Cymbal-banging monkey toy
Encyclopedia
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
holding a cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
in each hand. When activated it repeatedly bangs its cymbals together and, in some cases, bobs its head, chatters, grins, does flips, and more. There are both traditional wind-up versions as well as updated battery-operated cymbal-banging monkeys.
History
The Japanese company Daishin manufactured the classic cymbal monkey during the 1950s and 1960s under the name Musical Jolly Chimp. That version of it screeches and shows his teeth when a button is pressed on his head. Later versions from other toy makers copied the facial expressions but changed the toy's outfit and name. In the mid 1960s through the early 1970s a Japanese built Charley Chimp, was sold by street peddlers on the streets of lower Manhattan in NYC. Other brand names include Wind-up Monkey Playing Cymbals from RussRuss Berrie
Kid Brands, Inc. and its subsidiaries design, develop and distribute infant and juvenile branded products. These products are primarily distributed through mass market, baby super stores, specialty, food, drug, independent and e-commerce retailers worldwide....
, Pepi Tumbling Monkey with Cymbal from Yano Man Toys, Clockwork Musical Monkey with Clashing Cymbals, Musical Monkey and Magic Monkey.
With many companies manufacturing various versions in the United States, Hong Kong, and Japan, the toy's appearance varies. The monkey has been seen wearing red and white striped pants and a yellow vest with red buttons, or red overalls and a stocking cap. Other outfits include green striped pants, blue striped pants, a red shirt with either green or blue pants, and plaid blue overalls The monkey is sometimes rendered with red rings painted around their wide-open eyes, creating an appearance many find disturbing, perhaps explaining their many appearances in horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
/sci-fi/comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
s media. They can also symbolize emptiness and stupidity.
In popular culture
- In the 1977 film Close Encounters Of The Third KindClose Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
one suddenly begins clapping its cymbals as a UFO nears a character's home. - The toy is featured in "The MonkeyThe Monkey"The Monkey" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in Gallery magazine in 1980. It was significantly revised and published in King's collection Skeleton Crew in 1985.-Plot summary:...
", a Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
short story from his 1985 book Skeleton CrewSkeleton CrewSkeleton Crew is the second collection of short fiction by Stephen King. The first collection, Night Shift, was published seven years prior in 1978. Different Seasons, a collection of four novellas, was published between the two in 1982. Skeleton Crew was originally published in hardcover form by...
, which use the monkey as its cover image. The story also appears in the story's comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
adaptation by Glenn ChadbourneGlenn ChadbourneGlenn Chadbourne is an American artist. He lives in Newcastle, Maine. He is best known for his work in the horror and fantasy genres, having created covers and illustrated books and magazines for publishers such as Cemetery Dance Publications, Subterranean Press, and Earthling Publications. Mr...
from The Secretary of Dreams. - The Devil's Gift, a 1984 horror film, exhibits similarities to the Stephen King story and was later re-edited as the 1996 film Merlin's Shop of Mystical WondersMerlin's Shop of Mystical WondersMerlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders is a 1996 fantasy/horror film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film stars Ernest Borgnine, who plays a grandfather telling his grandson a story about the wizard Merlin opening up a store in modern-day America...
. - The 1986 musical The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
features a cymbal-banging monkey as the topper of a music box. - The Disney Film AladdinAladdinAladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
includes a scene in which the monkey Abu is transformed into one by the evil sorceror Jaffar. - The 1988 Film Monkey ShinesMonkey ShinesMonkey Shines may refer to:* Monkey Shines, a 1988 film written and directed by George A. Romero* Monkey Shines , a 1997 shareware game for the Apple Macintosh...
features a monkey with cymbals both on the promotional poster and in a limited trailer to promote the movie, despite the plot of the movie is not related to a toy monkey but instead an actual rogue monkey trying to kill his guardian. - The song "Over and OverOver and Over (Hot Chip song)"Over and Over" was the first single from Hot Chip's second album The Warning. It was released twice in the UK in 2006 - first reaching number 32 in March and number 27 in October.-Music video:...
" by electropop band Hot ChipHot ChipHot Chip are an English electronic indie band. They have released four studio albums—Coming on Strong, The Warning, Made in the Dark and One Life Stand.-Formation:...
features the lyric "over and over and over and over and over like a monkey with a miniature cymbal". - In The Powerpuff Girls MovieThe Powerpuff Girls MovieThe Powerpuff Girls Movie is a 2002 American animated film based on the Cartoon Network animated television series of the same name. Produced by Cartoon Network Studios for Warner Bros. Pictures and Cartoon Network, the film debuted in the United States on July 3, 2002...
, one of Mojo Jojo's minions, (Cha-ching Cha-ching) bears a resemblance to a cymbal-banging monkey toy. - A cymbal-banging monkey toy also appears in the latest Wallace & Gromit short, A Matter of Loaf and DeathA Matter of Loaf and DeathA Matter of Loaf and Death is an animated television short created by Nick Park, and the fourth of his shorts to star his characters Wallace and Gromit...
. When Gromit goes over to Piella Bakewell's mantion, he sees what looks like his love interest, Fluffles in her box, wimpering with a blanket over her. But when he goes over to take the blanket off, Gromit discovers it's not Fluffles at all, Piella had tricked him by hiding a cymbal-banging monkey toy in Fluffles' bed to sound like her, wimpering. - It can be seen in the RoxetteRoxetteRoxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
music video "JoyrideJoyride (Roxette song)"Joyride", written by Per Gessle, was the first single released from Swedish pop duo Roxette's 1991 album Joyride, the follow-up to the group's highly successful Look Sharp!. The single topped the charts across Europe, and in Australia, Canada and the United States, where it spent one week at...
". - "SliverSliver (song)"Sliver" is a song by American grunge band Nirvana. It was originally released as a non-album single in 1990 by Sub Pop. DGC re-released the song to radio to support the release of the rarities compilation album Incesticide in 1992....
" music video by NirvanaNirvana (band)Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987... - A giant cymbal-banging monkey is used by the Grinch to block out the sound of carolers in the 2000 live action film How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
- The toy has been seen a number of times in the works of Matt GroeningMatt GroeningMatthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
. It was first seen in the 2000 season 12 SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "The Computer Wore Menace ShoesThe Computer Wore Menace Shoes“The Computer Wore Menace Shoes” is the sixth episode of The Simpsons twelfth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 2000. In the episode, Homer buys a computer and creates his own website to spread gossip...
", and then in the 2003 season four FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode "Obsoletely FabulousObsoletely Fabulous"Obsoletely Fabulous" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth production season of Futurama.-Plot:At a robot expo, Mom's Friendly Robot Co. introduces a new, more advanced robot: Robot 1-X. Feeling unwanted after Professor Farnsworth buys one to help out around the office, Bender decides to get a...
" as an obsolete robot. It is then seen in the 2007 film The Simpsons MovieThe Simpsons MovieThe Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
, in which Homer SimpsonHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
imagines the toy, who urges him to concentrate instead of letting his mind wander. - A rock and roll band from Le HavreLe HavreLe Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
in France is called the Monkey Toy Army after Cymbal-banging monkey toys. - The 2004 American film comedy Euro Trip features a cymbal-banging monkey toy in club Vandersexxx used as an instrument of pleasure and as part of a Kuleshov effectKuleshov EffectThe Kuleshov Effect is a film editing effect demonstrated by Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s.-Specifics of the Kuleshov effect:...
throughout the sexual encounter at the club. - In 2005 the "SupernaturalSupernaturalThe supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
" episode 'Home' (Season 1, Episode 9) paid homage by having a clapping monkey in the scene where the plumber is killed in their original home-house in Kansas. - The 2006 book The Wall and the Wing by Laura Ruby features sinister mechanical monkeys who steal memories for pennies.
- It is featured as an explosive weapon in the video game Call of Duty: World at WarCall of Duty: World at WarCall of Duty: World at War is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360. It is generally considered to be the fifth mainstream game of the Call of Duty series and returns the setting to World War II. The game was...
, in which it is seen in Map Pack 3 as the "Monkey Bomb". - It is seen in Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, (new) series 1, episode 9: "The Empty ChildThe Empty Child"The Empty Child" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "The Doctor Dances", was broadcast on 28 May...
" - James FrancoJames FrancoJames Edward Franco is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author, painter, performance artist and instructor at New York University. He left college in order to pursue acting and started off his career by making guest appearances on television series in the 1990s...
portrays a serial killer named "Franco" on the daytime soap opera General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. One of the character's trademarks is a cymbal-playing monkey. He has a large one, and a miniature version of the toy. - In the 2010 animated film Toy Story 3Toy Story 3Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
, a cymbal-banging monkey watches the security cameras at Sunnyside Daycare and sounds an alarm over its P.A. system if any toys try to escape at night. Chatter TelephoneChatter TelephoneThe Chatter Telephone is a pull toy for young children ages two to six. Introduced in 1962 by the Fisher-Price company as the "Talk Back Phone" for infants and children, the Chatter Telephone is a roll along pull toy. It has a smiling face, and when the toy is pulled, it makes a chattering sound...
warns Woody about the monkey. - In the 2010 video game Call of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch, published by Activision and released worldwide on November 9, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii consoles, with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. Announced on April 30, 2010,...
a variant of the cymbal-banging monkey is occasionally obtained from a mystery box in "Zombie mode". It has an explosive element attached to it and explodes after a few seconds. It is used as a secondary grenade and appears in the zombie maps "Der Riese", "Kino der Toten", "FIVE", and "Shangri-La". - In the 2009 video game WetWet (video game)Wet is a 2009 third-person shooter action video game, developed by Artificial Mind and Movement and published by Bethesda Softworks for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles. The game puts heavy emphasis on killing a large number of opponents while engaging in stylish acrobatic moves...
, the cymbal-banging monkey is a contant symbol in its main menu and loading screens, as a reference to the game's tagline, "Get ready for some monkey business". The collectible elements in the game are also cymbal-banging monkeys, which you localize by hearing their cymbals. - In The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy GeniusThe Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy GeniusThe Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, often shortened to just Jimmy Neutron, is an American animated television series, and spin-off of the Academy Award-nominated computer-animated movie, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. The series first officially aired on July 20, 2002, on Nickelodeon...
episode "Normal Boy," a brain-drained Jimmy thinks of a cymbal-banging monkey toy during a failed attempt at a brain blast.