Meet Jones*

Meet Jones, the one and only original Marijuana Monkey® – founder, chief monkey wrangler, and creative force behind the “high-life-style” Marijuana Monkey brand. A mercurial little fellow, Jones enjoys living and playing on his adopted home island. He’s known as “the” monkey about town and can be found tearing up the underground scene at Banana Bar, rubbing elbows with (and occasionally picking bugs off) the city’s elite at the uptown Darwin Club, or lounging in his downtown loft smoking that Stanky Dank while creating inspired-designs for his Marijuana Monkey brand of threads and gear. Jones certainly knows how to live it up!

Since 2015, Jones has called the shiny isle of Manhattan his home. How he got here is a tale of mystery and wonder. Whether intentional, the byproduct of years of laid-back island life (or quite possibly, legal problems), here’s what we know: it’s a story pieced together from interviews, recollections, questionable newspaper reports, and poorly focused photos salvaged from a waterlogged iPhone.

Jones is an island monkey, always has been, always will be. The name of that island? Well, he claims to know it only as Cantaloupe Island, which is currently unknown or unrecognized by all possible measures. He describes it as a tropical paradise with lush jungles and white sandy beaches surrounded by serene, cerulean blue waters that stretch from shore to skyline. The small island was an oasis of abundance, with low-hanging bananas, mangoes, a margarita waterfall, an abundance of marijuana, and its believed namesake, cantaloupes.

Life was good! Jones enjoyed long, lazy days painting and crafting Richard Serra-inspired sculptures. Fashioned by his nimble fingers out of nautilus shells, driftwood, and coconuts, he would peddle them to wandering tourists and sharp-eyed locals possessing a refinement of taste and style. Through his crafted and highly designed wares, he earned more than enough to keep his belly full with more than the usual monkey fare. His home was a modest but clever shelter, crafted of continually refreshed palm fronds, and his mood, due to his ingenuity and unique diet, perpetually elevated. He spent his evenings on the beach, carousing with a cast of shiftless and enjoyably mischievous island pals. Building bonfires and smoking the local and potent Cantaloupe Cush, he would watch, with great enjoyment, the dark of night turn into the blended pink hues of dawn.

But one night, fate (or fateful intoxication) threw his peaceful island life into chaos. And with that, changed his life forever!

As was not uncommon, Jones fell asleep on the beach to the sound of gentle waves lapping against the shore. He awoke with a start to find himself adrift in waters as black as midnight, clinging to a piece of driftwood that he had been working on that day. Hanging on for dear life, Jones drifted deeper and deeper into the ocean. With no land in sight, he drifted for many days and nights, surviving on plankton, the occasional shrimp and a small amount of damp Wonder Weed he found in his pocket. One fateful morning he awoke and saw the distant shimmer of land on the horizon, a metallic shoreline sparkling in the morning sun. Exhausted, wet, hungry, and missing a shoe, he paddled to the safety of the shore and promptly passed out.

He awoke surrounded by strange natives who spoke perfect Cantaloupenese, which turned out to be very similar to English. These natives welcomed Jones into their homes and hearts, fed him, clothed him, lifted his spirits, and nurtured him back to his old happy self. Finding this new world a surprisingly fun and friendly place, Jones decided to make this island his new home: Manhattan!

He quickly became a fixture on the island’s social scene, making new friends and adapting to his new home. However, he soon realized that living on the island was damn expensive, and he needed to find a way to support himself (and his habits). Jones attempted to create new art to sell, but the lack of driftwood and nautilus shells made that impractical. One afternoon, while ruminating over his situation at the Banana Bar, Jones absentmindedly sketched quirky illustrations on cocktail napkins to amuse his troop of friends. Mister Stink, a rather pungent but otherwise pleasant fellow, suggested he turn his cocktail scribbles into graphics to print on t-shirts that they could sell at the local flea market. This could solve his money woes while still allowing him to pursue his artistic endeavors.

Puzzled at how this could solve his money woes, Jones shot back, “Are you an idiot? Fleas are much too small to wear t-shirts!” Then a spark went off in that tiny monkey brain, and Jones said, “Maybe I can make them for monkeys and other larger animals.” Knowing better than to argue, Mister Stink held his tongue and thought it best just to agree. And that is how the Marijuana Monkey® brand was born (sort of).

Jones’ initial attempts were a little rough around the edges, but his hand-silkscreened designs caught the attention of the city’s tastemakers (and some troublemakers). Before long, his micro-brand developed a cult-like following, and his distinctive graphics and gear were snatched up as soon as they dropped. Over time, Jones honed his craft and enlisted the help of his friends Mister Stink and Itchberg to expand his line and supervise production. Together, they source the finest quality shirts, hoodies, and other urban jungle gear.

It’s been almost 10 years, and Jones has been – somewhat diligently – creating and refining his signature style that has been turning heads and shaking tails all over the city and beyond. He invites you to join him in celebrating the high life in high style with his Marijuana Monkey® branded apparel and gear. Everything here is Jones Approved™. Elevate your style and join Jones on his adventures in New York and beyond.

* Some details of Jones’ account of his personal history cannot be independently verified, but this is his ‘story,’ and he’s sticking to it.