Return to Monke

2018Image macro / catchphrasesemi-active

Also known as: Reject Humanity Return to Monke · Return to Monky · Reject Modernity Embrace Monke

Return to Monke is a 2018 image-macro meme featuring apes with the anarcho-primitivist catchphrase "reject humanity, return to monke," romanticizing escape from modern civilization.

"Return to Monke" is a meme format rooted in anarcho-primitivist humor where apes (often mislabeled as monkeys) represent a romanticized escape from modern civilization. The meme picked up steam on iFunny around mid-2018 before exploding across Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Its core message, "reject humanity, return to monke," struck a nerve during lockdowns when the idea of abandoning industrial society for primal simplicity felt genuinely appealing to a lot of people stuck at home.

primate memescatchphrase memessnowclone memescovid 19 memesanarcho primitivism memes

Overview

Return to Monke memes center on a simple pitch: modern life is bad, and the solution is to go back to being an ape. The format typically features an image of a great ape, sometimes holding a primitive tool or sitting peacefully in nature, paired with text like "reject humanity, return to monke" or some variation on that theme4. The intentional misspelling of "monkey" as "monke" is part of the joke, evoking a deliberately primitive, simplified vibe that mirrors the meme's anti-civilization message2.

The memes draw on anarcho-primitivist philosophy, though almost entirely as comedy rather than genuine ideology4. The apes shown are almost always great apes (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees) rather than actual monkeys, and this taxonomic mix-up is itself part of the running gag3. The aesthetic leans into what internet culture scholars call "internet ugly," with low-resolution images, crude text placement, and intentionally sloppy construction that makes the memes funnier precisely because they look unpolished3.

The meme's roots trace back to iFunny's growing obsession with monkey and ape content around mid-2018. While "Return to Monke" wasn't yet a fully formed meme at that point, early precursors like "Ok So Basically I'm Monke" and CGI Monkeys Dancing memes signaled the platform's fixation on primate humor4. Both of these formats later spread to more mainstream communities like r/okbuddyretard and Instagram.

In 2019, the trend gained more structure through Le Monke memes and jokes about atheists having an ape as a grandparent, building the conceptual foundation for the "return to monke" idea4. The anarcho-primitivism angle also grew in popularity during this period, giving the monkey memes a loose philosophical framework to hang on4.

The earliest known post using the exact phrase appeared on May 26, 2020, in a Facebook group called The Chimp Zone: Primate Portal. It showed an ape holding a spear with the caption "Revolt Against Humanity, Return to Monky." By July 1, 2020, the post had picked up 42 shares and 6 comments4.

Origin & Background

Platform
iFunny (early monkey meme culture), Facebook (first documented use of exact phrase)
Creator
Unknown
Date
2018

The meme's roots trace back to iFunny's growing obsession with monkey and ape content around mid-2018. While "Return to Monke" wasn't yet a fully formed meme at that point, early precursors like "Ok So Basically I'm Monke" and CGI Monkeys Dancing memes signaled the platform's fixation on primate humor. Both of these formats later spread to more mainstream communities like r/okbuddyretard and Instagram.

In 2019, the trend gained more structure through Le Monke memes and jokes about atheists having an ape as a grandparent, building the conceptual foundation for the "return to monke" idea. The anarcho-primitivism angle also grew in popularity during this period, giving the monkey memes a loose philosophical framework to hang on.

The earliest known post using the exact phrase appeared on May 26, 2020, in a Facebook group called The Chimp Zone: Primate Portal. It showed an ape holding a spear with the caption "Revolt Against Humanity, Return to Monky." By July 1, 2020, the post had picked up 42 shares and 6 comments.

How It Spread

On October 12, 2019, an iFunny novelty account called MonkeyArchive launched and began curating monkey and ape memes in one place. Over nine months, the account collected more than 1,300 memes and built a following of over 9,100 subscribers, acting as a hub that helped push Return to Monke content to wider audiences.

While the meme had been circulating on iFunny and in Facebook groups through early 2020, the mainstream breakout didn't happen until around April 2020, right as pandemic lockdowns took hold worldwide. The timing wasn't coincidental. As one cultural critic noted, during a period when "the routines of everyday life we had been accustomed to were collapsing under the pressure of a pandemic," the fantasy of abandoning civilization for primal simplicity hit differently.

Reddit's r/ape subreddit became the primary hub for these memes on that platform. The numbers tell the story: between April 5 and June 27, 2020, the subreddit's subscriber count jumped from 329 to over 28,100. That's roughly an 85x increase in under three months.

The meme also found a second life on Twitch through the MONKE emote, a close-up image of a monkey or ape face available through third-party extensions like 7TV, BetterTTV, and FrankerFaceZ. Chat users deploy it during chaotic or impulsive gameplay moments as a way to embrace the chaos.

Platforms

RedditTwitterInstagram4chanTikTokDiscord

Timeline

2020-Q2

Meme emerges on Reddit and 4chan during early pandemic

2020-Q3

Spreads to Instagram and Twitter with monkey image variations

2021-Q1

Becomes evergreen format with continued variations

2022-01-01

Return to Monke reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2023-2024

Resurges during periods of social unrest and tech criticism

2025-01-01

Return to Monke is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The basic Return to Monke format is straightforward:

1

Start with an image of a great ape (orangutan, gorilla, or chimpanzee work best). The image should ideally show the ape looking serene, wise, or inviting.

2

Add text expressing rejection of modern society. The classic phrasing is "reject humanity, return to monke," but variations like "revolt against humanity" or "embrace monke" are common.

3

Keep the image quality intentionally rough. Low resolution, basic Impact font or crude text placement, and minimal editing all fit the aesthetic.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The meme plugged into a real cultural moment during the pandemic. Writing for the Institute of Network Cultures in 2021, a researcher described their first encounter with Return to Monke memes as producing a genuine emotional response: "yes, I do actually want to return to monke, I want out of the industrial nightmare". The author broke down the appeal into four layers of enjoyment: pleasure in the meme itself, self-identification with its message, self-reflection triggered by that identification, and a sense of shared virtual community with others who felt the same way.

The meme's connection to anarcho-primitivism gave it more depth than most image macros. While almost nobody sharing these memes was seriously advocating for a return to pre-industrial life, the underlying sentiment about modern society's exhausting complexity was genuine enough to give the humor real bite. The format also contributed to broader internet discussions about "internet ugly" as an intentional aesthetic choice, sitting alongside deep-fried memes and Wojak edits as examples of deliberately crude visual construction.

The concept crossed into music when Swedish punk band Viagra Boys included a track called "Return to Monke" on their 2022 album *Cave World*.

Fun Facts

The apes featured in Return to Monke memes are almost never actual monkeys. They're typically great apes like gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees, and the taxonomic inaccuracy is part of the joke.

The word "monke" itself became a broader internet term for playfulness and embracing primitive instincts, extending well beyond the original meme format.

A researcher at the Institute of Network Cultures published a full academic analysis of the meme's appeal in 2021, identifying four distinct layers of "meme-pleasure" that explain why Return to Monke hit so hard during the pandemic.

The Better Man biopic about Robbie Williams (2024) depicted its subject as a CGI chimpanzee throughout the entire film, playing on the "performing monkey" concept that shares DNA with Return to Monke culture.

Derivatives & Variations

Ape Together Strong (apes gaining solidarity and collective strength)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Monke Brain vs. Big Brain (comparing primitive simplicity to modern complexity)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition (alternative primitivist format)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Deep Fried Monke (distorted, heavily edited versions)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Specific Issue Monke (meme applied to particular modern problems)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Frequently Asked Questions

Return to Monke

2018Image macro / catchphrasesemi-active

Also known as: Reject Humanity Return to Monke · Return to Monky · Reject Modernity Embrace Monke

Return to Monke is a 2018 image-macro meme featuring apes with the anarcho-primitivist catchphrase "reject humanity, return to monke," romanticizing escape from modern civilization.

"Return to Monke" is a meme format rooted in anarcho-primitivist humor where apes (often mislabeled as monkeys) represent a romanticized escape from modern civilization. The meme picked up steam on iFunny around mid-2018 before exploding across Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Its core message, "reject humanity, return to monke," struck a nerve during lockdowns when the idea of abandoning industrial society for primal simplicity felt genuinely appealing to a lot of people stuck at home.

primate memes catchphrase memes snowclone memes covid 19 memes anarcho primitivism memes

Overview

Return to Monke memes center on a simple pitch: modern life is bad, and the solution is to go back to being an ape. The format typically features an image of a great ape, sometimes holding a primitive tool or sitting peacefully in nature, paired with text like "reject humanity, return to monke" or some variation on that theme. The intentional misspelling of "monkey" as "monke" is part of the joke, evoking a deliberately primitive, simplified vibe that mirrors the meme's anti-civilization message.

The memes draw on anarcho-primitivist philosophy, though almost entirely as comedy rather than genuine ideology. The apes shown are almost always great apes (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees) rather than actual monkeys, and this taxonomic mix-up is itself part of the running gag. The aesthetic leans into what internet culture scholars call "internet ugly," with low-resolution images, crude text placement, and intentionally sloppy construction that makes the memes funnier precisely because they look unpolished.

The meme's roots trace back to iFunny's growing obsession with monkey and ape content around mid-2018. While "Return to Monke" wasn't yet a fully formed meme at that point, early precursors like "Ok So Basically I'm Monke" and CGI Monkeys Dancing memes signaled the platform's fixation on primate humor. Both of these formats later spread to more mainstream communities like r/okbuddyretard and Instagram.

In 2019, the trend gained more structure through Le Monke memes and jokes about atheists having an ape as a grandparent, building the conceptual foundation for the "return to monke" idea. The anarcho-primitivism angle also grew in popularity during this period, giving the monkey memes a loose philosophical framework to hang on.

The earliest known post using the exact phrase appeared on May 26, 2020, in a Facebook group called The Chimp Zone: Primate Portal. It showed an ape holding a spear with the caption "Revolt Against Humanity, Return to Monky." By July 1, 2020, the post had picked up 42 shares and 6 comments.

Origin & Background

Platform
iFunny (early monkey meme culture), Facebook (first documented use of exact phrase)
Creator
Unknown
Date
2018

The meme's roots trace back to iFunny's growing obsession with monkey and ape content around mid-2018. While "Return to Monke" wasn't yet a fully formed meme at that point, early precursors like "Ok So Basically I'm Monke" and CGI Monkeys Dancing memes signaled the platform's fixation on primate humor. Both of these formats later spread to more mainstream communities like r/okbuddyretard and Instagram.

In 2019, the trend gained more structure through Le Monke memes and jokes about atheists having an ape as a grandparent, building the conceptual foundation for the "return to monke" idea. The anarcho-primitivism angle also grew in popularity during this period, giving the monkey memes a loose philosophical framework to hang on.

The earliest known post using the exact phrase appeared on May 26, 2020, in a Facebook group called The Chimp Zone: Primate Portal. It showed an ape holding a spear with the caption "Revolt Against Humanity, Return to Monky." By July 1, 2020, the post had picked up 42 shares and 6 comments.

How It Spread

On October 12, 2019, an iFunny novelty account called MonkeyArchive launched and began curating monkey and ape memes in one place. Over nine months, the account collected more than 1,300 memes and built a following of over 9,100 subscribers, acting as a hub that helped push Return to Monke content to wider audiences.

While the meme had been circulating on iFunny and in Facebook groups through early 2020, the mainstream breakout didn't happen until around April 2020, right as pandemic lockdowns took hold worldwide. The timing wasn't coincidental. As one cultural critic noted, during a period when "the routines of everyday life we had been accustomed to were collapsing under the pressure of a pandemic," the fantasy of abandoning civilization for primal simplicity hit differently.

Reddit's r/ape subreddit became the primary hub for these memes on that platform. The numbers tell the story: between April 5 and June 27, 2020, the subreddit's subscriber count jumped from 329 to over 28,100. That's roughly an 85x increase in under three months.

The meme also found a second life on Twitch through the MONKE emote, a close-up image of a monkey or ape face available through third-party extensions like 7TV, BetterTTV, and FrankerFaceZ. Chat users deploy it during chaotic or impulsive gameplay moments as a way to embrace the chaos.

Platforms

RedditTwitterInstagram4chanTikTokDiscord

Timeline

2020-Q2

Meme emerges on Reddit and 4chan during early pandemic

2020-Q3

Spreads to Instagram and Twitter with monkey image variations

2021-Q1

Becomes evergreen format with continued variations

2022-01-01

Return to Monke reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2023-2024

Resurges during periods of social unrest and tech criticism

2025-01-01

Return to Monke is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The basic Return to Monke format is straightforward:

1

Start with an image of a great ape (orangutan, gorilla, or chimpanzee work best). The image should ideally show the ape looking serene, wise, or inviting.

2

Add text expressing rejection of modern society. The classic phrasing is "reject humanity, return to monke," but variations like "revolt against humanity" or "embrace monke" are common.

3

Keep the image quality intentionally rough. Low resolution, basic Impact font or crude text placement, and minimal editing all fit the aesthetic.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The meme plugged into a real cultural moment during the pandemic. Writing for the Institute of Network Cultures in 2021, a researcher described their first encounter with Return to Monke memes as producing a genuine emotional response: "yes, I do actually want to return to monke, I want out of the industrial nightmare". The author broke down the appeal into four layers of enjoyment: pleasure in the meme itself, self-identification with its message, self-reflection triggered by that identification, and a sense of shared virtual community with others who felt the same way.

The meme's connection to anarcho-primitivism gave it more depth than most image macros. While almost nobody sharing these memes was seriously advocating for a return to pre-industrial life, the underlying sentiment about modern society's exhausting complexity was genuine enough to give the humor real bite. The format also contributed to broader internet discussions about "internet ugly" as an intentional aesthetic choice, sitting alongside deep-fried memes and Wojak edits as examples of deliberately crude visual construction.

The concept crossed into music when Swedish punk band Viagra Boys included a track called "Return to Monke" on their 2022 album *Cave World*.

Fun Facts

The apes featured in Return to Monke memes are almost never actual monkeys. They're typically great apes like gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees, and the taxonomic inaccuracy is part of the joke.

The word "monke" itself became a broader internet term for playfulness and embracing primitive instincts, extending well beyond the original meme format.

A researcher at the Institute of Network Cultures published a full academic analysis of the meme's appeal in 2021, identifying four distinct layers of "meme-pleasure" that explain why Return to Monke hit so hard during the pandemic.

The Better Man biopic about Robbie Williams (2024) depicted its subject as a CGI chimpanzee throughout the entire film, playing on the "performing monkey" concept that shares DNA with Return to Monke culture.

Derivatives & Variations

Ape Together Strong (apes gaining solidarity and collective strength)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Monke Brain vs. Big Brain (comparing primitive simplicity to modern complexity)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition (alternative primitivist format)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Deep Fried Monke (distorted, heavily edited versions)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Specific Issue Monke (meme applied to particular modern problems)

A variation of Return to Monke

(2020)

Frequently Asked Questions