Used monkeys for slapstick comedy and novelty, often with poor animal welfare.

In the 1970s, shows like Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp featured an all-chimpanzee cast with dubbed human voices, parodying popular spy thrillers. Decades later, sitcoms continued to lean into primate comedy. NBC’s Friends introduced , who belonged to Ross Geller. Marcel became an overnight pop culture phenomenon, driving plotlines and showcasing the era's reliance on animal-driven humor. Animation and Children’s Media

: Shows like Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp (1970) featured live chimpanzees dressed in human clothes, with voices dubbed over their moving mouths. While a ratings success at the time, it represented the peak of treating primates purely as anthropomorphic props. The Monstrous and the Majestic: Apes as Cultural Icons

Monkeys allowed viewers to experience fear, laughter, and chaos without moral weight. A monkey throwing poop was funny; a human doing the same would be deranged.

In Hinduism, Hanuman is a noble deity shaped like a monkey, symbolizing ultimate devotion, courage, and selfless service in the epic Ramayana . Western Fables and Exoticism

Perhaps the most famous primate of this era was from the Tarzan films. While played by several different chimpanzees over the decades, the character established the trope of the "simian sidekick"—the loyal, clever companion who often proved more resourceful than the human protagonist. King Kong: The Primate as Powerhouse

Mojo Jojo, a mutated chimpanzee mad scientist, subverted the "dumb animal" trope by becoming a hyper-intelligent, verbose supervillain, reflecting anxieties about scientific experimentation gone wrong. 4. Gaming and Digital Media: From Pixels to Internet Memes

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: Featured in The Wizard of Oz (1939), these characters represented a major shift into fantasy and horror, proving that primates could effectively depict surreal, unsettling threats.

: The app has a controversial reputation in popular media. Safeguarding groups like Common Sense Media Protect Young Eyes