List of fictional primates

This list of fictional primates is a subsidiary to the list of fictional animals. The list is restricted to notable non-human primate characters from the world of fiction including chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, gibbons, monkeys, lemurs, and other primates.

Literature[edit]

Character Species Origin and Author Notes
Claw the Giant Ape Ape Beast Quest Claw is the second beast Tom fights in Series Two, The Golden Armor. He guards the chain mail. He has a tail with a sting rather like a scorpion. He lives in the Dark Jungle in Avantia.
Francine Frensky Monkey Arthur's Valentine by Marc Brown A tomboy who loves sports, drumming, and singing. She is 8 years old, and she is the best player on her team in just about every sport they play, rivaled only by the Brain at soccer and basketball.
Ishmael Gorilla Ishmael by Daniel Quinn A philosopher who was captured from the wild when young and sent to the zoo. After the zoo sold him to a menagerie, an old Jewish man bought him and could communicate with him through his mind. Ishmael teaches captivity to the unnamed narrator.
The Librarian Orangutan Discworld by Terry Pratchett The Librarian appeared in the first novel of the series, The Colour of Magic, and was transformed into an orang-utan in The Light Fantastic as the Octavo fired a beam of magic upwards. On discovering that being an orang-utan had certain advantages for a librarian - he can climb up to high shelves, for example - he refused to be transformed back into a human and has remained an orang-utan ever since. The other wizards have gradually become used to the situation, to the extent that, from Night Watch: 'if someone ever reported that there was an orang-utan in the Library, the wizards would probably go and ask the Librarian if he'd seen it'.

Comics[edit]

Ape Origin Notes
Ape-X Squadron Supreme #5 A member of The Squadron Supreme; Also the name of a super hero who becomes a powerful gorilla after donning a magic Mexican wrestling mask
Monsieur Mallah Doom Patrol (vol. 1) #86 An intelligent homosexual gorilla created by an evil brain in a jar. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Evil, enemies of the original Doom Patrol.
Titano Superman A fictional character appearing in DC Comics, primarily as a foe of Superman.

Primates in film[edit]

Ape Origin Notes
Aldo Planet of the Apes The leader of the gorilla factions (and the ape revolution, by extension) during the rise of the ape society prior to humanity's downfall, as the "lowest species" of the planet.
King Kong King Kong A giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films. The character has become one of the world's most famous movie icons and, as such, has transcended the medium.
Caesar Planet of the Apes Intelligent Ape, who is abandoned and rallies a group of apes to escape from a cruel caging facility.
Mighty Joe Young Mighty Joe Young An abnormally large gorilla who grew up in Africa who was brought to the USA by his owner/friend Jill after being convinced she and the ape could be a popular night club act. After an incident with three drunken patrons his human friend helped to return him to his homeland in Africa.

Animation[edit]

Name Species Origin Notes
Lazlo Spider monkey Camp Lazlo
Magilla Gorilla Gorilla The Magilla Gorilla Show
Grape Ape Gorilla The Great Grape Ape Show
Jake Spidermonkey Spider monkey My Gym Partner's a Monkey
Rafiki Mandrill The Lion King
King Gorilla Gorilla The Venture Bros.
Gorilla Grodd Gorilla DC Comics

Television[edit]

Name Species Origin Notes
Bingo Orangutan The Banana Splits Member of The Banana Splits, an all-animal band. He played the drums.
Professor Bobo Gorilla Mystery Science Theater 3000
Zoboomafoo Coquerel's sifaka Zoboomafoo Titular puppet lemur

Video games[edit]

This section deals with notable primates who are prominently featured in various video game titles, either as main characters or notable supporting characters.

Other[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Monkey King". Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Showbiz Pizza.com Fatz Geronimo".