Duluth cartoonist Chris Monroe's 'Monkey With a Tool Belt' gets Netflix debut

Courtesy of Netflix

Duluth artist Chris Monroe was sitting on the couch, watching cartoons with her then-teenage son Mickey ("that was our mother-son time") and musing on potential characters, when the phrase "Monkey With a Tool Belt" popped into her head.

"I immediately thought: That has legs," said Monroe, who at the time was working at a hardware store while drawing the weekly comic "Violet Days" for the Star Tribune and the Duluth News Tribune.

True enough. Monroe is getting ready to publish the sixth of a popular children's book series featuring her practical, problem-solving monkey. And on Friday, Netflix will drop a new animated series, "Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With a Tool Belt."

While the animators have morphed her funky monkey into a sleek wrench-wielding ninja, they've stayed true to the cartoonist's bent sense of humor.

"This is a new chapter for Chico. He's got more friends, and he's got a van," said Monroe, noting wryly that her brainchild has heretofore relied on public transportation.

Despite the makeover, Monroe's 4-year-old granddaughter, Selah, had no trouble recognizing the character. "Chico Bon Bon!" she exclaimed when the cartoonist showed her a preview.

"She is super excited," said Monroe.

It's been a wait. Fourteen years have passed since the character was conceived, and 10 since it was optioned for a potential series.

The team at Silvergate Media, led by Minnesota native Kurt Mueller ("Octonauts"), ultimately settled on a 10-minute show for preschoolers aimed at building interest in science and engineering. The first 10 episodes will be released Friday (Monroe wrote one), with 30 more to come in the first season. There may be "Chico" merch, too, thanks to a recent deal with a Chinese company.

At any rate, it will take a while for Monroe to see real money. In the meantime, she's preparing for the Aug. 4 publication of "Monkey With a Tool Belt Blasts Off!" — Chico gets to drive a spaceship! — from Lerner Publishing, the big Minneapolis publisher of children's books that bought Monroe's initial story pitch, which she scribbled on the back of a pay stub from Marshall Hardware in Duluth.

She's also using her pandemic-enforced downtime to put the final touches on a one-off "Violet Days" strip. Look for it on her Facebook or Instagram.