Little monkeys ride tiny motorcycles
Check out these adorable uniformed monkeys zipping along the streets of Thailand on tiny motorcycles.
UPDATE: Neatorama has more about this here. (Via Telstar Logistics)
Previously on Boing Boing:
• Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey
the latest
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uh, I think they are being dragged on leashes...not quite as adorable as free will
I'm glad to see that Chim-Chim found work after the whole Speed Racer thing fell apart.
- yeff
If you don't keep the biker monkeys on leashes, they'll form motorcycle gangs and bust up bars and terrorize rural towns, and then eventually they'll start trafficking meth and kill a bunch of people at a rolling stones concert. A leash prevents all that.
The sounds from the bikes seemed real enough. And the acceleration from a stop seemed to say it was powered by some kind of small engine.
I'm pretty sure the leashes are to keep them from wandering. You can't give a monkey a sweet ride, then expect him to stick around. He's got miles to burn and countryside to see.
That's even awesomer than the skateboarding dog (pug?). Thank you boing boing :)
You think its cute, but that monkey just robbed a convenience store.
i want a pet monkey
I'm available
I like how the second one pulls his bike aside and waits for traffic to subside.
I hope none of them are named Aldo.
@#10: Nope, but they do have a "Caesar" from Ricardo Montalban's circus...
Seems cruel.
That's a common street show in Asian countries. I haven't seen any of the monkey-wallahs using a motorbike but in India a lot of them travel with a pair of monkeys and put on a show with the monkey dressed in jeans and the female monkey as the damsel imitating famous movies or stars. The handlers usually carry a small percussion drum to let everyone in the neighborhood know. Some also have parrots who will pick out your fortune from a card deck.
call that a monkey?
http://media3.guzer.com/pictures/monkey_motorcycle.jpg
Monkey Mildred: What're you rebelling against, Johnny?
Monkey Johnny: Whaddya got? ...........Bananas?
i bet those monkeys could score more tail than most boing boing readers.
myself included.
I have to confess I was immidiately sidetracked by the "10 things you didnt know about Rick Astley" link in the Neatorama link.
I'm going to employ that ingenious training technique on my wife. It should work: Her IQ is about the same.
guess who's sleeping in the garage this week
Very sad...they're just being dragged along by their leash.
Animal's acting like humans are rarely adorable or humane.
###
there is no engine. watch the evil guy squatting on the curb and you'll see he's pulling the string to accelerate our poor, captive simian.
I'm surprised that Boing Boing is perpetuating the "isn't this so cute" thing.
Cheeky comments and quips aside, this is animal abuse. It'd break my heart to see that in person.
I ride motorcycles, and it's clear in most of the footage at least that the monkey is in control of a motorcycle (as opposed to the "reel him in" theory). What absolutely blows my mind is the math - as you can see in the last bit especially, the acceleration possible with a little monkey is incredible, and the task of controlling it is doable. Think intelligence over power/weight ratio.
I agree, that struck me too, the hand/eye intuititive use of technology (damed dirty apes!)
I was wondering, you know the Ton-Up Club? And the Mile High Club? Has anyone ever.....
...oh no, it just occurred to me what this leads to logically...
CHIMPS WITH DIRTBIKES! NOWHERE SAFE TO RUN!
We must keep alert to this danger.
I thought all motocrossers were chimps?
-nothing?- ......any minute now.....(whistling)..... (finger tapping)......
..*tall and tan da da da da dah*.....
I always hum that when I'm killing time. It makes me feel like I'm in an elevator.
Nope, not buying the bike has an engine theory at all. The motor sounds are from the street. You really can see the owner give a sharp tug that propels the monkey along. The monkey is not resisting. He helps a lot because he knows there is a treat at the end of the performance for him. But no way is he driving a tiny bike with a tiny motor.
Doesn't look like a leash to me. Looks like a leash to keep him from GOING elsewhere, but I definitely don't see him being dragged.
Also, the stop look / listen both ways rearing up on the back wheel is priceless.
OK,on actually looking at the video this time, yah,you see the organ grinder jerking the line. Pity, it was more fun the other way.
Spoilsport
It's my job.
Phase I is complete.
Phase II involves weapons training.
Phase III is Total World Domination
Did anyone notice the cars the people are driving are not much bigger than the monkey's bike?
Better little monkeys on motorbikes than big monkeys running a whole friggin country!
Yeah, he's being pulled. He's learned how to stay up on a bike, but that's it.
This is so sad and so fucked up.
sad yes, since it isn't a human baby,not fucked up.
Much.
Sad, maybe. Fucked up, probably. Sorry, it's still cute.
You know what kills me? The one thing I noticed when I watched this, is that the monkey instinctively looked both ways and watched the traffic before getting on his motorcycle again. The KIDS in our community don't do that!
@#10: Please tell me you were making a Mary Worth reference...!
@29
"You really can see the owner give a sharp tug that propels the monkey along. The monkey is not resisting. He helps a lot because he knows there is a treat at the end of the performance for him"
And possibly because being dragged along tarmac using your face as a brake hurts quite a lot. Well, it did last time I tried it.
There are two different monkeys! The first one looks like he might be riding a tiny motorcycle while the second one looks like he's just being tugged.
the 2nd one definitely looks like he's being yanked. watch his handler after he makes the first pass.
PRAY FOR....MOJO
"Adorable"? That's just creepy, and business as usual for the monkey. The bright red ass, the shit-throwing, the eating the fingers of addled old gappers.....
I hate the monkey.
All I can think is "This sets a dangerous precedent"-- consider all those 60's biker films like "The Wild Angels" coming true with monkeys this time-- I know in India they have problems with monkeys in some towns-- imagine that but with motorcycles added. I predict monkey biker gangs ("The Simian Samuri" or "The Rhesus Rebels") terrorizing towns someday, stealing food and hurling feces from tricked out mini-motocycles.
The second monkey in the video is definitely being yanked. Watch the 'master' and how hard he yanks the poor little monkey when the monkey is farthest away from the camera; he's putting all his weight and upper body strength into a balance shift. The money is probably leashed to the chassis of the bike to stop him from being yanked off too.
Sad indeed.
What amazes me is the cars driving past. In what human society is the sight of a monkey possibly riding a motorcycle not the cause of an immediate traffic jam?
#49: In a place where it is a common occurrence. A newly installed electronic video billboard causes traffic problems in places where drivers aren't acclimated to them. People get used to it quickly and soon you can tell who the tourists are because of how they're always slowing down to check it out.
#50: Maybe, but I can see myself braking hard every time every time a lower primate on wheels gets near, and around Detroit we get things in the streets every day that would be traffic stoppers in most towns.
#51: Yeah, I drive more cautiously when there are kids playing on the street too. That's probably what the leash is for. Those monkeys probably get Walken's Syndrome once in a while and I'm sure the guy doesn't wanna lose his primate or that spiffy motorcycle.
Why can't you do it? Why can't you set your monkey free?
I'm shocked boing boing would allow such animal cruelty to be shown as mere entertainment.
As much as I love this site and read it every day. I'm really close to dropping it. The only saving grace is the fact it seems to be a misunderstanding on the part of the poster believing it is just some kind of harmless entertainment, but then some people think putting dogs into rings to fight each other is harmless entertainment too but I'm damn sure I wouldn't read a site that was promoting it.
Monkeys like this are beaten and tortured so they learn to stand up straight and walk like humans and perform these bizarre acts.
Most unhappy you subjected me to this.
what? no gratitude for being given a public platform to make your point?
#55 I think I already showed my appreciation of the site saying that I love it and read it daily.
that was just good manners, why not rephrase your statement in a positive way?
#55 I'm not in the habit of writing in comments that I love websites and visit them daily just to be courteous. I wrote that because it was true.
I see no need to rephrase anything I've written. I wrote what I wanted to say and let it go be free with all the other comments that live up there in the cloud.
Perhaps you're just feeling a sense of guilt that you've done nothing but poke fun about the cruelty being shown in the video throughout the thread of comments.
guilt? moi? I hate monkeys, I'd certainly never bring them into my home. That is my service to them.
Indulge me a moment:
"Dear BB, I enjoy reading your site and visit often, thank you. I must say though, that this particular item causes me distress. The exploitation of the monkey in the video may not be apparent to those who do not understand the background. These animals are frequently abused and maltreated to force them to perform unnatural behaviours. I think it is important that you include mention of this to raise awareness and further anti-animal cruelty education. Thank you again, I trust you will do the right thing in future."
Now, is that substantially different? Does it piss anyone off? Is so weak-kneed as to be ignorable?
Takuan allow me to try and put things into some perspective here.
A video is posted of a monkey tied to a bike being dragged forcibly along a busy road back and forth for the amusement of onlookers. Clearly abusive to the animal, whether you want them in your house or not.
With that in mind you take issue with the reaction someone has to this, not the cruelty itself. I find that odd but then your light hearted comments about a monkey being abused also seemed odd to me.
I had a strong reaction to the posting and I stand by what I wrote. If it pisses anyone off that has the ability to delete these posts, then so be it. If anyone feels my words do not belong in these comments, please complain, I wont be offended if they are removed.
My intention was not to piss anyone off, just to write about my reaction to this video. If the posting had been about care bears looking for their magic rainbow, the tone in my comments would have reflected that. Animal cruelty posted as entertainment however will never earn my respect or garner a positive reaction from me.
an ancient cliche and utterly true: sugar over vinegar. Persuasion beats preaching.
I am quite serious about assisting you in your avowed aims.
Sometimes of course, "First, you get their attention"
I agree Takuan, given some time for reflection I'd probably have written something designed to persuade.
I didn't allow time for reflection and I'm still glad I didn't. I just wrote what I felt was true about my reaction and for better or for worse, there it sits above us.
"note to self: re-read how to win friends and influence people"
and on the plus side, perhaps some reading this discussion might reflect about monkeys