Ikea's spot-on response to the DJUNGELSKOG orangutan craze Is a PR lesson worth studying says Monisha Mudaliar

In early 2026, the internet fell in love again. This time, it wasn’t a celebrity, a penguin, a campaign launch or a meticulously engineered brand stunt. It was a 7-month-old Japanese macaque named Punch at the Ichikawa City Zoo. Rejected by his mother shortly after birth, Punch struggled to integrate with his troop. 

Zookeepers introduced a soft toy, a 36cm DJUNGELSKOG orangutan, to comfort him. He clung to it, slept with it and carried it everywhere.Within days, the videos travelled globally.  And just like that, IKEA found itself at the centre of one of the most organic brand moments of the year so far.

The Anatomy of an Accidental Sell-Out

In the trail of the video, the Ikea DJUNGELSKOG orangutan plush began selling out across multiple markets: Japan, Singapore, the United States; with resellers listing it online at several times its retail price. What had long been a steady children’s plush product suddenly became a cultural artifact.

Why This Worked

We often mislabel virality as luck. Maybe it’s not? Punch appealed to the algorithms and the audiences.This story worked because it condensed 3 psychological triggers into one frame:

1. Protective instinct: A vulnerable infant seeking comfort.

2. Symbolism: A toy representing surrogate security.

3. Universality: A narrative that transcends language and geography.

IKEA’s Cultural Intelligence Moment

The most interesting aspect, from a brand perspective, is not that the toy sold out. It’s how Ikea responded. In moments like this, commercialisation would have been tone-deaf. And to their credit, IKEA didn’t overplay it.

Petra Färe, president of IKEA Japan, visited Ichikawa City Zoo and donated additional plush toys, including more DJUNGELSKOG orangutans. The messaging was simple: they were touched. Globally, teams took to social media and responded in their own ways. Spain shared a protective visual with warm copywriting. Hong Kong recreated the moment with its in-store plush. Canada produced a light-touch video built around comfort. That decentralized response is interesting. It shows both the freedom local markets have and how differently tone can land when the entire internet is watching the same story.

The opportunity for Ikea here is significant.

The risk lies in overcapitalising too quickly. Once a product becomes a symbol, aggressive monetisation can erode the very sentiment that created demand. Ikea could look at:

• Limited edition restocks tied to credible animal welfare partnerships.
• Thoughtful storytelling around comfort and emotional safety (themes already deeply aligned with the brand’s positioning around home and belonging.
• Controlled merchandise extensions (provided they feel like a natural continuation of the story rather than a commercial grab).

The Bigger Lesson for Marketers

Punch did what multimillion-dollar campaigns attempt to do: he made people feel something  authentic instantly. That is “influence” in it’s truest form. Check out how Mumbai police rode the trend.

Monisha Mudaliar, is founder, MonZ Media.