Three different images of a golden snub nose monkey.

@penneposta/Twitter @GoldenMonkey/YouTube @moonsmoothie/Twitter

People are sharing love for viral video of golden snub-nosed monkey with fanart, memes

‘Who do I have to talk to to get one of these?’

 

Siobhan Ball

Internet Culture

Posted on Apr 15, 2021   Updated on Apr 16, 2021, 9:33 am CDT

A YouTube channel uploaded a video featuring a monkey standing upright and eating berries out of a person’s hand on April 9. The apparent caretaker, who is seemingly the one filming the interaction, walks backward as the monkey totters after them, taking berries one by one and popping them in his mouth.

https://twitter.com/CosyCIub/status/1380508474224828418

While the video, posted by the Golden Monkey YouTube channel, is extremely cute, its star looks almost like a CGI version of what a person would draw if they were drawing a monkey by memory only.

So when the video was shared by the Twitter account Cozy Club, it went viral and many questions were posed online: What kind of monkey is that? Where does it live? How do I get one? Are we sure that it’s not just “a little man in a costume?”

Who do I have to talk to to get one of these?
@silentrival/Twitter
you cant fool me, thats a little man in a costume
@silentrival/Twitter
'Ngl I thought this was a snapchat filter' picture of a small cringing dog
@silentrival/Twitter

Well, unlike many questions sparked by viral internet content, these are easily answered. Despite its resemblance to Ewoks, as many pointed out, the star of the video is a golden snub-nosed monkey, an endangered species native to China.

https://twitter.com/NNanpei/status/1380736579178622976

Naturally, when something that is both cute and funny is shared online, memes follow.

In Body Image
@unliterate/Twitter
'if shes your girl why is she giving me little berries from her pocket' two stills of the monkey, one taking berries and another with him looking up at the camera with a human-like flat expression as if he's asking the question
@unliterate/Twitter
he has a quest.... 'digital rendering of the monkey in a video game style setting with a yellow question mark over his head
@pennepost/Twitter

The monkey even popped up on TikTok, where it similarly went viral and is receiving even more love. “New monkey just dropped,” @yothisshitcrazy posted with the video.

People online have even been sharing fanart of the monkey. “I was rlly depressed but I drew monke frend so now I’m slightly feeling better,” one Twitter user wrote, attaching their artwork of the viral sensation.

'i can’t paint but whatever. monke :)' three watercolour style drawings of the monkey, one as he walks forward, one as he stairs up looking a bit sarcastic and one as he reaches for berries
@gabesporata/Twitter
'I was rlly depressed but I drew monke frend so now I’m slightly feeling better' water colour style digital painting of the monkey
@gabesporata/Twitter
https://twitter.com/TootyMcNooty/status/1382373633511845890
@gabesporata/Twitter
'everyone's favourite dude' particularly fluffy looking painting of monke
@moonsmoothie/Twitter
'golden snub-nosed monkey for some friends' cartoon drawing of the monkey with orange fur and exaggerated features
@moonsmoothie/Twitter

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*First Published: Apr 15, 2021, 4:25 pm CDT