In the classic adventure game The Secret of Monkey Island , opening the safe in the Mêlée Island General Store is a pivotal early puzzle. Unlike modern games where you might find a static "safe code" scribbled on a note, this safe uses a dynamic combination that changes with every playthrough, requiring players to observe the Storekeeper’s movements. The Safe Code Strategy

The phrase “Monkey Business Safe Code” evokes a specific kind of puzzle: one that relies on lateral thinking, childhood nostalgia, and a distinct lack of mathematics. It is a trope that has appeared in point-and-click adventure games, escape rooms, and logic puzzles for decades. Unlike a traditional safe code which might be hidden in a diary or derived from a date of birth, the "Monkey Business" code is almost always a riddle wrapped in a pun.