In the golden age of comic books—roughly the 1950s through the early 1970s—kids flipping to the back pages of their favorite issues encountered more than just ads for X-ray specs or sea monkeys. Among the most outrageous offers were promotions for live monkeys, shipped straight to your doorstep for around $18.95 to $25. These eye-catching ads promised adorable, trainable pets that would become loyal companions, but reality often delivered something far wilder.

The most famous example came from Animal Farm of Miami Beach, Florida. Their “Darling Pet Monkey” ad featured a charming squirrel monkey perched in the palm of a human hand. The copy gushed: “This Squirrel Monkey makes an adorable pet and companion. Almost human with its warm eyes… Eats same food as you, even likes lollipops… Live delivery guaranteed.” For $18.95 plus postage due, buyers received a free cage, collar, leash, and care instructions. The monkeys—typically young squirrel monkeys imported from Peru and Colombia—were advertised as growing to about 12 inches tall and easy to train for tricks and costumes.

Between 1968 and 1972 alone, more than 173,000 squirrel monkeys flooded into the U.S. thanks largely to these ads appearing in Marvel comics, DC titles, and horror magazines like Creepy and Eerie. Shipping was remarkably simple: the animal arrived in a small cardboard box fitted with a chicken-wire window. “Live delivery guaranteed,” the ads boasted—though many monkeys arrived stressed, dehydrated, or having held their bowels for the entire journey.

What buyers actually received was rarely the cuddly sidekick pictured. Squirrel monkeys are wild, intelligent primates prone to biting, throwing feces, and destroying household items. One boy in the early 1970s ordered his secretly after seeing the ad in a Spider-Man comic; the monkey bit him severely enough to require 28 stitches. Another family’s 1960s arrival, named Pepe, escaped its crate during a bridge club meeting, defecated on the floor, bit an aunt, and later vanished into the woods—only to be found dead months afterward. Stories of chaos, vet bills, and heartbroken kids were common.

The practice thrived in an era of lax wildlife import rules and minimal consumer protections. Parents often had no idea their children had mailed in orders until a live monkey showed up postage-due. By the late 1970s, the ads vanished as federal regulations tightened, public awareness of animal welfare grew, and the exotic pet trade faced growing scrutiny. Today, keeping a monkey as a pet is illegal in many states and heavily restricted elsewhere.

Those vintage ads remain a quirky footnote in American pop culture—a reminder of a more innocent (and reckless) time when a few dollars and a postage stamp could bring a live monkey to your mailbox. For better or worse, it was pure monkey business.