Tarzan's Ankle Monitor: A Modern-Day Conundrum

A video of a children's ankle monitor toy shared on social media in July 2023 was created by spoof company Legboot, which makes bootleg stuff and pretends the products are authentic merchandise in real stores. The toy's creator, Legboot, confirmed that the product and video are both satirical. The video, which showcased a monitor that parents could use to keep their children in their rooms, was not a real product manufactured by a company and sold in Walmart stores, contrary to what some social media users believed.

Tarzan's superhuman abilities

Tarzan's strength and agility can be attributed to his upbringing among the Mangani great apes, a species unknown to science. He acquired skills such as using his feet like hands, a skill learned among the anthropoid apes, and going barefoot for flexibility. Tarzan's literacy is also self-taught, and he eventually reads every book in his father's portable book collection, becoming well-versed in geography, basic world history, and his family tree.

Tarzan is also a skilled combatant, proficient with a spear and dagger, and has superhuman durability and stamina. He can mimic sounds, including the perfect imitation of a gunshot, and communicate with many species of jungle animals. He can learn a new language in days and ultimately speaks many languages, including French, Finnish, English, Dutch, German, Swahili, Arabic, Ancient Greek, Ancient Latin, and Mayan.

Tarzan's romantic relationships

Tarzan first meets Jane when he encounters a group of explorers, including Jane and her father, Professor Archimedes Q. Porter. Tarzan is initially curious about the newcomers, as he has never seen other humans before, having been raised by gorillas. He takes a liking to Jane and her father and learns more about humans from them. Jane teaches him about human culture and how to read, while he teaches her how to swing on vines. Tarzan and Jane fall in love, and when it is time for her to return to England, he decides to go with her, believing he belongs with humans and wanting to be with Jane.

However, their plans are complicated when they are captured along with Jane's father. They are saved by Tarzan's friends Terk and Tantor, who help them escape. Tarzan eventually realises that his true home is in the jungle with his gorilla family, but this means he will have to part ways with Jane. Jane decides to stay with him in the jungle, and they marry and spend their lives together there.

In some versions of the story, Tarzan, now going by his birth name John Clayton, assumes his rightful place as the sole heir to his family's fortune in England. He and Jane live there for a time, and they have a son named Jack, who takes the ape name Korak. However, Tarzan is contemptuous of what he sees as the hypocrisy of civilisation, so he and Jane eventually return to Africa, making their home on an extensive estate in British East Africa.

Tarzan's relationship with Jane is based on emotion and mutual understanding. Despite their differences, Jane accepts Tarzan for who he is, and he loves her deeply. Their romance has been compared to the classic Beauty and the Beast fable, with Jane taking the place of Belle.

Tarzan's complex character

Tarzan, or John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke, is a complex character with a rich backstory and an array of skills and abilities. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel "Tarzan of the Apes" in 1912. The character is a feral child raised in the African jungle by a tribe of great apes called the Mangani. Tarzan's parents, a British lord and lady, were marooned on the coast of Africa and died when he was an infant. He was then adopted by an ape named Kala and given the name "Tarzan," which means "white-skin" in the language of the Mangani.

Tarzan's jungle upbringing bestowed upon him exceptional physical abilities, including extraordinary strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and swimming skills. He can climb, cling, and leap as well as any great ape and can use his feet like hands, having learned the importance of prehensile feet early on. Tarzan is also a skilled tracker, able to follow prey or avoid predators using his heightened senses of hearing and smell.

In addition to his physical prowess, Tarzan possesses a keen intellect. He is literate in English and has taught himself to read using children's books. He eventually reads every book in his father's collection and is well-versed in geography, history, and his family tree. Tarzan is also a quick learner when it comes to languages, mastering the tongues of the great apes, French, Finnish, English, Dutch, German, Swahili, Arabic, Ancient Greek, Latin, and Mayan, among others.

Tarzan's character is often described as intelligent, loyal, courageous, and compassionate. He is a born leader who inspires loyalty in others and is willing to protect those weaker than himself. He embraces a "return to nature" philosophy, preferring a simple life in the wild over the complexities of civilization. However, he is not without flaws and can be contemptuous of what he perceives as the hypocrisy of civilization.

Tarzan's legacy

Tarzan's impact extends beyond the page and screen. His adventures and larger-than-life abilities have inspired generations of conservationists, most notably primatologist Jane Goodall, who lived among apes in Africa, fulfilling her childhood dream of emulating Tarzan. The character's primitivist philosophy and return-to-nature ethos have also left an indelible mark on popular culture.

Tarzan's physical prowess and unique upbringing have set him apart as a heroic adventurer. With extraordinary strength, agility, and a deep connection to the natural world, he embodies the timeless appeal of a character who is both civilised and wild, intelligent and instinctual. This duality is reflected in his name, which means "white-skin" in the language of the apes that raised him.

The character's enduring popularity has led to countless parodies, imitators, and pirated works. Tarzan has become an iconic figure, instantly recognisable to generations of fans, and his legacy continues to influence storytelling and shape our understanding of the human connection to nature.

Tarzan's influence on popular culture

Tarzan's popularity led to the formation of the first-ever fan club in America in 1916, pioneering the fandom movement that is now an integral part of modern pop culture. The character has been featured in numerous media formats, including books, films, radio programmes, television shows, comic strips, and video games. He has also been the subject of merchandise, with products ranging from View-Master reels and colouring books to bread, ice cream, and glue.

Tarzan's influence extends to real-life figures as well. Primatologist Jane Goodall, for example, was inspired by the character to live among apes in Africa, and retired baseball player Joe Wallis was nicknamed 'Tarzan' due to his exceptional climbing abilities.

Tarzan's impact on popular culture has been so significant that he has become instantly recognisable worldwide, with some comparing his brand recognition to that of Superman and Mickey Mouse.

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