Trunk Monkey: Not a Trunk Monkey

As we enjoy primate-related humor and also take vehicle safety very seriously, we were able to laugh heartily at the "Trunk Monkey" series of videos, while also choking up with anger at what was clearly a chimpanzee being callously referred to as a "monkey". This laughter/rage combo made milk come out out of our collective nose. "Trunk Monkey" is even on the damn button in some of these ads. Funny? Yes (because nothing's better than seeing a chimp knock somebody out) but internet memes have power, and this one further entrenches the ape/monkey misnomer.

Japan WTF?

I can't be certain, but the country of Japan may have their own watchdog organization when it comes to protecting the dignity of apes. It's not clear, however, since I can't read Japanese. (Any help here would be welcome.)

What is clear, however, is that in Japan, people make statues of CHIMPS WEARING KIMONOS, and goddamn do they look elegant in them.

Sal Minella: Monkey or Ape?

We've recently wondered whether Sal Minella, the famous primate from "The Muppet Show", is in fact a monkey (as the puppeteers have referred to him), or an ape of some kind.

While the show refers to him as a monkey, there are many reasons to suspect that this may be a grave error. Sal is large and functions as a bodyguard, suggestive of stereotypes associated with chimps or gorillas. His face is also suggestive of chimpanzee features.

However, since Sal is usually seen only from the waist up, it is impossible to check whether he might have a tail.

We encourage the Muppeteers to publicly clarify their stance on this issue.

The Onion: A Normally Reliable News Source Insults Chimpanzees

It makes me a little sad that the first organization I have to call out is The Onion, which is a news source I have enjoyed for many years. Their usually reliable news reporting fell flat, however, when they reported on a cut in funding to the Super Monkey Collider:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30420

Shown in the photo at the top of the article are two chimps relaxing on lab equipment.

To be fair, this may be an error on the part of the photographer; it's not inconceivable that the chimps wandered into the shot while he was photographing the lab equipment. However, it clearly falls upon the Onion editorial staff to catch errors like this.

It's also worth noting that this is a rather old story (yes, we have a LONG laundry list of offenses to go through now that this blog is finally underway) and the Onion has taken care to be a little more accurate in recent years. (See, for example, this more recent piece on the effects of multiple stab wounds on monkeys, which clearly shows macaques.)

Welcome, fellow primate enthusiasts.

My wife and I have spent many years blustering with outrage at the numerous instances of monkeys being confused with apes -- in film, television, advertising, and by ignorant friends and family members. We finally decided to direct our anger in a constructive direction, and created a blog that would serve to point out the numerous instances of this fallacy. We fully expect that as a result, major media organizations will be shamed into using proper primate terminology.

Most often, it is the noble chimpanzee who suffers this indignity, but the gorilla and even the orangutan are not immune.

Apes are not monkeys. Every time you mix them up, a baby chimp cries.