Monkey see, monkey dough! - Mexican baker recreates classic pastry inspired by viral macaque Punch

"'Little conchas', a special take of the traditional Mexican sweet bread known as 'concha', have gained popularity in Mexico City by blending the classic pastry with the image of a primate hugging his stuffed toy. Inspired by viral sensation 'Punch' - a seven-month-old macaque born last July at a zoo in Ichikawa, Japan, who was abandoned by his mother and found comfort in a stuffed toy given to him by caretakers - the touching story that captured global attention and warmed the hearts of millions around the world. Footage captured on Thursday shows baker Jonathan Barrera, creator of the project, making the conchas in his artisan workshop in the Iztapalapa borough and preparing an order that he later delivers to an app-based delivery driver. Barrera says he has been creating conchas with personalised designs for 'quite some time', adding that he was inspired to craft this version after seeing Punch's story, comparing the comfort the macaque finds in his stuffed toy to the feeling of enjoying the delicious delicacies. "Each season I try to look for or adapt something meaningful and, coincidentally, now with spring, I wanted to make something related to the season, and I thought, well, little animals. And right then, Punch went viral. So I decided to make a collection specifically in honour of this little monkey," he said. "Even though, for example, what I give or what I deliver is bread, I understand that it goes much further than that. I mean, more than delivering or selling bread, I like to understand that my work is like delivering little pieces of happiness, little pieces of joy," he added. For the past two years Barrera, through his digital bakery Best Cake, has continuously released collections, series of 3 or 4 conchas with different themes: Day of the Dead, Mesoamerican deities, Christmas, among others. Punch drew attention after being abandoned by his mother, a rare occurrence among macaques. Zoo staff introduced an orangutan plush toy to support him. The toy, dubbed 'Oran-mama', was often seen in his arms as he gradually gained the trust of other monkeys."