The monkey
The wooden monkey
Kay Bojesen, a Danish silversmith and designer, created the original Wooden Monkey in 1951 and was known for his love of wooden toys. He was able to bring wood to life with soul and humour. The Wooden Monkey is his most celebrated design and is today a classic design object widely appreciated by children and adults alike.
Kay Bojesen strongly believed in products that people emotionally connect with and which are a pleasure to touch.
The fame of this monkey is comparable to Nijntje (Miffy) in the Netherlands. The difference being that this monkey is considered a designer item by adults and placed within the home. Half of Danes own such a monkey as it is a much loved and appropriate gift at birth, christenings, graduation and even weddings.
Read more about Kay Bojesen on:
https://www.kaybojesen-denmark.com/about-kay-bojesen
My monkey
Since first becoming acquainted with the Kay Bojesen monkey when I visited my Danish friend Maibritt in Copenhagen, I wanted one of my own.
My husband bought me my first monkey from the Danish store Illums Bolighus in Stockholm in the autumn of 2014. I gave it a Swedish name: Herr Nilsson, Pippi Longstocking’s monkey (Because I think Pippi is a hero!)
Now I have a family monkeys in different sizes.
Herr Nilsson is my usual travelling companion, but sometimes he brings one of the others along too.
Your Monkey?
I can understand that you would like to have your own monkey too!
They all come in different colours/patterns, which makes every monkey unique and recognizable. A great item to have.
In the summer of 2017 I was invited by Rosendahl, who have the reproduction rights of the Kay Bojesen collection, to visit Brdr Krüger, who produce the monkeys for Rosendahl. It was a great experience to see how they are still produced by hand in Denmark. I love the craftsmanship involved in creating them.
If you want to buy directly from Brdr Krüger, use this link:
https://brdr-kruger.com/en/products/wooden-monkey