Long before there were Labubus, there was Julius the Monkey and his friends. The character, created by designer Paul Frank, was a status symbol among tweens of the early 2000s, and it got its start in Orange County.
Julius the Monkey, was just that, a drawing of a monkey, but his face could be seen on shirts, wallets, bags, bikes and more throughout stores across the country such as Urban Outfitters, PacSun and Nordstrom.
By 2001 the design had become a cartoon character in its own animated show “Julius and Friends.”
In its early stages, Paul Frank’s work was viewed more as rebellious underground culture, with a cult-like following, before becoming more widely recognizable and mainstream.
Paul Frank, seen here on Sept. 23, 1999, expands his Sock Monkey to women’s clothing design. His icon of the wide-mouthed monkey doll graced handbags, wallets, t-shirts rugs and furniture. PHOTO BY ANA VENEGAS
Paul Frank plays with his dog Jasper in the store at the front of his Newport Beach facility on Sept. 10, 2001. (Photo by Mark Avery/ Orange County Register)
Designer Paul Frank hangs with some of thee kids from his workshop and the bags they made.
Paul Frank, a hot designer for teenage girls, is holding a “create your own” designer event at the Huntington Beach Art Center. (Archive Photo by Michael Goulding – Orange County Register)
Creator of the character Julius the monkey, Paul Frank works on a childs design during the Under the Tent with Paul Frank at the Huntington Beach Art Center workshop on Aug. 7, 2004.
Photo By : / Starr Buck / The Orange County Register
Paul Frank clowns with Zack Kimpton 7 of Huntington Beach while the two have their picture taken holding the bag Zack had just made.
Paul Frank, a hot designer for teenage girls, is holding a “create your own” designer event at the Huntington Beach Art Center. (Archive Photo by Michael Goulding)
Paul Frank in his Newport beach office on Sept. 10, 2001. (Photo by Mark Avery/ Orange County Register
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Paul Frank, seen here on Sept. 23, 1999, expands his Sock Monkey to women’s clothing design. His icon of the wide-mouthed monkey doll graced handbags, wallets, t-shirts rugs and furniture. PHOTO BY ANA VENEGAS
Frank was born in Huntington Beach, and studied at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa during the 1990s.
Frank’s early inspirations had Orange County roots. While working at the local newsstand in Huntington Beach, he flipped through European magazines where he saw Swedish designs he wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
Frank was also influenced by 1950s pop culture, including none other than Disneyland, with the theme parks 1955 roots explaining much of its charm according to Frank.
Julius, a jetpack-wearing monkey made by Paul Frank is seen during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Times Square in New York on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The parade premiered in 1924, this is its 85th year. (AP Photo/Andrew Burton)
Jessica Knox 10 of Huntington Beach lays out her original bag during the Paul Frank workshop under the watchful eye of Paul Franks main characters.
Paul Frank, a hot designer for teenage girls, is holding a “create your own” designer event at the Huntington Beach Art Center. (Archive Photo by Michael Goulding – Orange County Register)
Pacsun shopper Amy Meeter, 12 of Moreno Valley heads to the cashier to buy a backpack and a Paul Frank stuffed monkey at Pacsun in the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside on July 21, 2005. (The Press-Enterprise/Terry Pierson)
Orange Coast College alumni Paul Frank signs autographs for attendees to the open house celebration for the Planetarium’s third anniversary since opening its doors in 2019 at an Open House event Saturday in Costa Mesa on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Artist and OCC alumni Paul Frank signs books and postcards for fans as Orange Coast College’s Planetarium held a celebration of its third anniversary since opening its doors in 2019 at an Open House event Saturday in Costa Mesa on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Shoppers walk past a large billboard heralding the opening of the Paul Frank store in South Coast Plaza on July 30, 2003. (Photo by Michael Kitada / The Orange County Register)
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Julius, a jetpack-wearing monkey made by Paul Frank is seen during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Times Square in New York on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The parade premiered in 1924, this is its 85th year. (AP Photo/Andrew Burton)
You could say it was in the attention to detail that he loved. The designer shared in a 2003 interview with the OC Register that the trash cans are his favorite thing at Disneyland, noting that “Even the trash cans are nice there, and most people don’t go through that much trouble with detail anymore.”
In 2023 Frank teamed up with Loungefly, the popular bag company known for turning pop culture icons into collectible mini backpacks. The collaboration featured the standard Julius the Monkey drawing, with the classic light blue background color, on a mini backpack and wallet as well as Julius and Friends on a purse with the same light blue color.
While its hard to exactly know why Julius the Monkey took off roughly 30 years ago, when we spoke to the designer in 1999, he wasn’t overthinking it saying:
“I think it makes you happy, and it reminds you of something. I don’t know if I’m allowed to know why it was good because if I did it might ruin it.”
“I don’t want to analyze the monkey. He’s just what he is.”
The Paul Frank mascot, Julius the Monkey on July 30, 2003. (Photo by Michael Kitada / The Orange County Register)
