Chim-Chim

Chim-Chim, known in Japan as Sanpei (三平), is the chimpanzee character from Speed Racer who is a family pet and mostly seen with Speed's younger brother Spritle sneaking into the trunk of the Mach Five. In one episode, Chim-Chim and Spritle wear the same diving suit, with Chim-Chim standing on Spritle's shoulders.

In other media

Chim-Chim appears in the 2008 live-action film Speed Racer. Two chimpanzees were used to portray Chim Chim: Kenzie and Willy. In July 2007, PETA contacted Speed Racer producer Joel Silver about reports that the chimpanzee had been beaten and had also bitten one of the actors and encouraged production to switch to animatronics. A studio spokesperson confirmed that an actor had been bitten, but the actor was treated and the chimpanzee was given a rest. The studio denied to PETA that the chimpanzee had been mistreated, saying that the decision would remain to use live animals in production.

Chim-Chim's spirit lives on with a new character in Speed Racer: The Next Generation as a robot monkey, built by geeky Speed Racer fanatic Conor. He acts like a chimp, but has the ability to turn into a scooter, pull things out of the panel on his stomach, and even repair Speed's race car while it's moving.