# Monchhichi
**Monchhichi** (モンチッチ) is a line of Japanese stuffed toy monkeys produced by the Sekiguchi Corporation of Tokyo, first released in 1974, with a plush body, a soft vinyl face and limbs, a thumb-or-pacifier sucking pose, and freckles.[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/) • [2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History) The doll caused an explosive boom in Japan at launch, was exported worldwide from 1975, and has since sold more than 70 million figures in more than 30 countries.[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First release | 1974 by Sekiguchi in Tokyo; sources give the birth date as 1974[2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History) or January 26, 1974[3](https://groupe-tf1.fr/sites/default/files/communiques/cp_usa_-_tap_tf1_monchhichi_final_02_03_16.pdf) |
| Design | Plush body; face and hands and feet in soft vinyl (ソフビ); pacifier pose and freckles[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/) |
| Name | From French "mon" ("my") and "puchi" ("small, cute thing"), meaning "my cute thing"[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/) |
| Export | Began 1975, first to Austria and the German-speaking market[4](https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/company/history/) |
| US license | Licensed by Mattel in the United States until 1985, then distributed worldwide directly by Sekiguchi[2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History) |
| Hiatus and revival | Sales suspended from 1985 everywhere except Paris; relaunched in 1996 in New York, Germany, and Japan[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/) • [4](https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/company/history/) |
| Cumulative sales | Over 70 million figures in over 30 countries as of the official Japanese site; a 2016 press release cited over 70 million dolls plus accessories in over 40 countries[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/) • [3](https://groupe-tf1.fr/sites/default/files/communiques/cp_usa_-_tap_tf1_monchhichi_final_02_03_16.pdf) |
| Anniversary | 50th anniversary celebrated in 2024[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/) |
## Origin and design
The doll was created at Sekiguchi, a doll maker founded in 1918 that originally exported celluloid dolls and later mastered soft vinyl production.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) In the 1960s the company shifted from contract manufacturing for abroad to developing its own products for the Japanese market, moving through educational dolls such as "Popo-chan" into plush toys.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/)
Two earlier products preceded Monchhichi: the "Kutakuta Monkey" plush, released in 1972, which sold well, and the doll "Mademoiselle GeGe", released in 1973.[4](https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/company/history/) • [5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) Managing Director Toshitaka Yoshino described Monchhichi as the Kutakuta Monkey's "little brother"; the Fandom history credits the design to Yoshiharu Washino (ワシの良春) on January 25, 1974, as an improvement on the Kutakuta Monkey, while a TF1 press release gives the birth date as 1974, in Tokyo.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) • [2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History) • [3](https://groupe-tf1.fr/sites/default/files/communiques/cp_usa_-_tap_tf1_monchhichi_final_02_03_16.pdf) The first dolls were a twin pair, a boy and a girl.[6](https://www.geocities.ws/hellomonchhichi/history.html)
The name combines the French "mon" ("my") with "puchi" ("small, cute thing"), so that it means "my cute thing".[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/)
## International spread
Export began in 1975, with the first destinations Austria and the German-speaking countries, and the line was subsequently marketed across [Western Europe](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-europe).[4](https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/company/history/) • [2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History) After the strong Japanese sales, Sekiguchi exhibited the doll at the Nuremberg Spielwarenmesse toy fair, where an Austrian sales agency approached the company in 1975; Monchhichi soon became a bigger success in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries, than in Japan.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) The height of its popularity came in Germany during the 1980s, when sales there surpassed even the Japanese figures.[2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History)
Local names changed with each market: "Chicaboo" in the United Kingdom, "Mon Cicci" in Italy, "Kiki" in France, "Bølle" in Denmark, and "Moncsicsi" in Hungary.[2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History) In the United States the line was licensed to Mattel until 1985, a partnership that produced good American sales figures.[2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History) • [5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/)
## Hiatus and revival
By the mid-1980s sales were weak in both Japan and Europe, and distribution was suspended in 1985 in all countries except a small part of France.[1](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/) • [5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) The revival came in the 1990s and was driven from Germany: Hermann Schneider, former general manager of the German toy manufacturer [Schleich](https://www.edgepedia.org/schleich), proposed relaunching the product, and sales resumed in Germany and then Japan, with an official re-debut in New York, Germany, and Japan in 1996.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) • [4](https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/company/history/)
The relaunch changed the product concept. In the 1970s and 1980s Sekiguchi sold the doll together with changeable clothes and furniture; after the revival it sold a variety of Monchhichi figures already wearing costumes, and the line shifted from a children's toy toward an adult collectible.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) A baby version, Bebichhichi (ベビチッチ), was introduced in 2004 for the 30th anniversary, alongside a ceremonial "Monchhichi wedding".[4](https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/company/history/)
## Television adaptations
Several animated series have been based on the characters: the Japanese anime *Monchhichi Twins* (ふたごのモンチッチ) in 1980, produced by Tokyo 12 Channel (now [TV Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-tokyo)), which added a family including grandparents and further raised the doll's popularity; the American cartoon *Monchhichis* in 1983, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions; the French cartoon *Kiki, le Kiki de tous les Kiki* in 2001; a Japanese stop-motion series in 2005; and the French CGI series *La Tribu Monchhichi* in 2017, produced by Technicolor Animation Productions in collaboration with TF1 and Sekiguchi.[2](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History) • [4](https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/company/history/) • [3](https://groupe-tf1.fr/sites/default/files/communiques/cp_usa_-_tap_tf1_monchhichi_final_02_03_16.pdf)
## Recent developments
Sekiguchi remains a deliberately small family firm, with 35 employees in Japan and two in the Netherlands as of a 2024 interview, following a family code that "a toy business must never get too big".[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) For the 50th anniversary in 2024 the company founded Monchhichi Ltd., a subsidiary whose chief executive is the character itself, and launched a cooperation product with the anime *Heidi*, which marked its own 50th anniversary that year.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) Production has taken place in China since sales resumed in the 1990s, and the company has recently increased manufacturing capacity there while expanding its licensing business.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/) • [7](https://www.straitstimes.com/life/style/japanese-plushie-brand-monchhichi-makes-big-comeback-amid-labubu-craze)
The brand has seen renewed demand in the mid-2020s, a period [The Straits Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-straits-times) linked to the wider plush-toy boom around Labubu; in June 2024 or 2025 the singer Lisa of Blackpink, often credited with sparking the Labubu craze, posted a picture of herself shopping for Monchhichi merchandise.[7](https://www.straitstimes.com/life/style/japanese-plushie-brand-monchhichi-makes-big-comeback-amid-labubu-craze) Today the most important markets are Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Japan, with Germany no longer standing alone but as one of several large markets.[5](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/)
## References
1. [モンチッチとは (About Monchhichi), Monchhichi Official Site, Sekiguchi](https://www.monchhichi.co.jp/about/)
2. [History, Monchhichi Wiki (Fandom)](https://monchhichi.fandom.com/wiki/History)
3. [TF1 Programme press release: new Monchhichi TV series (2016)](https://groupe-tf1.fr/sites/default/files/communiques/cp_usa_-_tap_tf1_monchhichi_final_02_03_16.pdf)
4. [沿革 (Company history), Sekiguchi Co.](https://www.sekiguchi.co.jp/company/history/)
5. [Sekiguchi: "In the 1970s, German-speaking countries quickly became the central market for Monchhichis worldwide", J-BIG (June 27, 2024)](https://www.j-big.de/en/sekiguchiin-the-1970s-german-speaking-countries-quickly-became-the-central-market-for-monchhichis-worldwide/)
6. [Monchhichi History, hellomonchhichi (Geocities)](https://www.geocities.ws/hellomonchhichi/history.html)
7. [Japanese plushie brand Monchhichi makes big comeback amid Labubu craze, The Straits Times](https://www.straitstimes.com/life/style/japanese-plushie-brand-monchhichi-makes-big-comeback-amid-labubu-craze)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Board, card, and puzzle games › Board games › Traditional board, tile, and dice games › Dice games and dice culture*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license