A cymbal-banging monkey toy (better known as Jolly Chimp) is a mechanical depiction of a

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

holding a

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

in each hand. When activated it repeatedly bangs its cymbals together and, in some cases, bobs its head, chatters, screeches, grins, and more. There are both traditional wind-up versions as well as updated battery-operated cymbal-banging monkeys. The cymbal-banging monkey toy is an example of Singerie.

History

The Japanese company Daishin C.K. manufactured the classic Jolly Chimp during the 1950s to 1970s under the name "Musical Jolly Chimp". It screeched and showed its teeth when its head was pressed. It had a black on/off lever on its back and came with a green arm tag. Later versions from other toy makers copied the facial expressions but often changed the toy's outfit and name. In the mid-1960s through the early 1970s, the Japanese-manufactured "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 Russ, "Pepi Tumbling Monkey with Cymbal" from Yano Man Toys, "Clockwork Musical Monkey with Clashing Cymbals", "Musical Monkey", "Magic Monkey","Mister Monkey" and "Jolly Chimp". There is also one called "Charlie Chimp" from Lincoln, which is different from "Charley Chimp". With many other companies manufacturing various versions in the United States, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, the toy's appearance varies. The change in manufacturing countries was primarily due to factories going out of business and seeking the lowest manufacturing costs. This is still the case today. 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 monkeys are sometimes rendered with red rings painted around their wide-open eyes, creating an appearance some find disturbing, perhaps explaining their many appearances in horror, sci-fi, and comedy media. They can also symbolize emptiness and mindlessness.

In popular culture

The Jolly Chimp has appeared in the opening scene of '' Rebel Without a Cause'' in 1955, the 1977

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

film '' Close Encounters of the Third Kind'', the 1988 horror film '' Monkey Shines'', the 1996 film '' Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders'', the 2000 film '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)'', the 2004 film '' Eurotrip'', the 2007 film ''

The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman and stars the show's regular cast of Dan Caste ...

'', the 2010 Disney/ Pixar animated film '' Toy Story 3'' and the 2019 horror film '' Annabelle Comes Home''. It is also widely seen in the games '' Fallout 4'' and '' Fallout 76'', and features in horror writer ''

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

s 1980 story '' The Monkey''. One also appears in the '' Wallace and Gromit'' 2008 short '' A Matter of Loaf and Death''. A monkey with a bomb attached to its back features prominently in the ''

Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter video game Media franchise, franchise published by Activision. Starting out in 2003, it first focused on games set in World War II. Over time, the series has seen games set in the midst of the Cold W ...

'' franchise’s “Zombies” gamemode. The 2006

Hot Chip Hot Chip are an English synthpop band formed in London in 1995. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former member Rob Smoughton for ...

song '' Over and Over'' references "a monkey with a miniature cymbal". Large Jolly chimps are seen in the 2018 horror platformer '' The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories'' and are used to solve many of the game's puzzles. The character Jinx from '' League of Legends'' has a big emotional connection to Jolly Chimps. Other than explosions which give her happiness, Jolly Chimps give her peace to her mentally ill mind. This connection can be seen in her starring 2021 animated series '' Arcane: League of Legends''. Most recently the Chimp has featured in the popular Netflix series ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Prod ...

'' in 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cymbal-Banging Monkey Toy Monkeys in popular culture 1950s toys Mechanical toys Traditional toys Toy animals Toy Story characters Cymbals Toy instruments and noisemakers