I know I’m a day late celebrating a #Holiday that feel on December 14th which is Monkey Day #MonkeyDay. Monkey Day reminds me of Suzzane who loved #Monkeys. Infact her nickname was Monkey Sue.
I still have the stuffed Monkey I bought Suzzie that my dad kept in the hospital with him after his stroke while I was preparing Suzzie’s funeral. I still watch Curious Geroge and think of her every single day. David even wants to get a Curious George Tattoo in memory of Suzzie.
The funny part is even Charlie loves Curious George and we would watch his movie and read books about Curious George when Charlie was little and still to this day we watch shows with Curios George and have coloring books with him in them. Would you like to join us in celebrating #CuriousGeorge with movie and cookies today? We can even spend time coloring pictures for my office.
No matter what you do remember December 14th is Monkey Day which may look just a bit different from our Primate pals, but we shouldn’t forget that we share a common ancestor with them in Chimpanzees! Warm up those vocal cords and get ready to unleash your wildest calls and cries in observance of Monkey Day, which celebrates not just Monkeys, but everything Simian.
Did you know it’s a difficult task to pinpoint the exact moment that Monkeys first emerged as a unique species within the Animal kingdom, but it is believed that the Monkies appearance took place approximately 60 million years ago.
This vast amount of time would pass, month by year by millennia, both creeping and speeding along, without the existence of a National Monkey Day! At long last, though, thanks to two pioneering college students, this would change in the year 2000.
Casey Sorrow and Erik Millikin, both studying art at Michigan State University, are responsible for the creation of this Simian-centric celebratory day. Sorrow would admit to the Detroit Metro Times that he experienced a form of malaise around the holiday season and felt compelled to find a way to combat these December blues.
After jokingly jotting down “Monkey Day” in a friend’s calendar, Sorrow took the idea and ran with it: when December 14th rolled around, he and his art school friends dressed up as Monkeys and ran amok, putting on their best Monkey impressions.
They would go on to incorporate ideas related to their newly-formed holiday Monkey Day into their artwork and homemade comics. Publishing these pieces online allowed for the notion of a Monkey Day to spread, and now, decades on, Monkey Day is observed throughout the world in Countries including Germany, India, and Thailand.
What started out as a bit of fun has evolved into a full-blown operation. Monkey Day serves as an important anniversary each year for raising awareness of modern threats to Monkeys, with entities such as National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institution, and Greenpeace promoting Monkey Day.
Sorrow and Millikin have also been instrumental in utilizing Monkey-themed art as vehicles to serve this end, as well. Their work has brought an entirely new understanding to the term “Monkey business!” Isn’t that cool?
Traditions of National Monkey Day
- The first Monkey Day may have been just a few college kids getting together to Monkey around, but Monkey Day gained popularity because of the art produced by Sorrow and Millikin. Carry on Monkey Day by painting or drawing Monkey art of your own!
- Bananas are the first food that come to mind when we think of Monkeys, and cooking up some Banana Muffins wouldn’t be out of place on Monkey Day.
- You could also bake Monkey-shaped Cookies.
- If you want to get even further from a Monkey’s natural diet, scoop up some Chunky Monkey Ben and Jerry’s ice Cream! Which I’ve never tried. Have you? Before you ask I don’t know if Charlie or David has tried it either but today is the time to do that. Would you like to join us?
Monkey Day Activities
- If you have the means and opportunity today help collect funds to support ethical Animal research, Primate awareness programs, or preserves for aging Monkeys.
- It’s fun to watch the Animals we love so much, take the time to visit your Zoo today.
- From Curious George to Aladdin’s Abu, entertainment featuring Monkeys ie Primates can be fun for the whole family. Find an Ape-propriate film and get watching!
Facts About Monkeys
- Did you know the one defining difference between Monkeys and other Primates is the tail?
- Monkeys are Primates found primarily in Tropical Rainforests.
- Among the species of Monkeys that are endangered are the cotton-headed Tamarin, the Ecuadorian white-fronted Capuchin, and the pied Tamarin.
- For Monkeys, picking dirt and Bugs off their fellow Monkeys is a form of affection.
- Did you know Pygmy Marmosets are the world’s smallest Monkeys? Have you ever seen one because my family hasn’t.
Why We Love Monkey Day
Not only are Monkeys cute they are playful.
Feel free to interpret Monkey Day in a less literal way and use Monkey Day as an opportunity to cut loose! Goof off, mess around, keep it fun Everyone needs a good excuse to get silly sometimes!
Though not everyone may know it, half of the 262 species of Monkey in the world are threatened with extinction. Monkey Day plays an important role in educating people about the present dangers these Animals face.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
