Murph and the Flying Monkey

by Courtney Mroch | More from this Blogger

10 Sep 2007 04:44 PM

I had first spied the Flying Monkey in the Things You Never Knew Existed catalog last year. I knew the perfect recipient for it: my sister. She was turning 50, but rather than do the traditional "Over the Hill" stuff most people do for big birthdays, I decided to go the opposite way. I was going to gift her with all things childish and fun.

I had not seen the Flying Monkey in action, but it sounded great. Supposedly you held it like a slingshot, pulled back, and released, letting it sail through the air wherein it was supposed to make a screeching sound. She said she laughed like crazy when she got it because it was hysterically unique.

Fast forward to this summer. I was in Bed, Bath and Beyond using my Discover Cash Back Bonus and saw a rack of Slingshot Flying Monkeys. I remembered back to when I had described my sister's gift to Wayne and he'd said he wished he'd gotten to see it. (He didn't realize I had just ordered it from a catalog and had it shipped direct to her.) Impulse took over and into my buggy it went.

But turns out Wayne wasn't the one the monkey was destined for. I couldn't wait for Wayne to get home that night, so I tested it out on my audience of Murphy, Kitty, and Tabby. Murphy went nuts for the monkey. When Wayne got home that night, he got to see first hand how nuts Murph was for it.

When the monkey is flung through the air, Murph gives chase. Expected. He's pretty good about chasing after most toys we throw. But it's different with the monkey.

For one, the monkey DOES screech. It is a very loud, obnoxious sound. But Murph, who normally does not make any noise except whatever his feet make across the floor when chasing stuff, also becomes very animated. Suddenly there's a lot of frenzied chaos --stamping the feet, viciously wagging the tail-- accompanied by crying, whimpering, and moaning. He can't chase down the flying monkey fast enough!

It's now his "go to" toy when he's feeling crazy and playful. I wish I was able to attach a video to this, because my writing is not sufficient to convey the craziness that ensues when the monkey's launched. It's hysterical. Everyone who's so far witnessed it has doubled over laughing.

Who knew a little monkey could create such big fun?

Learn more about Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a wife, a proud pet parent, and a writer. She's been with her husband, high school sweetheart Wayne Pryor, over 20 years, married 11 of those. She's "mom" to Mr. Meow, a.k.

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