Take a second to open up your phone's emoji keyboard and swipe through to the section that features three monkeys. You know the ones we're talking about — hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil. Now that you've got these emoji in front of your eyes, consider this query: Are these three different monkeys or are they different images of the same monkey?
To you, the answer may be obvious. Now, check with your dearest friend or coworker. You may begin to realize we've got a serious debate on our hands.
Comedian @jonnysun first sparked the debate yesterday on Twitter. With over 67,000 votes so far, Sun's poll is split evenly at 50-50, one monkey believers to three monkey believers.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
I, as you may have noticed from the poll results above, am a three-monkey supporter. But around the office, I had opposition.
"I ultimately decided it was one monkey, because I believe it's one blonde girl in a pink shirt," Marshall Bright, Refinery29 Living's editorial assistant explained. That's some interesting logic right there.
So, I polled staffers. Lo and behold, with nearly 100 responses so far, we've got similar results:
If you believe Wikipedia, these are actually three different monkeys with three different names: Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru. But just because the emoji's origins stem from three different monkeys doesn't mean that the same monkey model didn't pose for these three icons.
Ultimately, this debate is utterly ridiculous and pointless, but it sure is a lighthearted change from the endless political debates on social media lately.