What is a Monchichi?

A Monchhichi is a stuffed toy that resembles a cartoon monkey. Introduced in Japan in the early 1970s, the toy achieved mass popularity in the United States, when licensed by Mattel, in the early 1980s.

Monchhichi was introduced by the Tokyo-based Sekiguchi Corporation in 1974. Yoshiharu Washino, the creator of the doll, attempted to design Monchhichi to resemble an existing successful line of monkey toys called "Kuta Kuta Monkey." When the toy company Mattel took note of the Monchhichi's success in Japan, it began distributing the toy line in the U.S. In both countries, the popularity of the toys was propelled by a successful cartoon TV series, based on the dolls.