56-479: Monkey (also known as The Monkey , ITV Digital Monkey or PG Tips Monkey , and often pronounced / ˈ m u ŋ k ɛ / in imitation of Johnny Vegas ' Lancashire accent ), is a puppet advertising character in the form of a knitted sock monkey . He was first produced by The Jim Henson Company via their UK Creature Shop , puppeteered by Nigel Plaskitt and Susan Beattie and voiced by comedian Ben Miller . Monkey has appeared in advertising campaigns in
112-501: A chimpanzee (the CHimp logo on his tea-shirt puns on CH sounding like the Chinese word for tea ), and his response to Al's idea that he may be "half monkey-half chimp" is limited to "speak for yourself". Though he claims to be a "ladies' monkey", he is caught by Al surfing dating sites, giving exaggerated descriptions of his physical appearance. He is sometimes shown wearing a woman's nightcap ,
168-588: A sheath dress and a ballet tutu . He gets distressed if tea is made in the wrong order. When the ITV Digital ads came out Monkey was instantly famous and ITV Digital put Plushies in the package for the box. Johnny Vegas Michael Joseph Pennington (born 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas , is an English actor, comedian, director and writer. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent , husky voice, angry comedic rants, and use of surreal humour . Vegas' television roles have included Moz in
224-511: A character designer, and was also famous for Happy Tree Friends as an animator, storyboard artist, director, and writer. He would later work as a character designer for Rio . After the critical and commercial failure of the 2003 film The Cat in the Hat , Dr. Seuss ' widow, Audrey Geisel , was so dissatisfied with the film that she then decided not to allow any more live-action feature films based on his work. In March 2005, as Blue Sky Studios
280-498: A factory, and was a barman at a local pub. Between 1994 and 1997, he was a member of Cluub Zarathustra , a comedy performance group led by Stewart Lee , Roger Mann, and Simon Munnery . In 1996, Vegas made his television debut as a contestant on Win, Lose or Draw in the UK under his real name, but made references to the fact he wanted to be a comedian and that his stage name was "Johnny Vegas". He featured on The Big Breakfast during
336-507: A flower. Horton finds out the speck harbors the city of Whoville and its inhabitants, the Whos, led by Mayor Ned McDodd, whose family includes his wife, Sally; 96 daughters whose names all begin with the letter H; and one teenage son named JoJo. Despite being the oldest child and next in line for the mayoral position, JoJo does not want to be the next mayor, and he does not speak due to his fear of disappointing his father. Once Horton begins carrying
392-402: A huge musical contribution and reveals that JoJo's "true" passion is music, but still fails to penetrate the surface of the speck. The Kangaroo snatches the flower from the captured Horton and prepares to drop it into the pot. Meanwhile, JoJo grabs the horn used to project Horton's voice, runs up the highest tower, and screams his first word, breaking through the sound barrier just seconds before
448-497: A makeshift umbrella for Whoville. The film ends with the Whos and the animals of Nool gathering to recite the chorus from "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon, and it is revealed that the Jungle of Nool (and Earth as a whole) is just one speck, like Whoville, among numerous others, floating in space. Other animals that appear as residents of the Jungle of Nool are Deer Whose-horns-are-connected-from-one-to-the-other from If I Ran
504-560: A massive field of identical pink flowers causing an apocalyptic tremor in Whoville. After unsuccessfully picking 2,999,999 flowers, Horton eventually recovers the flower (exactly the 3,000,000th flower), also revealing himself to the rest of Whoville. The Kangaroo eventually finds out that Horton still has the speck, fires Vlad, and rallies the jungle community into arresting Horton, preying on their fears that their own children will become chaotic delinquents under his influence. Upon cornering him,
560-507: A new audio series of The Wombles for BBC Radio 4, with Richard E. Grant as voice actor. In 2003, Vegas played Jackie Symes in the film The Virgin of Liverpool , Alf Prince in the film Cheeky and Trevor in the film Blackball . In 2004, he played Dave in the film Sex Lives of the Potato Men and voiced Uncle Stewart in the film Terkel in Trouble . In 2013, Vegas was the voice of Abu
616-521: A one-off comedy pilot called Home From Home , playing the lead role of Neil Hackett. Filmed at Skiddaw View Holiday Park, the episode aired on BBC Two on 30 August 2016. In December 2016 it was announced that Home From Home had been commissioned for a full series to air on BBC One in 2018. Beginning in September 2019, Vegas has starred as the voice of the title character in the surreal children's animated series The Rubbish World of Dave Spud . He
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#1732906287877672-402: A period during the advertising campaign and after ITV Digital's bankruptcy, the original promotional Monkey toys were in high demand and short supply. One sold for £150 at the bankruptcy auction and they were selling for several hundred pounds on eBay , where customers could also find replica Monkey knitting patterns delivered by email selling for several pounds. Later, The Gadget Shop purchased
728-522: A role in Pot Shots (collaborating with Roger Law ), a film made for an international gathering of potters. This led to his work being acquired for a collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum and a commission from Old Spice to design a bottle for their aftershave . In 2014, he directed a music video for Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott . That year he also published his autobiography. In May 2017, it
784-425: Is "safely invested in a portfolio of bananas ". Despite his turbulent relationship with Al, the two share the same bed. Monkey is shown to be very passionate about tea , his favourite serving method being "three stirs clockwise, two stirs back, one and three quarters sugars ". He vehemently insists that tea bags should precede milk when brewing. His exact species is never clarified; Monkey himself denies being
840-415: Is a regular panellist on the quiz show QI , having starred in 12 episodes as of 2019. He has appeared as a guest panellist and team captain on Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown , appearing in 11 episodes. On 9 September 2017 he gained critical acclaim for his long poem about a drunk patron during last calls before bars closing. In 2023 it was announced that Vegas would be the director for
896-546: Is both whimsical and heartwarming, and is the rare Dr. Seuss adaptation that stays true to the spirit of the source material." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film version an "A−" grade on an "A+" to "F" scale. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a delight, brimming with colorful, elastic characters and bountiful wit." John Anderson of Variety wrote: "The real stars of
952-498: Is sometimes portrayed as being quite cowardly; for example his refusal to take responsibility for dropping a ceramic bowl dating back to 3000 BC, despite being filmed doing so. He is also prone to miserliness , having admitted that he re-uses discarded plasters he finds in swimming pools . Monkey hoards both his and Al's wages, deliberately neglecting to inform the naive Al of the fact that they are in fact paid for their work, stating "I don't bother Al with details" and that his money
1008-639: The 1954 book of the same name by Dr. Seuss , produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox . The film was directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino (in their feature directorial debuts ), from a screenplay written by the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio . It stars the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell as Horton the Elephant and Mayor Ned McDodd, respectively, alongside Carol Burnett , Will Arnett , Seth Rogen , Dan Fogler , Isla Fisher , Jonah Hill , and Amy Poehler . Recurring Blue Sky collaborator John Powell composed
1064-552: The BBC Three dark comedy Ideal (2005–2011), Geoff Maltby ("The Oracle") in the ITV sitcom Benidorm (2007–2009, 2015–2017), and Eric Agnew in the BBC One sitcom Still Open All Hours (2013–2019). He has also been a regular guest panellist on the television comedy panel shows QI and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown . Vegas was born Michael Joseph Pennington on 5 September 1970, in
1120-559: The Football League led to the broadcaster suffering massive losses, forcing it to enter administration in March 2002). PG launched a website selling the newly branded "PG Monkey" merchandise with profits being donated to Comic Relief, who still own the intellectual property rights. The online shop has since closed but during promotions PG Tips have given away free mini-Monkeys packaged with their tea. On May 1, 2024, PG Tips officially retired
1176-781: The Thatto Heath area of St Helens, Lancashire . He has an older sister and two older brothers, alongside whom he was brought up as Catholic . At the age of 11, he attended the boarding school and seminary St Joseph's College in Up Holland to train for the priesthood, but came back homesick after four terms. Vegas earned a BA in Art and Ceramics from Middlesex University in the Hendon area of London, then returned to his home town and took various odd jobs; he worked in an Argos warehouse, sold boiler insurance door-to-door, packed bottles of Cif in
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#17329062878771232-613: The BBC adaptation of Dickens' Bleak House . Between 2007 and 2009, Vegas played Geoff Maltby , aka "The Oracle" , in the ITV sitcom Benidorm and from 2015 to 2017. In 2012, Vegas played the role of Mr. Croombe in a television adaptation of David Walliams ' children's novel Mr Stink . In 2014, Vegas voiced Fat Baz in the ITV4 animated sitcom Warren United . In August 2014, Vegas took part in ITV's two-part documentary series Secrets from
1288-719: The BBC commissioned a variety show to be hosted by Monkey. A pilot was filmed titled "Watch with Monkey" and featured Dawn French and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain . The pilot has never been televised. In January 2007, Monkey and Vegas reprised their double act in a new series of advertisements for PG Tips tea. The first advertisement was named "The Return" and the adverts make reference to PG Tips' popular series of adverts featuring live chimps which ran between 1956 and 2002, as well as to ITV Digital going out of business (on which low audience figures, piracy issues and an ultimately unaffordable multi-million pound deal with
1344-593: The Clink . In May 2013, Vegas played the role of Lord Ratspeaker in a BBC radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere , adapted by Dirk Maggs. Since 26 December 2013, Vegas has played Wet Eric Agnew in the revived BBC sitcom Still Open All Hours . Vegas has guest presented numerous episodes of Sunday Brunch for Channel 4 . In August 2015, he narrated the four-part series Travel Guides for ITV. In 2016, he took part in ITV's celebrity driving show Drive , hosted by Vernon Kay . In August 2016, Vegas starred in
1400-490: The Kangaroo offers Horton a final chance to renounce Whoville's existence. Horton refuses, and despite the heartfelt speech that he gives, the Kangaroo orders the animals to rope and cage him, and to have the speck and Whoville destroyed in a pot of beezlenut oil. The Mayor enlists all of his people to make noise, so that all the animals will find out they're really there, assisted by JoJo's "Symphonophone", an invention which creates
1456-508: The Monkey character, stating that he was having a "well-deserved retirement". Monkey also appeared in a short advertising film which was shown in cinemas at the beginning of selected showings of Horton Hears a Who , The Spiderwick Chronicles , Hannah Montana 3D and The Game Plan . The film was released on 21 March 2008. The film is called A Tale of Two Continents and has Monkey portraying various historical figures as he attempts to make
1512-519: The Thinks You Can Think! , and Giant Lizards (lizard-like creatures, which have spines and, unlike regular lizards , have fur, and tufts on their tails, which possibly resemble the Giant Lizard from Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! ), which were designed by Jason Sadler, a former animator, storyboard artist, designer, and voice actor on Dick Figures , who also works for Blue Sky Studios as
1568-598: The United Kingdom for both the defunct television company ITV Digital and the tea brand PG Tips , as well as being occasionally featured in TV programmes. Monkey's first appearance was 11 July 2001, featuring in ITV Digital. Monkey is notable as one of a small number of advertising characters to eclipse the popularity of the product they advertise and also to be reused to advertise a completely different product. In May 2024, Monkey
1624-690: The United States and Canada, Horton Hears a Who! was also the #1 film its second weekend of release, grossing $ 25 million over the Easter frame, in 3,961 theaters and averaging $ 6,208 per venue. It dropped to #2 in its third weekend grossing $ 17.8 million in 3,826 theaters and averaging $ 4,637 per venue. At the international box office it remained at #1 in its third week. Horton Hears a Who! , like other Dr. Seuss creations, contains layered subtexts and messages. A major theme regards learning about universal values between vastly different places and people, as shown by
1680-416: The United States and Canada, and ranking #1 at the box office. The film also had the strongest opening for a film starring Jim Carrey since Bruce Almighty , with the same applying to his costar in both films, Steve Carell. The film previously had the fourth-largest opening weekend in March, behind Ice Age , Ice Age: The Meltdown and 300 , and as of September 2012, it ranks on the 15th place. In
1736-630: The Zoo , Zatz-its from On Beyond Zebra! , Long-Legger Kwongs and Ruffle-Necked Sala-ma-gooxes from Scrambled Eggs Super! , other yaks (which resembled the Yawning Yellow Yak from Dr. Seuss's ABC ), other bears (which like Tommy and his father Willie and unlike most bears (especially ones from other Dr. Seuss's stories) have muzzles which shape like and resemble those of a bovidae and hippo snouts and have stripes), Zongs ( anteater -like creatures which resemble walking vacuum cleaners ) from Oh,
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1792-462: The book and its predecessor Horton Hatches the Egg . Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio were then hired to write the script, to be directed by Hayward and Martino with a set release date of early 2008. Geisel was credited as an executive producer and watched production up close, and also gave the directors full access to her late husband's archives, including his original sketches, 3-D sculptures, work done for
1848-463: The chairman, the fickle herd mentality of the jungle community (save Horton's students and Morton) and Horton still forgiving Sour Kangaroo, and the ending shot of all of the worlds being specks in space. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 9, 2008. Three versions of the DVD are available: a single-disc edition, a 2-disc special edition, and a gift set packaged with
1904-535: The faith for his good upbringing. In July 2014, Vegas was made an Honorary Doctor of Literature (HonDLitt) by Edge Hill University . Vegas is a supporter of the Labour Party and has spoken about his appreciation for the NHS . Horton Hears a Who! (film) Horton Hears a Who! (also known as Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! or simply Horton ) is a 2008 American animated adventure comedy film based on
1960-511: The film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953), and even memos Dr. Seuss traded with Chuck Jones during the production of the Grinch TV special . For references in doing the character animation, along with footage of the voice actors performing their lines, the Blue Sky animators recorded themselves performing the script in an "acting room" to see what of their body language could translate well into
2016-409: The film's musical score. It is the fourth screen adaptation of the book following the 1970 Chuck Jones television special , the 1987 Soviet animated short, and the 1992 Russian animated short. The film was released theatrically on March 14, 2008, to generally positive reviews, and grossed $ 298 million on a budget of $ 85 million. Horton Hears a Who! was the third Dr. Seuss feature film adaptation,
2072-466: The film's soundtrack album was composed by John Powell . A soundtrack consisting of the film's score was released on March 25, 2008, by Varèse Sarabande . Near the end of the picture, the cast comes together and sings the song " Can't Fight This Feeling " by REO Speedwagon . Other songs featured in the film include: On Rotten Tomatoes 79% of 136 reviews were positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's consensus reads, " Horton Hears A Who!
2128-534: The film. To make Horton different from the mammoths Blue Sky created for the Ice Age series, he would at times stand and walk upright and bipedally on two legs in a way that made him look like "a fat man in an elephant suit". The directors noticed Horton's design in the book varied according to his emotion, and the 3D wireframe tried to allow for the same effects, with a bigger mouth to allow for wider facial expressions like those of Jim Carrey. The original score for
2184-502: The first adaptation to be fully animated using CGI technology, the first and so far only theatrical film adaptation to receive positive reviews, and the second Dr. Seuss film starring Jim Carrey after How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). In the Jungle of Nool, Horton the Elephant , the jungle's eccentric nature teacher, hears a tiny yelp coming from a floating dust speck and gives chase to it before placing it on top of
2240-641: The hamster in the British film The Harry Hill Movie . Vegas provided the voice for Asbo in the 2018 Aardman Animations film Early Man . Vegas appeared in Joe Orton 's The Erpingham Camp at the 2000 Edinburgh Festival . In 2001, Vegas starred as Al in adverts for ITV Digital with a puppet named Monkey (voiced by Ben Miller ). In 2007, he reprised the role in adverts for PG Tips tea. Having achieved fame in entertainment, Vegas received plaudits for his ceramic work. Ceramic Review praised him, leading to
2296-548: The help of his best friend Morton the mouse, Horton decides to place the speck atop Mt. Nool, the safest place in the jungle. The head of the jungle, the Sour Kangaroo, who refuses to believe that the Whos exist, demands numerous times that Horton give up the speck for overshadowing her authority, but Horton refuses. Also taking force toward Horton are the Wickersham Brothers, a group of monkeys who like to cause havoc around
Monkey (character) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2352-552: The jackpot of £10,200. In 2002, Vegas starred in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Night Class , which he co-wrote with Tony Burgess and Tony Pitts, with Dirk Maggs as director. Vegas played a former Butlin's redcoat teaching evening classes in pottery. It was a runner-up for best comedy at the Sony Radio Academy Awards . He starred in the BBC Three sitcom Ideal as Moz from 2005 to 2011. In 2005 he played Krook in
2408-412: The jungle. Eventually, the Kangaroo enlists a sinister but idiotic vulture named Vlad Vladikoff to get rid of the speck by force. He initially only agrees to do it in exchange for the Kangaroo's son Rudy, but when she threatens to hire the Wickersham Brothers to do it, he eventually decides to do it for free. After a few failed attempts, Vlad manages to steal the flower away from Horton and drops it into
2464-454: The movie are the animators, who imbue even the overgrowth in Horton's jungle with a certain floppy Seuss-ishness." Horton Hears a Who! grossed a total of $ 298.5 million on an $ 85 million budget. $ 154.5 million came from the United States and Canada, and $ 145 million from other territories. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $ 45 million in 3,954 theaters, averaging $ 11,384 per theater in
2520-447: The perfect cup of tea in the Kenya tea farms and then safely take it across the world to England for The Queen . The film was also given away on DVD with special packs of PG Tips tea. In Monkey - Hero of Our Time , Monkey writes that his "parents owned a toy shop"; however, this was forced into closure in '1982'. He said "[a]s my parents were clearing away and throwing out what was left of
2576-515: The pride he takes in it; he is well known for being active in supporting the local community. He fulfilled a lifetime ambition by appearing for St Helens RFC in Keiron Cunningham 's testimonial rugby league game, a friendly against Hull FC , in 2005. In December 2012, Vegas said that he had recently returned to the Roman Catholic faith in which his parents brought him up, and credited
2632-469: The programme's final months before it ended in March 2002. His appearance was briefly shown during Channel 4 's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and BBC Three 's Almost Famous 2 . Vegas gained a wider audience as a regular member of Shooting Stars . His character was a pitiable sort always nursing a pint of Guinness. In 2001 he appeared on the Weakest Link , in a comedians special and beat Barry Cryer to win
2688-479: The quote "A person's a person, no matter how small". This is employed on many levels: primarily with Horton and the Mayor of Whoville making contact and championing each other to the point where everyone around them eventually learns the truth about the speck that Whoville resides on; but also with the Mayor and Sour Kangaroo's relationships with their respective sons, Horton and the Mayor being challenged by Sour Kangaroo and
2744-493: The remaining promotional toys from ITV Digital's liquidators and sold them through their retail stores. These saw a boost in popularity after an appearance in the second series of award-winning British sitcom The Office . As Monkey was created and owned by advertising agency Mother rather than by ITV Digital itself, he was the subject of a legal dispute as both claimed the rights to the character. This prevented his use for some time, despite many organisations being keen to acquire
2800-492: The rights. The dispute was eventually resolved by both parties agreeing to donate the intellectual property rights for Monkey to Comic Relief. Following the resolution of the dispute, Monkey appeared in a few TV shows, with the BBC using him for 2001's Comic Relief . He was about to make an guest appearance at the 2002 BRIT Awards but was later pulled out due to restrictions. In both cases Monkey appeared without Johnny Vegas. In 2003,
2856-454: The speck hits the oil. Rudy grabs the flower and proclaims he hears it, and the other animals of Nool notice that they hear it too. Despite his mother's objections, Rudy returns the flower to the released Horton, while the animals, realizing the truth about the Whos' existence, turn on the Kangaroo for deceiving them. While being praised for his integrity by his neighbors, Horton forgives the devastated and regretful Kangaroo, who befriends him with
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#17329062878772912-424: The speck with him, the city starts experiencing strange phenomena ( earthquakes and changes in the weather ), and the mayor finds his attempts to caution Whoville challenged by the town council, led by the opportunistic yet condescending chairman. After he makes contact with Horton, the mayor finds out from Dr. Mary Lou LaRue that Whoville will be destroyed if Horton does not find a "safer, more stable home". With
2968-404: The stock, my mother came across me, stuck behind a pile of empty cardboard boxes" and "[s]he took me home and painstakingly restored me back to my former glory - cleaning me, re-stuffing me and sewing me up. Her love for me was so great that I amazingly found myself able to move and speak." Soon afterwards he claimed that his first words to her were "Put the kettle on, eh Mum? I'm parched.". Monkey
3024-933: Was announced Vegas would be starring in new comedy feature Eaten by Lions opposite Antonio Aakeel and Jack Carroll , directed by Jason Wingard. In August 2002, Vegas married Catherine "Kitty" Donnelly; in a satire of celebrities selling exclusive pictures of their weddings to publications for high prices, he sold pictures of the ceremony to the adult comic Viz for £1. They separated in late-2006 and divorced in 2008. They have one child together. In April 2011, he married Irish television presenter Maïa Dunphy in Seville . In January 2015, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. They separated in late-2017, reconciled in November 2018, and separated again some time before April 2020. Vegas continues to live in his home town of St Helens , and has been outspoken about
3080-470: Was completing Robots , the studio and 20th Century Fox Animation president Chris Meledandri approached Geisel about getting the adaptation rights for Horton Hears a Who! . The art director for Robots , Steve Martino , along with story consultant and additional scene director Jimmy Hayward , created a model of protagonist Horton and some animation tests to showcase their design ideas to Geisel, who eventually agreed on "a seven-figure deal" for both
3136-440: Was officially retired from PG Tips advertisements. A series of high-profile adverts for ITV Digital featured the laid-back, droll and composed Monkey (in a variety of T-shirts) playing the straight man to the comedian Johnny Vegas 's womaniser of a character "Al". Monkey was one of the few positive public relations successes of ITV Digital. Purchasers of ITV Digital were sent a free soft toy Monkey with their subscription. For
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