If you’ve spent more than five minutes in a Gorilla Tag lobby, you’ve heard the name. You’ve probably seen the cyan monkey with the party hat. Or maybe you've seen the guy with the blue hair and the phone taped to his chest. He’s basically the face of VR gaming for a whole generation. But there’s a question that always pops up in the comments: how old is jmancurly exactly?
People guess wildly. Some think he’s a teenager because of the high energy and the "MONKE" screaming. Others see his beard and the way he runs a literal business empire and think he’s nearing 30.
The truth is actually right in the middle. Julian Elchakieh (that's his real name) was born on May 2, 2003.
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As of early 2026, jmancurly is 22 years old.
He’s not some middle-aged dude pretending to be a kid, but he’s also not the 15-year-old many fans first met when the Gorilla Tag craze exploded. He’s grown up on camera. It’s kinda wild to look back at the old videos and see the transition.
The Birthday Mystery and the "Young Tape" Era
Julian doesn't really hide his age, but he doesn't make it his whole personality either. On May 2, 2025, he did a livestream titled "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY. I'M 22." It was a classic Jman moment—chaotic energy, interaction with the "Curly Gang," and testing out new camera gear.
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, and raised in Quebec, Canada, his background is as mixed as his content.
Most people don't realize his channel actually started way back in 2013. His dad, Georges, helped him set it up when Julian was only 10. Imagine being 10 years old and deciding you’re going to be a YouTuber. Most of us were just trying not to lose our lunch money at that age.
Why the age matters to the Curly Gang
For a lot of younger fans, Julian is like the older brother who actually knows how to play the game. He isn't just a guy who records videos; he’s a mentor. He’s taught creators like KreekCraft and Caylus how to move in Gorilla Tag. That takes a specific kind of patience you don't usually see in younger creators.
- 2013: Channel created (Age 10).
- 2021: Gorilla Tag blow-up (Age 18).
- 2024: Launch of his game, Shmackle (Age 21).
- 2026: Leading a multi-platform media brand (Age 22).
Honestly, it's pretty impressive. Most people at 22 are just figuring out how to do their own laundry. Julian is managing a Discord with over 360,000 people and running a game studio called CurlyBlue.
What People Get Wrong About Jman
There’s this weird myth that he’s actually much older and uses a voice changer. He doesn’t. That’s just Julian. The energy you see in the videos is the same energy he brings to long-form interviews.
Another misconception? That he just "got lucky" with the VR trend.
If you look at the timeline, he was making videos for years before he ever touched a VR headset. He did Pokémon Go hunts. He did vlogs. He even did energy drink reviews. He put in the "boring" work long before the "monke" fame arrived. By the time Gorilla Tag was two weeks old and he discovered it on Reddit, he already knew how to edit. He already knew how to hook an audience.
Beyond the Virtual Reality Headset
Staying relevant at 22 in the gaming world is hard. Most creators peak and then vanish. But Julian has diversified. He’s a verified music artist now. Have you heard "RIZZ MAN" or "BLUE HAIR"? They aren't just meme songs; they have millions of streams on Spotify.
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He’s also moved into physical production. That yellow tape isn't just a gag anymore; it's a brand. He’s built a strategy that’s been compared to Disney—creating characters like Gonzalez and building out a "universe" that exists outside of just playing a single game.
The "Curly Constitution"
One thing that sets him apart from other 20-something influencers is the "Curly Constitution." It’s basically his code of conduct for his community:
- Be kind.
- Help the "noobs."
- Uplift the community.
It sounds simple, maybe even a little cheesy. But in the often-toxic world of online gaming, it’s why he has such a loyal fanbase. He’s used his maturity (yes, even while screaming "MONKE") to keep his community relatively clean.
The Reality of Being a 22-Year-Old "King"
Being the "King of VR" isn't all fun and games. Julian has talked about the pressure of maintaining the pace. He uploads constantly across multiple channels—jmancurly, jmancurly Reacts, jmancurly Plays.
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In 2024, he had to deal with the stress of his first game, Shmackle, having its ups and downs. That’s a lot for a 21-year-old to handle. Most people his age are stressed about a college mid-term; he’s stressed about server costs and player retention for a game with over a million installs.
What’s Next for jmancurly?
Now that we've cleared up how old is jmancurly, the real question is where he goes from here. He's currently living in Vietnam, traveling, and vlogging like a "machine," as he put it. He’s moving toward more high-production content and less "guy in a bedroom" vibes.
If you’re looking to follow his journey or even start your own, there are a few things you can actually learn from his "rise to fame" story:
- Start early, but stay patient. He didn't hit 4 million subscribers overnight. It took 12 years of various types of content to find the one that stuck.
- Brand the "weird" stuff. Most people would be embarrassed to tape a phone to their chest with yellow tape. Julian made it an icon.
- Diversify. Don't just be "the Gorilla Tag guy." Be a musician, a developer, and a storyteller.
If you want to keep up with his actual age and milestones, the best place is his "jmancurly Reacts" channel. That's where he does the more personal stuff, like the fan-mail unboxings and the birthday vlogs. He’s currently on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday upload schedule, so there’s always something new to catch.
Keep an eye on his Discord for the next "Monkeys Got Talent" or community event. Whether you're there for the parkour or the music, it's clear Julian is just getting started, even if he's been at this for over a decade.