The world is going ape over the adorable 8-month-old Japanese macaque named Punch, who, after being abandoned by his mother, “adopted” a stuffed orangutan toy at his new habitat at Tokyo’s Ichikawa Zoo.

Zookeepers believe Punch’s first-time mother became overly stressed during a heat wave and left him to fend for himself shortly after he was born in July.

Sadly, the other monkeys at the zoo didn’t warm to the “new kid on the block,” so the zookeepers hatched a plan and for comfort gave Punch a toy orangutan they bought at IKEA.

The two hit it off right off the bat. The zoo has posted videos of Punch toting his new best friend around, melting hearts all over the world. (The toy has even sold out at IKEA!)

No word yet on what Punch named his new friend.

This story Inside the Sweet Friendship Between Punch the Monkey and an Orangutan Plush Toy first appeared on National Examiner. Add National Examiner as a Preferred Source by clicking here.