Article by Amanda Siebert, Georgia Straight, January 28, 2016

The organizers behind LunarFest are celebrating Lunar New Year at Oakridge Centre in a unique way, where hundreds of figurines are on display throughout the mall to commemorate the year of the monkey.

Designed by second year Emily Carr student Walter Kao, the figurines are equipped with a movable tail, arms, and legs, and LED light. The plastic monkeys are part of the #LunarFestPet campaign, which encourages visitors to the mall to “adopt” a figurine.

Some of the figurines can be seen in a large display in the mall’s West Galleria, while the rest are hidden in storefront windows. Visitors are encouraged to count the hidden monkeys and submit their guess to the concierge desk for a chance to win a trip to Hong Kong.

According to the managing director of the Asian Canadian Special Events Association, Charlie Wu, it’s all part of a larger initiative that, in the spirit of the new year, asks how much humans really have in common with monkeys.

“Monkeys, too, are emotional creatures who are intelligent, crafty, curious, and naughty at times. Are there lessons humans can learn from monkeys?” said Wu in a statement.

As with last year’s sheep figurines, all collected adoption fees will go to a local charity, to be decided upon following the celebration. To find out how you can adopt your own monkey, visit LunarFest’s website.