A children's bookstore in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, was known as Curious George

and Friends (formerly Curious George Goes To Wordsworth), and carried a considerable
amount of licensed Curious George merchandise. It was the last remaining property of
Wordsworth Books, a former local general interest bookstore that closed in the beginning of
the 2000s. This store was closed in June 2011. [19] A new store opened in 2012 at the same
address, called The World's Only Curious George Store, Harvard Square.

VEE Corporation, the company behind Sesame Street Live, is mounting Curious George Live.[20] It is
a brand new national tour featuring song and dance and Curious George himself. It is based
on the PBS animated series.
Curious George is used as the theme for children's play areas and some of the children's
entertainment on the Stena Line ferries.[21] On some peak time sailings this includes a Curious
George costumed character. Curious George merchandise is also provided with children's meals
and is available to purchase in the on-board shop.
A Curious George themed water play area, called Curious George Goes to Town, has been a minor
attraction at Universal Studios Florida since 1998. The attraction also featured at Universal Studios
Hollywood until its removal in 2013.

In February 2006, the Curious George brand joined with Welch's jelly for a collectible of six
jars. In the latter part of that decade (when the new film and the new television show were
released), licensing deals for the character generally involved less upscale, more kid-focused
products.[22] Earlier, Vivendi Universal (now NBCUniversal) had, for a short time, embraced the use
of the character in a series of 2001 adverts for the company (but the character never officially
became a corporate mascot).[22]
In the film Forrest Gump of 1994, one edition of Curious George (one with a yellow cover but no
other title than Curious George) is used as Forrest's favorite book, which his mother reads to
him. In the opening scene a feather comes floating down to Forrest's feet and he stores it in
this book. At the end of the film it falls out of the book and rises floating through the air again.

Jarrod, the titular character and protagonist from the NBC series The Pretender, read Curious
George books in Season One and developed a fascination with them. He likened himself to
George and Sydney Green, the psychiatrist whom he saw as a surrogate father, to the Man
with the Yellow Hat.

The books have inspired others, for example Bangkok Bob, written for and published by Big
Brother Mouse, a Lao publishing project.

Monkey is a common name that may refer to groups or species of mammals, in part,
the simians of infraorder Simiiformes. The term is applied descriptively to groups of primates,
such as families of new world monkeys and old world monkeys. Many monkey species are tree-
dwelling (arboreal), although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such
as baboons. Most species are also active during the day (diurnal). Monkeys are
generally considered to be intelligent, especially the old world monkeys of Catarrhini.
 Simians and tarsiers emerged within haplorrhines some 60 million years ago. New World monkeys
and catarrhine monkeys emerged within the simians some 35 million years ago. Old World
monkeys and Hominoidea emerged within the catarrhine monkeys some 25 million years ago.
Extinct basal simians such as Aegyptopithecus or Parapithecus [35-32 million years ago],
eosimiidea and sometimes even the Catarrhini group are also considered monkeys by
primatologists.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Lemurs, lorises, and galagos are not monkeys; instead they are strepsirrhine primates. Like
monkeys, tarsiers are haplorhine primates; however, they are also not monkeys.

Apes emerged within "monkeys" as sister of the Cercopithecidae in the Catarrhini,

so cladistically they are monkeys as well. There has been some resistance to directly designate
apes (and thus humans) as monkeys despite the scientific evidence, so "Old World monkey"
may be taken to mean the Cercopithecoidea or the Catarrhini.[10][11][12][13][14][15][9][16][17] That
apes are monkeys was already realized by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in the 18th
century.[18][19]
Monkeys, including apes, can be distinguished from other primates by having only two
pectoral nipples, a pendulous penis, and a lack of sensory whiskers.[20][better source needed]

Contents

 1Historical and modern terminology

 2Description
 3Classification
 3.1Cladogram with extinct families
 4Gallery
 5Relationship with humans
 5.1As service animals for the disabled
 5.2In experiments
 5.2.1In space
 5.3As food
 5.4Literature
 5.5Religion and worship
 5.6Zodiac
 6See also
 7Notes
 8References
 8.1Literature cited
 9External links

Historical and modern terminology

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word "monkey" may originate in
a German version of the Reynard the Fox fable, published circa 1580. In this version of the fable, a
character named Moneke is the son of Martin the Ape.[21] In English, no very clear distinction
was originally made between "ape" and "monkey"; thus the 1910 Encyclopædia Britannica entry
for "ape" notes that it is either a synonym for "monkey" or is used to mean a tailless
humanlike primate.[22] Colloquially, the terms "monkey" and "ape" are widely used
interchangeably.[23] Also, a few monkey species have the word "ape" in their common name,
such as the Barbary ape.
Later in the first half of the 20th century, the idea developed that there were trends in
primate evolution and that the living members of the order could be arranged in a series,
leading through "monkeys" and "apes" to humans.[24] Monkeys thus constituted a "grade" on
the path to humans and were distinguished from "apes".
Scientific classifications are now more often based on monophyletic groups, that is groups
consisting of all the descendants of a common ancestor. The New World monkeys and the Old
World monkeys are each monophyletic groups, but their combination was not, since it
excluded hominoids (apes and humans). Thus the term "monkey" no longer referred to a
recognized scientific taxon. The smallest accepted taxon which contains all the monkeys is the
infraorder Simiiformes, or simians. However this also contains the hominoids (apes and
humans), so that monkeys are, in terms of currently recognized taxa, non-hominoid simians.
Colloquially and pop-culturally, the term is ambiguous and sometimes monkey includes non-
human hominoids.[25] In addition, frequent arguments are made for a monophyletic usage of
the word "monkey" from the perspective that usage should reflect cladistics. [26][27][28][29][30]
A group of monkeys may be commonly referred to as a tribe or a troop. [31]
Two separate groups of primates are referred to as "monkeys": New World monkeys (platyrrhines)
from South and Central America and Old World monkeys (catarrhines in the superfamily
Cercopithecoidea) from Africa and Asia. Apes (hominoids)—consisting
of gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans—are also catarrhines but were classically
distinguished from monkeys.[32][33][34][35] (Tailless monkeys may be called "apes", incorrectly
according to modern usage; thus the tailless Barbary macaque is sometimes called the "Barbary
ape".)

Description
Monkeys range in size from the pygmy marmoset, which can be as small as 117 millimetres
(4.6 in) with a 172-millimetre (6.8 in) tail and just over 100 grams (3.5 oz) in weight,[36] to the
male mandrill, almost 1 metre (3.3 ft) long and weighing up to 36 kilograms (79 lb).[37] Some
are arboreal (living in trees) while others live on the savanna; diets differ among the various
species but may contain any of the following: fruit, leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, eggs and
small animals (including insects and spiders).[38]
Some characteristics are shared among the groups; most New World monkeys have prehensile
tails while Old World monkeys have non-prehensile tails or no visible tail at all. Old World
monkeys have trichromatic color vision like that of humans, while New World monkeys may be
trichromatic, dichromatic, or—as in the owl monkeysand greater galagos—monochromatic. Although both
the New and Old World monkeys, like the apes, have forward-facing eyes, the faces of Old
World and New World monkeys look very different, though again, each group shares some
features such as the types of noses, cheeks and rumps. [38]

Classification
The following list shows where the various monkey families (bolded) are placed in the
classification of living (extant) primates.
ORDER PRIMATES
Suborder Strepsirrhini: lemurs, lorises, and galagos
Suborder Haplorhini: tarsiers, monkeys, and apes
Infraorder Tarsiiformes
Family Tarsiidae: tarsiers
Infraorder Simiiformes: simians
Parvorder Platyrrhini: New World monkeys
Family Callitrichidae: marmosets and tamarins (42 species)
Family Cebidae: capuchins and squirrel monkeys (14 species)
Family Aotidae: night monkeys (11 species)
Family Pitheciidae: titis, sakis, and uakaris (41 species)
Family Atelidae: howler, spider, and woolly monkeys (24 species)
Parvorder Catarrhini
Superfamily Cercopithecoidea
Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys (135 species)
Superfamily Hominoidea: apes
Family Hylobatidae: gibbons ("lesser apes") (17 species)
Family Hominidae: great apes (including humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans) (7 species)
Cladogram with extinct families
Below is a cladogram with some extinct monkey families.[39][40][41] Generally, extinct non-
hominoid simians, including early Catarrhines are discussed as monkeys as well as simians or
anthropoids,[32][33][34] which cladistically means that Hominoidea are monkeys as well, restoring
monkeys as a single grouping. It is indicated approximately how many million years ago (Mya)
the clades diverged into newer clades.[42][43][44][45] It is thought the New World monkeys
started as a drifted "Old World monkey" group from the old world (probably Africa) to the new
world (South America).[33]
 Crown
Platyrrhini (30)
(29)
Chilecebus (†20)

(26)
Tremacebus (†20)

(24)
Homunculus (†16)

Dolichocebus (†20)

Crown Platyrrhini (New World Monkeys)

Catarrhini (35)

(35)

(34)

(32)
Micropithecus

Crown
Hominoidea (30)
Proconsulidae (†18 Mya)

(29)
Equatorius (†16)

(29)
Afropithecidae (28)
Morotopithecus (†20)

(28)
 Afropithecus (†16)

Nyanzapithecinae (†7)

Crown Hominoidea (22)

Hominidae

Hylobatidae

(29)
Saadanioidea (†28)

Cercopithecoidea (24)
Victoriapithecinae(†19)

Crown Cercopithecoidea (Old World Monkeys)

Catharrhini (31)

Simians (40)

Gallery
Various species of monkey
 

Bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata)

Goeldi's marmoset (Callimico goeldii)

Common squirrel monkey(Saimiri sciureus)


Crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)

Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata)

Relationship with humans

The many species of monkey have varied relationships with humans. Some are kept as pets,
others used as model organisms in laboratories or in space missions. They may be killed in monkey
drives (when they threaten agriculture) or used as service animals for the disabled.

In some areas, some species of monkey are considered agricultural pests, and can cause
extensive damage to commercial and subsistence crops.[46] This can have important
implications for the conservation of endangered species, which may be subject to
persecution. In some instances farmers' perceptions of the damage may exceed the actual
damage.[47] Monkeys that have become habituated to human presence in tourist locations
may also be considered pests, attacking tourists.[48]
In religion and popular culture, monkeys are a symbol of playfulness, mischief and fun.

As service animals for the disabled

Some organizations train capuchin monkeys as service animals to assist quadriplegics and other
people with severe spinal cord injuries or mobility impairments. After being socialized in a
human home as infants, the monkeys undergo extensive training before being placed with a
disabled person. Around the house, the monkeys assist with feeding, fetching, manipulating
objects, and personal care.[49]

In experiments
Main article: Animal testing on non-human primates

The most common monkey species found in animal research are the grivet, the rhesus macaque,
and the crab-eating macaque, which are either wild-caught or purpose-bred. [50][51] They are used
primarily because of their relative ease of handling, their fast reproductive cycle (compared to
apes) and their psychological and physical similarity to humans. Worldwide, it is thought that
between 100,000 and 200,000 non-human primates are used in research each year, [51] 64.7%
of which are Old World monkeys, and 5.5% New World monkeys.[52] This number makes a very
small fraction of all animals used in research.[51] Between 1994 and 2004 the United States
has used an average of 54,000 non-human primates, while around 10,000 non-human
primates were used in the European Union in 2002.[52]
In space

Sam, a rhesus macaque, was flown to a height of 55 miles (89 km) by NASA in 1959
Main article: Monkeys and apes in space

A number of countries have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes,
including the United States and France. The first monkey in space was Albert II, who flew in the
US-launched V-2 rocket on June 14, 1949.[53]

As food
Main article: Monkey meat

Monkey brains are eaten as a delicacy in parts of South Asia, Africa and China.[54] Monkeys are
sometimes eaten in parts of Africa, where they can be sold as "bushmeat". In traditional Islamic
dietary laws, the eating of monkeys is forbidden.[55]

Literature

Illustration of Indian monkeys known as bandarfrom the illuminated manuscript Baburnama(Memoirs of

Babur)

Sun Wukong (the "Monkey King"), a character who figures prominently in Chinese mythology, is the
protagonist in the classic comic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

Monkeys are prevalent in numerous books, television programs, and movies. The television
series Monkey and the literary characters Monsieur Eek and Curious George are all examples.
Informally, the term "monkey" is often used more broadly than in scientific use and may be
used to refer to apes, particularly chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas. Author Terry
Pratchett alludes to this difference in usage in his Discworld novels, in which the Librarian of
the Unseen University is an orangutan who gets very violent if referred to as a monkey. Another
example is the use of Simians in Chinese poetry.

The winged monkeys are prominent characters in The Wizard of Oz.

Religion and worship

Abhinandananatha with his symbol of monkey below his idol

Simian statue at a Buddhist shrine in Tokyo, Japan

 A statue of Hanuman

Monkey is the symbol of fourth Tirthankara in Jainism, Abhinandananatha.[56][57]

Hanuman, a prominent deity in Hinduism, is a human-like monkey god who is believed to bestow
courage, strength and longevity to the person who thinks about him or Rama.

In Buddhism, the monkey is an early incarnation of Buddha but may also represent trickery and
ugliness. The Chinese Buddhist "mind monkey" metaphor refers to the unsettled, restless state of
human mind. Monkey is also one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolizing greed, with
the tiger representing anger and the deer lovesickness.

The Sanzaru, or three wise monkeys, are revered in Japanese folklore; together they embody the
proverbial principle to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".[58]
The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature.[59] They placed emphasis on animals and
often depicted monkeys in their art.[60]
The Tzeltal people of Mexico worshipped monkeys as incarnations of their dead ancestors.

Zodiac
The Monkey (猴) is the ninth in the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese
zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The next time that the monkey will appear as the zodiac
sign will be in the year 2028.[61]

Aside from George himself, the only recurring character in the original adventures is the
unnamed Man with the Yellow Hat who is George’s best friend. The Man often facilitates
George's adventures by taking him somewhere, and even more often resolves the tension by
intervening just in time to get George out of a tight spot. He is always seen wearing a bright
yellow suit and a wide brimmed yellow hat. The Man is never mentioned by name in the
original adventures or in any subsequent content over more than six decades.

He is always referred to as "The Man" or fully "The Man with the Yellow Hat". When people
speak to George about the Man, they often refer to him as "Your friend". However, in Curious
George (2006), the Man, who is voiced by Will Ferrell, is referred to as "Ted" throughout the film,
and his last name is revealed as being "Shackleford" in a deleted scene. In the TV series he is
voiced by Jeff Bennett.