History Main / CymbalBangingMonkey

* ''[[WesternAnimation/AMatterOfLoafAndDeath Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death]]: The villain uses one as a decoy, hiding it under a cloth to appear as a trapped animal, which when removed would make it start banging and alerting them.

[[folder:Theater]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebVideo/GloveAndBoots'' had shown this as a background prop in their earlier videos until it was sold on eBay because of the amount of money Mario spent on Hanzi's products. A photo of said monkey now resides on the area where the monkey used to be.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': In the particularly scary episode "Fear Itself," this trope was used to lighten the mood. The Titans hear an eerie "Help me...help meeeee..." coming from a closet. An innocent cymbal-banging monkey falls out and says "Help me, help me, help me count! One! Two! Three! Four!...."
** It's worth noting that Beast Boy smashes this monkey against the wall several episodes later.

Given that monkeys resemble humans (being a related species), the UnintentionalUncannyValley might have something to do with why these toys are so unnerving. The often deranged-looking [[SupernaturalGoldEyes yellow]] and [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] further accentuate the creepiness. Compare with CreepyDoll.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbal-banging_monkey_toy The toys really exist]] and are also known as the "Jolly Chimp." They're as creepy as you'd expect, but weren't designed to be; they were first released by the Japanese company Daishin C.K. during the 1950s.

* Z Wind-Up toys has a whole bunch of small, modern cymbal banging monkeys. They're a lot cuter then their, older, larger, battery operated counterparts.

* Z Wind-Up toys has a whole bunch of small, modern cymbal banging monkeys. Their a lot cuter then their, older, larger, battery operated counterparts.

* Yes, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymbal-banging_monkey_toy these things really exist]]. They're as creepy as you'd expect.

Can also be used for comedic effect, usually by having the monkey replace a person who is even ''more'' incompetent at the job in question.

* ''Series/Supergirl'': it is the symbol of traditional DC villain Toyman.

* ''Series/Gotham'': it is the symbol of Krank's toys, a version of the traditional DC villain Toyman.

* ''Series/Supergirl'': it is the symbol of tradition DC villain Toyman.

* ''Series/WonderWoman1975'': In "The Deadly Toys", a monkey toy claps its cymbals as Wonder Woman fights and is defeated by her robot doppelgänger.

* The opening sequence of ''Series/FridayThe13thTheSeries'' featured one.
* Tim finds one of these among a box of old toys in an episode of ''Series/HomeImprovement''.
* Basco ta Jolokia of ''Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger'' has a pet[=/=]assistant monkey named Sally, who wields cymbals as weapons and can produce giant monsters from a hatch in her chest.

* Inverted on the ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' December Holiday special when three were used in a Rube Goldberg holiday contraption. They're more comical than scary, plus they're hard to see amongst the rest of the gags.
* In ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'', as Spencer, Emily, and Hanna investigate a doll hospital, a cymbal monkey is among the dolls that comes to life to threaten them.
* In ''Series/StrangerThings'', Dustin Henderson has one of these in his bedroom. It’s seen briefly in the first episode of Season Three, where Eleven makes his toys start moving to lure him out to where she and the rest of his friends are waiting to surprise him - Eleven makes the monkey start clapping its cymbals together, seemingly by itself.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' had a laughing version of one of these while a repairman had his arm torn apart by a garbage disposal.
* ''Series/ATouchOfCloth'': Played for laughs with Jack Cloth's intentionally {{Narm}}y flashback to his wife's tragic death by murder, which has a random shot of a cymbal-banging monkey thrown in.
* ''Series/UltramanTaro'' has ‘Naughty Suzie’, a cymbal-banging monkey who acts as an assistant to the first Alien Temperor.

* [[BSODSong The Bride's Lament]] from ''Theatre/TheDrowsyChaperone'' -- otherwise known as "The Monkey Song." In keeping with the way this musical stretches a gag, puts roller skates on it, then attaches jet engines, the climax of the song involves an entire chorus of "monkeys" in their little red vests clashing real cymbals over the final chords.

* One of the gravestones outside 'Ride/TheHauntedMansion'' is a "stone" monkey with cymbals.

* In the Game Boy Advance game ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'', Mario can hang by the tail of a cymbal-banging monkey (called "Monchee" in the manual) to cross over a spiked pit, a long gap or some other dangerous area.

* At the end of the final level in ''VideoGame/ApeEscape 2'', you fight a giant robotic cymbal-clanging monkey. When you appear to defeat it, it falls away to reveal a HumongousMecha ape, the ''real'' boss of the level.
* A version with a real monkey is in ''VideoGame/EscapeFromMonkeyIsland''. The monkey is initially playing an accordion that Guybrush needs, so he swaps it for a pair of tiny cymbals which endlessly amuse the monkey for the rest of the game.
* In ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max Episode 101: Culture Shock]]'', a monkey serves as the form reader for Brady Culture's "Home" for Former Child Stars.

* Starting with Map Pack 3 in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWorldAtWar'' through ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps''' "FIVE" features a CymbalBangingMonkey strapped with C4 (called the Monkey Bomb) as a distraction device for the players to use. It is replaced by the Gersch Device in First Strike's Ascension.
** The ''Annihilation'' DLC map "Shangri-La" features the return of the Monkey Bomb as the distraction weapon.
* ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' has one of the three monkey gods be a cymbal monkey.
* In ''VideoGame/MoshiMonsters'', the room item "Antique Isle Monkey Cymbals" depicts character Chop Chop, complete with the outfit of the trope's image and a fez.

* ''VideoGame/BishiBashi Special'' features one in the minigame "Stay With the Rhythm!!"
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' there are two of them: The "Cymbal Monkey" and the [[PaletteSwap "Tricky Monkey".]] They're both recurring enemies, and [[spoiler: hide in fake treasure chests]].
* Tyko's partner Cymbi in ''VideoGame/HarmoKnight'' is one.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' has these disturbing things scattered all over the wasteland. Their eyes light up as soon as you get close enough, sometimes [[RedEyesTakeWarning red]] to remind you that no benevolent God could have produced them, and they may or may not make noise. Even worse, they're frequently either the triggers for raider booby traps or loud enough to wake up a room full of previously-hidden feral ghouls. Fortunately, it's entirely possible to decapitate them either by blowing their heads up, or whacking them with a melee weapon.
* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'': One of King Dice's sub-bosses (and one of the last ones before Dice himself) is Mr. Chimes, an eyeless cymbal monkey on a crane game claw.
* ''VideoGame/LetItDie'' has these strewn about the AmusementParkOfDoom as background scenery, as if the place wasn't already creepy enough.
* ''VideoGame/MutantYearZeroRoadToEden:'' A cymbal banging monkey is the UI icon for the DrawAggro skill "Joker."

* ''WebVideo/GloveAndBoots'' had shown this as a background prop in their earlier videos until it was sold on eBay because of the amount of money Mario spent on Hanzi's products. A photo of said monkey now resides on the area where the monkey used to be.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Obsoletely Fabulous", one of the inhabitants of the island of obsolete robots is a cymbal-banging monkey.

%%* The "Let Them Eat Cookies" episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThreeDelivery''.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' episode "Fear Itself", the Titans hear an eerie "Help me...help meeeee..." coming from a closet. An innocent cymbal-banging monkey falls out and says "Help me, help me, help me count! One! Two! Three! Four!...." It's played for comedy, though, so the scene is hilarious rather than creepy.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'', Static and Gear find themselves facing a giant cymbal-banging monkeybot. ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' ends up having to help them out.
* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' has one of this as part of a RubeGoldbergDevice built by The Brain.
* The Toy Monster in ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' definitely had one of these for a head.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' had him reducing his intelligence to the point of total idiocy; when it's time for one of his climactic brainstorms, the only thing left in his head is a monkey busily clanging away.
* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': In "Dexter's Assistant", Dexter makes Dee Dee smart enough to become the titular assistant for a ScienceFair project. She eventually considers herself too good to be the assistant of someone who can't stand having their calculations questioned and gives him one of those toy monkeys to be his new assistant. In the end, Dee Dee wins the fair and Dexter [[NeverMyFault blames the monkey]] for losing. While doing so, Dexter unwittingly places his nose in a position to be hit by the cymbals.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' where the villain is an obsessive toy collector, one of the toys in his lair is a creepy-looking drum-playing monkey of similar design to the classic cymbal-playing monkey.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E26SchoolRazePart2 School Raze – Part 2]]": As part of her plan to annoy Tirek enough that he'd help the Mane Six get out of Tartarus, Pinkie Pie dressing up as a monkey and banging her cymbals prove the last straw.
* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'': At the end of "Mxyzpixilated", Mr. Mxyzptlk turns a Superman action figure into a cymbal banging monkey toy wearing a Superman costume.
* In ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', Quackerjack's first appearance has him take out a security guard at a rival toy company with a giant cymbal banging ''gorilla''.

* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has a Bell Banging Monkey in [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-983 SCP-983]], who is able to [[OvernightAgeUp age a person up]] [[ABirthdayNotABreak on its birthday]] with each ring. It stops only if the person sings along, or ages until death.

* ''WebVideo/GloveAndBoots'' had shown this as a background prop in their earlier videos until it was accidentally knocked off the shelf, damaging it in the process. It was then sold on eBay and a photo of said monkey now resides on the area where the monkey used to be.

Given that monkeys resemble humans (being a related species), the UncannyValley might have something to do with why these toys are so unnerving. The often deranged-looking [[SupernaturalGoldEyes yellow]] and [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] further accentuate the creepiness. Compare with CreepyDoll.

* One of these was used to creepy effect in the trailers and the cover art for ''Monkey Shines'' - the actual film revolves around a [[ManiacMonkeys live homicidal monkey]] instead.

* In ''The Last: Naruto The Movie'', when Naruto and Konohamaru are going through Hiruzen Sarutobi's old stuff, they find one that is dressed up as Hiruzen. The toy is a pun on his clan name, Sarutobi, which means "monkey jump".

* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' has a Bell Banging Monkey in [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-983 SCP-983]], who is able to [[OvernightAgeUp age a person up]] [[ABirthdayNotABreak on its birthday]] with each ring. It stops only if the person sings along, or ages until death.

* ''Series/WonderWoman1975'': In "The Deadly Toys", the monkey claps its cymbals as she fights and is defeated by her robot doppelganger.

* ''Series/WonderWoman'': In 'The Deadly Toys' the monkey claps its' cymbals as she fights and is defeated by her robot doppelganger.

* In ''The Last: Naruto The Movie'', when Naruto and Konohamaru are going through Hiruzen Sarutobi's old stuff, they find one that is dressed up as Hiruzen. The toy is a pun on his clan name, Sarutobi, which means "monkey jump".

* In ''The Last:''Manga/Naruto'' The Movie'', when Naruto and Konohamaru are going through Hiruzen Sarutobi's old stuff, they find one that is dressed up as Hiruzen. The toy is a pun on his clan name, Sarutobi, which means "monkey jump".

* ''Machinima/GamerPoop'' featured one briefly in the fourth episode of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''. A guard asks the viewer if they've seen his monkey, only for the viewer to turn around and [[JumpScare find the monkey staring right at them]]. He even makes [[HellIsThatNoise a bunch of hissing sounds]] just to really amp up the creepiness factor.

* There's a weapon in ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time]]'' called the Chimpinator...if you use it on a robotic enemy, they turn into this.

* Also, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' used one in multiple episodes...

* In a ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode, the Titans hear an eerie "Help me...help meeeee..." coming from a closet. An innocent cymbal-banging monkey falls out and says "Help me, help me, help me count! One! Two! Three! Four!...." It's played for comedy though, the scene is hilarious rather than creepy.
** It's worth note that Beast Boy smashes this monkey against the wall several episodes later.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutron'' had him reducing his intelligence to the point of total idiocy; when it's time for one of his climactic brainstorms, the only thing left in his head is a monkey busily clanging away.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}''. Vander uses a cymbal-banging monkey toy to warn the children hiding in his basement to hide because Enforcers are upstairs looking for them. Later Powder fashions the same toy into a crude impact trigger for a hex crystal, never stopping to consider that she has no way to focus the explosion. The resulting explosion not only fails to kill her intended target, it ends up killing nearly everyone she was trying to save except for Vi.