Call it monkey business.
IKEA has sold out of its adorable Djungelskog orangutan soft toy, with the $20 item now fetching more than 10 times the retail price on eBay.
The plushie has become a coveted collectible in recent weeks after playing a key part in a viral story about a bullied baby monkey at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan.
Punch, a seven-month-old macaque, was given one of the IKEA toys for comfort after both his mother and other monkeys rejected him in his enclosure.
Heartwarming photos of Punch playing with the plushie immediately went viral worldwide, prompting the toy to sell out at all IKEA stores in the US, Japan, and South Korea.
According to local reports, Punch treats the toy like the mother he never had; sleeping with it, eating with it and playing with it.
The attachment to the stuffed animal reportedly not only surprised staff at the zoo but has captured the hearts of people across Japan and the world.
Last week, Petra Fare, President and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA Japan, visited Ichikawa City Zoo to donate multiple replacements of the Djungelskog orangutan soft toy to Punch so that he’s never without a cuddly companion.
It seems online admirers were also inspired, depleting supplies of the soft toy at the Swedish retailer.
One savvy shopper from Allen, Texas, appeared to stock up on 17 of the plushies and is now re-selling them for $51.99 a pop on eBay.
Many people are prepared to pay the inflated price to get their hands on the item, with 12 already sold on Tuesday alone.
One Djungelskog orangutan soft toy is listed on eBay for $350.
Meanwhile, thousands of tourists have been flocking to the zoo to catch a glimpse of Punch and his plush toy.
Long lines have formed outside the enclosure, with management saying it’s “something we have never experienced before.’
One person took to X saying: “It is cute to see the little monkey dragging the stuffed animal around but it is very sad at the same time.”
The zoo said Punch is “gradually deepening his interactions with the other monkeys in his group”.
“He has a variety of experiences every day, such as being groomed, messing around with them, and being scolded, and he is learning every day how to live in a group as a monkey!”
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