No ten-year-old in the late 1950s collected more comics than Ronny Chimp. The truth is that when he bought a comic with his allowance money, Ronny had little interest in comic book stories. He just wanted to find the advertising section that displayed a lot of ads selling jokes, pranks, and magic tricks. Ronny owned almost all of them and played pranks on his friends at school. But in the last issue, Ronny’s interest was piqued when he came across a new ad for a small pet monkey:

“Darling Squirrel Monkey” that “makes an adorable pet and companion. Almost human with warm eyes, your family will love it. These young monkeys will grow to be about 12 inches tall. They eat the same foods as you, even like lollipops : Easy to care for and train Guaranteed Live Delivery Only $18.95 Check by mail or money order a: Farm. Apartment K26, Box 1042, Miami Beach 39, Florida.”

Ronny ran in to tell his mom and showed her the ad.

“Oh, don’t fall for any more corny jokes,” her mother warned.

“But mom, this can’t be a joke. This could be a pet!”

Ronny looked sad, then lowered his head and slowly walked back to his room and closed the door. Several minutes later, he knocked softly and quietly opened the door. Ronny was pouting on his bed. She sat down next to him and said, “Okay. We’ll ask your dad when he gets home from work tonight.”

Ronny got up and ran around his room. “Wait. Ronny! Don’t be so happy now. Your father might say ‘No’.”

When his father got home several hours later, Ronny ran up to him and showed him the ad. “Can I have a monkey please?” His father examined the ad while Ronny anxiously awaited the verdict.

“What the hell would you do with a little monkey…how about a dog or a cat?”

“I want a monkey! Please, dad… please?”

“I’ll have to think about this. If you still want this jumpsuit in 10 days, I’ll consider buying it from you. But, think carefully before that.”

“Yes!”

Certain that he would still want it in 10 days, Ronny ran through the house, then to his bedroom where he finally settled down and fell asleep. The next day at school, he told his friends that he was going to buy a monkey. They all laughed at him because they had seen the same ad, but they thought it was a scam. Others remembered all the practical jokes that Ronny bought in comic book ads and bet that he would get the little monkey.

Anyway, Ronny counted down the days until his father agreed to write a check for $18.95.

“Are you sure this is what you want, son?”

“You bet!”

“Well, drop me the ad and I’ll mail you a check. But I want you to promise me you’ll take care of it yourself!”

“I will, dad! I will.”

Ronny’s father mailed the order. A week passed, then two weeks. Ronny got worried after six months had passed. The years came and went and there was still no monkey. Ronny just forgot what he could have owned. Meanwhile, life moved on for Ronny. He went to high school, graduated from college, got married and had children. “Ronny” became “Ronald”. His family lived in a retirement home, while he and his family lived in the same house where he grew up.

One Saturday in 1982, Ronny was playing catch with his 12-year-old son, Tyler, when a UPS truck pulled up in front of his old house. The UPS driver walked up to Ronny and said, “I have a delivery for Ronny Chimp.”

“That’s me, but no one has called me ‘Ronny’ in years. People call me ‘Ronald’.” The driver told him that he had a special delivery from NASA.

POT? Why NASA?

The driver looked at the back of his seat and a little sound like “Eeeekk!…Eeeek!” it came from the box.

He examined the box and saw quite large perforations.

“It’s some kind of animal. Did you order an animal?”

“Not…”

He listened to the sounds coming from the box. When Ronald hurried to open the box, he opened it quickly. Below was a cage with a small squirrel monkey inside.

Ronald’s mouth dropped open and a puzzled look appeared in his eyes – “a squirrel monkey???” Suddenly, his mind flashed back to his childhood when he saw the advertisement for a squirrel monkey.

“I shipped this monkey back in the 1950’s when it was 10 years old!!… What the hell?!” The animal began to jump up and down and chirp louder. So his family came out to see what the noise was about. Ronald looked at the cage and saw an envelope stuck outside the cage. He tore it off and began to read a letter:

From the National Space Aerodynamics Administration

To whom it may concern,

If you have received this squirrel monkey that we at NASA affectionately call “Miss Baker”, it is because you may have purchased one of these types of jumpsuits in the past. We’re sorry you didn’t receive your animal, but we now give you Miss Baker, who was purchased along with 25 other squirrel monkeys from a pet store in Miami, Florida, and taken to the Naval Aviation Medical School in Pensacola. He is getting old and needs a new home. He started working for us in 1959 and became our first monkey in space. We felt it in space for 16 minutes and successfully returned in perfect health. No physical or mental abnormalities were found in her. Not only is he a historical monkey, but he has developed great knowledge and skills. I have included photos of her while she was with us at NASA.

JL Vuelos, Director of Astrophysics at NASA

The animal’s body was mostly brown. On her rosy face were two black eyes, a small nose and a dark mouth. He was about a foot tall, weighing about a pound and a half. Ronald smiled at “Miss Baker”, but he and all of his family seemed a bit stunned. Ronald’s little daughter, Tina, was afraid to take her out of it, but Miss Baker immediately jumped out of the cage, rushed at Tina, and hugged her. Then, she quickly jumped to the ground, chanting at the same time. It was clear that Tina was the favorite member of the monkey family, possibly because she could relate to Tina because she was small. After a few weeks, the family thought of Miss Baker as part of the family.

Ronald reflected on his childhood when he wanted a pet squirrel monkey and never received it. Somehow, it seemed like a miracle that the precious animal his father paid for so long ago had finally made it to his house. Seeing the little monkey playing with her daughter, making her so happy made her long wait worth it.