Synopsis of Toy

“Monchichi, monchichi, oh-so soft and cuddly…”

Cuteness, thy name is Monchichi. We’re going to say four words (three if you count the hyphenate), and see if you can read them without getting a warm fuzzy in the cockles of your soul. Ready? Thumb-sucking monkey doll.

If you’re not swooning, Monchichis weren’t made for you. You can stop reading now. As for the rest of you, let’s continue our little journey into adorability, shall we?

Monchichis have been around since the mid-1970’s in their native Japan (where an extra ‘h’ made them Monchhichis), but the furry little critters didn’t arrive en masse in the U.S. until the early 80’s. At that time, the Saturday morning world was abuzz with tiny blue Smurfs, and cute was in. Smurfs producers Hanna-Barbera scrambled to find more wee cuties, and teaming up with toymaker Mattel, they found just what they were looking for in the Monchichis.

As the cartoon’s story went, the Monchichis lived “way up in the trees” of Monchia, where they were constantly harassed by the slimy Grumplins. Among the heroic (adorably heroic) Monchichis were Moncho, Kyla, Tootoo, Patchitt, the aged wizard Wizzar and the tiny, super-excitable Thumkii. By the time the cartoon debuted in the fall of 1983, Mattel made sure toy store shelves were well stocked with these precious primates (especially that darling Thumkii). Their hard plastic thumbs and faces let the thumbs stay in the mouths, but everything else about Monchichis was as soft and cuddly as could be, making them irresistible to little girls everywhere.

The Monchichis cartoon only lasted a single season, but that didn’t hurt the toys’ fortunes. Thumb-sucking monkey dolls don’t need cartoons to be popular, thank you very much. Kids collected every variation they could afford, from the plush dolls to the small PVC figurines (akin to the ever-popular Smurfs). Even after the cartoon left the airwaves, new Monchichis could be found sitting on bedroom pillows and clinging to backpacks, always clad in an adorable new outfit.

Monchichis eventually left U.S. shores, but imported cuties from Japan still filtered in to die-hard Monchichiacs. You can stop cuteness, but you can’t contain it. And before you leave nostalgia to go back to the drudgery of life, here’s one more little something to brighten your way: thumb-sucking monkey doll.

Release History of Toy

1974 - Monchhichi
1983 - Monchichi

Sub Categories of Toys

dolls
plush

Toy and Game Manufacturer

Sekiguchi, Mattel

Other Toy Links