Monkey Around Day
When is Monkey Around Day? This holiday is always celebrated on June 14
Life is sometimes too formal and stiff, too serious. We all need a little time to cut loose, act a little goofy, and just fool around. Today is a day to “Go Ape!” Put aside your troubles and worries. Throw off the shackles of stress on everyday living. Lock up your inhibitions in a safe, or a drawer. For today is hereby declared Monkey Around Day! Seriously, this June 14 holiday is a time NOT to be taken seriously. So, let’s all go a little bananas.
Monkeys are clever, intelligent, and social creatures. While they can’t talk orally to us, they are capable of learning numbers and recognize the alphabet. They even solve puzzles. People young and old have a fascination with them.
We all need a day (and probably more than one) to just monkey around and goof off, doing anything that comes to mind. It can and should be a little silly. It can be inane. Or, you can do something wild, crazy, or whimsical. Do something you’ve always wanted to do, but sensibility held you back. In other words, go out and have some untamed fun! Tomorrow, you will be glad that you did.
Movie of the Day: Planet of the Apes. But which one? The answer is easy… every one in the series!
Favorite Band: If they could talk, they would tell you that their favorite band is The Monkees.
Monkey Trivia and Fun Facts
We are not fooling around with this monkey trivia and fun facts. After reading them, impress your friends with your knowledge of the world of apes.
- Monkeys are a different species of primate from apes, baboons, chimpanzees, and gorillas. But, we won’t tell if you group them all together.
- Monkeys are native to the tropical rainforests of Africa, Asia, as well as Central and South America.
- Monkeys living in Central and South America are called “New World Monkeys.” Those living in Asia and Africa are referred to as “Old World Monkeys”.
- There are ten movies in the Planet of the Apes series. The first was Planet of the Apes in 1968. The latest is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes released in 2024.
- They love bananas! But, their diet consists of far more than bananas. They eat other fruits, the leaves and flowers of some plants, nuts, and plenty of other vegetables. They even eat the bark and roots of some trees and plants. In addition, they catch and eat birds, insects, and rodents, taking advantage of what’s available in their environment.
- Howler monkeys have the loudest call. Why, that’s no surprise.
- They are intelligent. Monkeys have the IQ of a young human toddler. Some have even outperformed humans on cognitive tests.
- The world’s smallest monkeys are Pygmy Monkeys. An adult has a 5-inch-long body and a 7-inch-long tail. It weighs 4 ounces.
- Female Spider Monkeys have the longest tail. It is three feet long. However, their body is only two feet long.
- They are the ninth character in the Chinese Zodiac.
- A group of monkeys is called a “Troop”.
- The Burmese sneezing monkey, sneezes whenever it rains. Bless you!
See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil
The expression “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” originated in 17th Century Japan. Above a door in Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan was a carving of three monkeys covering their ears, eyes, and mouth. The saying is a proverb that represents those who turn a blind eye to wrongdoing. The meaning of the message is we should avoid evil. The roots of this expression come from the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius who is believed to once said “Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety”.
How to Celebrate Monkey Around Day
Celebrate this special holiday, with just about any kind of monkey business. For example, you can:
- Monkey around. I bet you can think of a number of ways to “monkey around”.
- Act like a monkey.
- Put a banana in one hand, and scratch your armpit with the other, as you make monkey noises. You get extra points for doing this in public.
- Visit monkeys at the zoo.
- Draw pictures of monkeys.
- Buy monkey stuffed animals and other paraphernalia.
- Hang around in trees.
- Eat bananas.
But, whatever you do, Money Around Day is not a time to be shy, sensible, or logical.
Today's Quote
“The surest way to make a monkey out of a man is to quote him.” – – Robert Benchley
History and Origin of Monkey Around Day
This fun day was created in 2016 by Bob Matthews, of Rochester, NY. Bob is the creator of Holiday Insights. He selected June 14th, in honor of the birthday of his daughter Kimberly. Since she was a little child, Kimberly just loved monkeys and everything about them. And, it doesn’t matter if it is a monkey, ape, chimpanzee, gorilla, or baboon. She loves these primates!!
According to Bob: “There is way too much stress in our everyday lives. We need at least one day to set aside our stress, troubles, and worries, and to just relax and monkey around. Today is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
Related Holidays
People who like this holiday will also like:
International Darwin Day – Did we really evolve from the ape?
More June 14 Holidays
Here are more June 14 holidays for you to enjoy:
Flag Day – Fly Old Glory with pride!
More About Today
Flower of the Day: Roses
Recipe of the Day: Grilled Garlic
Ecards Send a free Ecard daily for just about any June calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Or, just for the fun of it!
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Did You Know? There are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. and many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. June holidays are no exception. Consequently, at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.