monkey mug or string monkey?

I saw a ceramic monkey in a flea market today but I question whether it was a mug. It was the "hear no evil" monkey that is shown as item DW134 on Dynasty Wholesale's page:
http://www.dynastywholesale.com/tikimugs.html
It had "Japan" stamped on the bottom so I assume it was decently old, as opposed to Dynasty's new pieces from old molds.
What puzzles me is that it has a hole in the forehead which I assume is for a straw, but there was also a large opening in the back which went down to about three or four inches from the bottom. This would of course limit the amount of liquid the item could hold and would lend itself to spillage. The dealer had labled it "string holder" but I've seen tiki mugs sold as vases so I don't assume a dealer knows what he or she has. Can any of you experienced folks tell me if this was indeed a mug?

Yes, it's a mug. As you noted, the small hole is for a straw, the larger opening to get the beverage into the mug. Meant for lightweight drinkers that can't consume mass quantities.

I got that mug for my monkey crazy daughter.

i have two similar mugs but they are more like a coffee mug, with handles in the back. bottom marked "japan." anyone ever see such a thing?

mahalo, j$

monkey mugs