The internet has a new favorite love story, and it stars a small, gray-haired monkey with a big heart.
Punch the monkey — the Japanese macaque who captured the world’s attention after being abandoned by his mother and finding comfort in a stuffed orange orangutan — has been spotted cuddling and kissing a new companion at the zoo.
For fans who followed his story from the beginning, this moment feels like a long-awaited happy ending for a monkey who deserves it. And the internet, predictably, can’t contain itself.
A New Chapter for Punch the MonkeyOn March 15, videos surfaced showing Punch packing on public displays of affection with another macaque in his zoo enclosure. It appears that Punch’s time as a lonesome monkey is officially behind him.
Several users on social media referred to the other monkey as Momo-chan, meaning “little peach” in Japanese. The name has not yet been confirmed by the zoo.
The two monkeys are the same size, but they’re easy to tell apart: Punch’s hair is more gray, while Momo-chan’s has an orange tint — a detail that fans quickly noted bears a resemblance to his beloved stuffed animal.
One video showed Punch sitting with his stuffed monkey when Momo-chan grabbed his tail. The two monkeys then started horsing around, in what looked like playful flirtation.
In one photo, Punch and Momo-chan are sitting next to each other on what appears to be a date. The two were then caught giving each other a smooch on the lips — a moment that quickly spread across social media.
“Punch has found his other half,” Nexta TV wrote in a post on X. “His new companion turned out to be the same color as the plush ‘mom’ he used to carry everywhere.”
But don’t worry — even though Punch has made friends, including outside of his new girlfriend, he hasn’t forgotten about his stuffed monkey. The plush companion that comforted him through his roughest days still appears to be part of his daily routine.
Punch the Monkey Was Abandoned By His MotherTo understand why so many people are emotionally invested in the love life of a small monkey, you have to go back to the beginning.
Punch, whose full name is Panchi-kun, is a male Japanese macaque, also known as a snow monkey. He was born at the Ichikawa City Zoo on July 26, 2025, but was quickly abandoned by his mother.
Zookeepers swiftly intervened and raised the monkey through hand-rearing — a painstaking process that essentially meant humans stepped in to provide the care and nurturing his mother never did.
Punch went viral in February 2026 after several videos on X showed his obsession with a stuffed orange orangutan sold by IKEA. The small monkey was rarely seen without the plush toy, clutching it close as if it were a surrogate parent.
The sight of a tiny, motherless monkey clinging to a stuffed animal struck a chord with millions of viewers around the world.
Punch the Monkey Struggled to Acclimate to the ClanPunch’s journey wasn’t just about being adorable. It was also about survival and learning to be part of a group.
In multiple videos shared on X in February, Punch was seen struggling to acclimate to the clan, with some monkeys appearing to bully him. The footage was hard for many viewers to watch, and the internet was quick to rally around the abandoned monkey who already seemed to have the odds stacked against him.
Zookeepers later confirmed that Punch wasn’t actually being bullied — but rather disciplined. What looked like aggression to human eyes was, according to the zoo, part of the natural social order that Punch needed to learn in order to live among other macaques.
The zoo itself documented his progress with enthusiasm.
“Punch is gradually deepening his interactions with the troop of monkeys!” the zoo wrote in a Feb. 6 post on X. “He’s getting groomed, playfully poking at others, getting scolded, and having all sorts of experiences every day, steadily learning how to live as a monkey within the troop!”
When Punch was still inseparable from his stuffed orangutan, one of his caregivers foresaw a shift on the horizon.
“I think there will come a day when he no longer needs his stuffed toy,” zookeeper Kosuke Shikano told Reuters in February 2026.
It appears that day has finally come. With Momo-chan by his side, Punch seems to have found the real companionship he was searching for all along.
And for the millions of people who have followed his story from the beginning — from abandoned baby to viral sensation to smitten monkey — that seems like exactly the kind of happy ending they were hoping for.
