Monkey is based on the 16th century Chinese story "Hsi Yu Chi" ("Journey To The West"). It tells the story of the Buddhist priest Tripitaka, and his three disciples Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy, as they travel from China to India to fetch the Buddhist scriptures. They have been sent by Buddha, and getting these scriptures will bring peace to the people of the world. Dubbed into English and shown in November 16, 1979 on UK and later Australian television, it proved to be quite popular.