My Gym Partner's a Monkey

Did You Know?

• Jake made a cameo in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode Crossover Nexus, turned into stone by Strike.
• Jake appeared in the Jellystone special Crisis of the Infinite Mirths along with other Cartoon Network characters.
• In Ukraine, the series aired on Novyi Kanal.

Summary

After a spelling error involving his last name, 12-year-old Adam Lyon is transferred to Charles Darwin Middle School, a school for anthropomorphic zoo animals. There he is partnered with a mischievous spider monkey named Jake Spidermonkey in gym, and they become best friends along with a toucan named Lupe, a giraffe named Ingrid who is infatuated with Adam, a wise gorilla named Windsor, and Slips the python. Adam dislikes being banished to the animal school and longs for his previous human middle school. Episodes focus on his experiences fitting in, facing challenges such as his peers' presumed stupidity, animal-specific subjects, strange new students, or adolescent effects on zoo animals.

Release

The first episode aired on December 26, 2005 during Cartoon Network's Sneak Peek Week alongside Ben 10, Robotboy, and Zixx. Regular run began with a two-episode premiere on the Fridays block on February 24, 2006. A television film titled The Big Field Trip aired on January 14, 2007 as part of season 3. The special That Darn Platypus aired on May 18, 2007 as part of Cartoon Network Invaded. The series ended on November 27, 2008 with A Thanksgiving Carol. It later aired on Cartoon Planet from 2012 to 2013, and in Latin America on Tooncast since 2013. In India it airs as Samsher Sikander Chuddie Buddie, and began airing on Discovery Family on October 11, 2025.

Reception

On its Fridays block two-episode premiere at 9:00 and 9:30 P.M. EST, the first episode drew 1.2 million children ages 2–11 and the second drew 1.3 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 9:30 P.M. telecast ranked as the #1 telecast on all television with boys 6–11 and boys 2–11 in the time period. The series topped the Fridays block ratings, gaining millions of viewers. William Barker of Web Wombat gave the King of the Jungle DVD a 70% score, calling the premise original and the cut-out animation style captivating, though not novel, and found the show cute and fairly amusing for older viewers. Larisa Wiseman of Common Sense Media awarded three out of five stars, noting difficulty in identifying the target age group, as the animation and slapstick appeal to grade-schoolers while jokes and life lessons target tweens, with sly humor occasionally amusing adults. She commended the series for including a subtle message in each episode.