Monkey mascot’s attempt to entertain the crowd results in extreme pain to his primates

Gymnasts are among the most inspiring athletes, dazzling us with their graceful movements and incredible routines. Watching them can ignite a spark of motivation, urging us to get off the couch and attempt some flips of our own. However, the unfortunate saga of Luigi, the mascot for the European Gymnastics Championships, serves as a humorous reminder that gymnastics is best left to the pros; otherwise, we risk making fools of ourselves.

In a video that’s both laugh-out-loud funny and a little painful to watch, Luigi takes on a rather reckless stunt to entertain the crowd. This mascot, a monkey in a costume, decides to mimic the gymnasts by attempting to tightrope walk across the plexiglass barriers surrounding the arena. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds. Sadly, Luigi only manages to stay balanced for a mere two seconds before gravity does its thing, leading to what must have been quite a painful landing for his little monkey parts.

The scene is comically underscored by Johnny Cash’s song “Pain,” turning Luigi’s fall into a masterpiece of slapstick humor reminiscent of iconic moments from *The Simpsons*. It’s baffling why Luigi thought he could pull off a stunt that takes professional gymnasts months of training, especially while encumbered by a heavy costume.

What makes this moment even more tragic is that no one in the audience seemed to notice Luigi’s misadventure. As he shuffles away, clearly in distress and with his paws between his legs, the crowd continues to cheer for the actual athletes, completely unaware of the mascot’s embarrassing tumble and the potential loss of his future offspring.

However, viewers on TikTok showed a bit more compassion, with many commenters wondering why nobody came to Luigi’s aid. Some were amazed at how much emotion the static mask conveyed, with remarks like, “How did a static mask express at least three different emotions?” and “This should be an empathy test.” One viewer even noted, “He looks like Adam Brody; I can’t explain it,” drawing comparisons between the costume and familiar pop culture references.

To give a bit of background on Luigi, he began his journey as a plush toy at the 2015 championships, serving as a good luck charm for the Belgian team. His popularity led to the decision in 2019 to create a living mascot, and thus, Luigi the mascot was born.

In this light, perhaps what we witnessed wasn’t just a clumsy mistake but a pivotal moment in Luigi’s evolution. Much like the monkeys at the start of *2001: A Space Odyssey*, could it be that his daring attempts signify his progression toward becoming more human? If that’s the case, I find myself a little less concerned about the dystopian future predicted in the *Planet of the Apes* films.