawn article (2014)
- Detroit Free Press celebrates in 3D (2014)
- WWF (2014)
- Good Morning America (2014)
- Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press) (2014)
- National Geographic (2014)
- ComingSoon.net released an exclusive Night at the Museum featurette with Crystal the monkey! (2014)
- Cat Beast party on www.radiofreenashville.org. (2014)
- Greenpeace International celebrates with a photo essay. (2014)
- The National Aquarium shows off their lion tamarins! (2014)
- The Free Press reminisces about Monkey Day’s past. (2014)
- Red Heart Yarns crochet monkey patterns: http://bit.ly/1vF3Dwl (2014)
- MeinAnzeiger.de and Kleiner Kalender educated our German friends about the joys of Monkey Day. (2014)
- Kids Saving the Rainforest hosted a sanctuary tour. (2014)
- DCist and Washington Psychotronic Film Society want you to celebrate Monkey Day with Lady Iron Monkey! (2014)
- Tallinna Loomaaed / Tallinn Zoological Gardens in Estonia, hosted a festive chimp lunch (2014)
- Seattle’s PhinneyWood neighborhood embraced Monkey Day with monkey decorations! (2014)
- The Yardbird Jazz Club kicked out Monkey Day jams! (2014)
- Hattiesburg Zoo has 3pm DeBrazza enrichment! (2014)
- Safari Magazine! (2014)
- UKZooGuide brings the monkey knowledge. (2014)
- LocaLeben has some ideas on how to celebrate. (2014)
- Huffington Post en español. (2014)
- Babooing has some awesome monkey artwork over at Domestika. (2014)
- TripAdvisor shows us some monkeys who just found out it is Monkey Day! (2014)
2013
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- Stan Lee puts Monkey Day on his Calendar (2013)
- Animal Planet (2013)
- The Examiner (2013)
- The Dudley Zoo (2013)
- The Lincoln Journal Star (2013)
- Hello Kitty celebrates! (2013)
- The Post (Athens) (2013)
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2012
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- The Examiner (2012)
- The Times Leader (2012)
- The Week (2012)
- Herkimer Telegram (2012) with publication in Little Falls Times, Wicked Local Salem, Mexico Ledger, Sussex Countian, etc…
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2011
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- KyssFM (2011)
- Huffington Post (2011)
- Hallmark’s Ultimate Holiday Site (2011)
- Herkimer Telegram (2011) with publication in The Daily Republican, The Times Reporter, Daily Register, Holland Sentinel, etc…
- COED Magazine (2011)
- Maxim Magazine’s Dirty Briefs (2011)
- Mark & Brian Radio Show 95.5 KLOS – 6 AM ,7 AM ,9 AM (2011)
- Mental Floss (2011)
- Seventeen Magazine – Malaysia (2011)
- Nazareth Patch (2011)
- Green Valley News & Sun (2011)
- Columbia’s Free Times (2011)
- NPR News (2011) Honorable Mention
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2010
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- Hallmark’s Ultimate Holiday Site (2010)
- Herkimer Telegram (2010) with publication in The Times Reporter, Neosho Daily News, Orion Gazette, Westwood Press’ Wicked Local, Constitutions Tribune’s Chillico the News, Bastrop Daily Enterprise, Missouri’s Lake News Online, Norwich Bulletin, The Daily Republican, etc…
- Christian Science Moniter (2010)
- LAist (2010)
- Slate’s Today’s Pictures (2010)
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2009
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- BBC’s Radio 6 with Lauren Laverne (2009)
- L Magazine’s Listicles (2009)
- Taunton Daily Gazette (2009)
- Philadelphia Weekly (2009)
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2008
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- Detroit News (2008)
- Lansing’s City Pulse (2008)
- Missoula Independent (2008)
- Detroit’s Metro Times (2008)
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2006
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- Financial Times of Deutschland (Weekend-Page 6, Subscription, 2006)
- Denver’s Westword (2006)
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2005
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- Cincinnati’s radio 700WLW, (2005) Interview with Scott Sloan
- LA’s City Beat (2005)
- Montreal’s Hour Magazine (2005)
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2003
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- Detroit’s Metro Times (2003)
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