The Monkey
Encyclopedia
"The Monkey" is a short story
by Stephen King
, first published in Gallery magazine
in 1980. It was significantly revised and published in King's collection Skeleton Crew
in 1985.
that is possessed by an evil spirit. Every time the monkey claps its little cymbals together, a nearby living thing dies. The monkey is found in a family's attic in an old toy chest by two young brothers, unknowing that their father had been tormented by the monkey years ago, when it worked its lethal enchantment
on his family and friends. The dad takes the monkey and throws it in the lake in his backyard. The story ends with an excerpt of a newspaper article which reports on a mysterious die-off of fish in the lake.
episode "Chinga", scripted by Stephen King, deals with a cursed doll and bears similarities to "The Monkey". This doll, which deals out suffering in much the same way as the monkey, also finds itself sinking to the bottom of a lake at the end of the episode.
The film The Devil’s Gift
is very similar to "The Monkey," leading some to believe that the filmmakers plagiarized
the story. The Devil's Gift was later re-edited as the second story in the film Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders
, which was featured on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
In the Supernatural
episode "Home", the evil entity of the episode possesses a toy monkey with cymbols, which turned on the garbage disposal while a plumber was working with the sink.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, first published in Gallery magazine
Gallery (magazine)
Gallery is a men's magazine begun by Montcalm Publishing in 1972. It is one of the more popular "skin" magazines that arose on the Playboy magazine pattern in the 1970s...
in 1980. It was significantly revised and published in King's collection Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew is the second collection of short fiction by Stephen King. The first collection, Night Shift, was published seven years prior in 1978. Different Seasons, a collection of four novellas, was published between the two in 1982. Skeleton Crew was originally published in hardcover form by...
in 1985.
Plot summary
The story centers on a cymbal-banging monkey toyCymbal-banging monkey toy
A cymbal-banging monkey toy is a mechanical depiction of a monkey holding a cymbal in each hand. When activated it repeatedly bangs its cymbals together and, in some cases, bobs its head, chatters, grins, does flips, and more...
that is possessed by an evil spirit. Every time the monkey claps its little cymbals together, a nearby living thing dies. The monkey is found in a family's attic in an old toy chest by two young brothers, unknowing that their father had been tormented by the monkey years ago, when it worked its lethal enchantment
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
on his family and friends. The dad takes the monkey and throws it in the lake in his backyard. The story ends with an excerpt of a newspaper article which reports on a mysterious die-off of fish in the lake.
Similar stories
The X-FilesThe X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
episode "Chinga", scripted by Stephen King, deals with a cursed doll and bears similarities to "The Monkey". This doll, which deals out suffering in much the same way as the monkey, also finds itself sinking to the bottom of a lake at the end of the episode.
The film The Devil’s Gift
The Devil’s Gift
The Devil's Gift is a 1984 horror film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film's plot is similar to that of the Stephen King short story "The Monkey", leading many to believe that the filmmakers plagiarized the story...
is very similar to "The Monkey," leading some to believe that the filmmakers plagiarized
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
the story. The Devil's Gift was later re-edited as the second story in the film Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders
Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders
Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders is a 1996 fantasy/horror film directed by Kenneth J. Berton. The film stars Ernest Borgnine, who plays a grandfather telling his grandson a story about the wizard Merlin opening up a store in modern-day America...
, which was featured on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
In the Supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
episode "Home", the evil entity of the episode possesses a toy monkey with cymbols, which turned on the garbage disposal while a plumber was working with the sink.