Gay monkey in apple store
A Child in a Monkey Costume at an Apple Store
Overview
A child in a tight-fitting monkey costume, positioned at an Apple Store display with an iPhone, one leg straight and the other bent at the knee with the foot atop the other, an image widely interpreted as suggestive of a "gay" stance, is the subject of the "Gay Little Monkey Boy At Apple Store" image. This visual, initially uploaded in 2010, has become an exploitable meme, circulated through image macros and photoshops throughout the past decade.
Origins
The precise origins remain obscure, though an archived image of the monkey boy was first posted on ZanyPickle, June 18th, 2010, within a "grab bag" meme collection. This likely isn't the initial upload. Tabloid Prodigy republished the image on the 24th of June, featuring it as their daily highlight, and Krapps posted it on the 29th, highlighting the monkey boy as a significant meme topic.
Dissemination
The image's online presence expanded throughout the 2010s. For instance, it surfaced on /r/pics on June 20th, 2012, under the title "Monkey Boy at Apple Store".
A Controversial Meme
Around September 2019, a user on MySpace, identified as windows93, posted an image macro featuring the monkey boy with the caption "what the f--k gay little monkey". This macro was subsequently shared on Twitter by @reactjpg. The image was altered by censoring the offensive word, and suffering a problematic cropping alteration.
This image macro sparked the production of numerous photoshopped variants, often incorporating different figures or altering the setting. For instance, on September 23rd, a Redditor, weedIizard, posted an altered version of the monkey boy featuring a Minecraft character in a monkey costume to the /r/traves subreddit.
A YouTuber, chickenbootsauce, also contributed a video featuring an original song inspired by the "Gay Little Monkey Boy" meme in October 2019; this musical piece, a rendition of a song initially posted on SoundCloud by Moe Lester (featuring Keeyoki and Nate), is presently inaccessible.
A playful tune about the "gay little monkey boy" meme:
This little monkey looks so stylish,
a truly flamboyant fellow.
In January 2020, an Instagram user, jacks_spam_n_such, posted a modified version that substituted the boy with a character from the anime Bakemonogatari, amassing over 800 likes within a couple of years. Meanwhile, on April 9th, Redditor Chaz4220 posted another variation, featuring the monkey boy in a Gamestop environment. This version garnered over 190 upvotes in a short span.
The meme's influence continued into 2021, prompting further creative adaptations. On March 3rd, Instagram page @hykeq posted a variation with Minecraft-inspired music, achieving considerable views during its eight-month run.
Further Viral Impact
On November 21st, 2021, the social media page boomer.jim created a variation of the image macro to satirize individuals who used to watch Ben Shapiro's anti-SJW videos, during Thanksgiving dinner, gaining significant approval, racking up over 38,900 likes within a day.
AI-Generated Images of the Gay Little Monkey
AI-generated images combining the "Gay Little Monkey" meme with various celebrities, emerged in November 2023, and quickly became viral. This innovative trend began with TikTok user @microplasticangel, who shared a slideshow of AI-generated images featuring singer Lana Del Rey and actor Timothée Chalamet having a Thanksgiving meal. Each adorned in their monkey attire, adding humour to the meme.
This slideshow, accompanied by Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You," achieved remarkable success, garnering millions of plays and thousands of likes in under a week.
Other images from @microplasticangel's TikTok were shared on X by @yassambassador, sparking discussion with the query "is this real?" This posting generated significant attention, garnering over 19,000 likes. The same day, a different user, @airbagged, used the meme in a different post on X, collecting over 41,000 likes.
On November 24th, 2023, a rendition depicting British singer Ed Sheeran in the "Gay Little Monkey" attire was posted to X by @Baileymoon15. This image received an astounding 80,000 likes within a mere couple of days.