Sock monkey

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A homemade sock monkey

This article is about the doll made of socks. For the comic book, see Sock Monkey.

A sock monkey is a stuffed toy made from socks and fashioned in the likeness of a monkey. Sock monkeys hold an important place in the culture of North America as a symbol of ingenuity.

[edit] History

The sock monkey evolved in the 1910s or early 1920s from dolls made from discarded hosiery. The earliest known creation of a sock monkey dates to 1919. The genesis of the sock monkey came about when the craze stuffed animals swept across Europe and into America, where it met the burgeoning arts and crafts movement in the USA. Mothers there took to sewing sock monkeys as toys for their children, and sock monkeys soon became a fixture of American nurseries.

The iconic sock monkeys made from Red-Heel socks emerged at the earliest in 1932, the year the Nelson Knitting Company of Rockford, Illinois added the trademarked red heel to its product. In the early years, the red heeled sock was marketed as "De-Tec-Tip". It wasn't until around 1951 that the knitting company discovered their socks were being used to make monkey dolls. The Red-Heel brand has included instructions for sewing sock monkeys in every package sold since the mid-1950s, when the company was awarded a design patent for the sock monkey doll. The sock monkey doll was then used in promotional campaigns by the Nelson Knitting Company and celebrated the widespread application of their product by inventive homemakers in the field of monkey manufacturing. The Nelson Knitting Company was acquired in 1992 by Fox River Mills, and the original brown heather, Red Heel® monkey sock is still in production by Fox River Mills.

Sock monkeys remain a popular toy to this day, though not as prevalent as teddy bears. Most vintage sock monkeys found today are no older than the late 1950s, and many date from the 1970s. The methods and materials of sock monkey production remain for the most part unchanged from those of the initial toys, though sock monkeys now come in a greater variety of designs. One change is that polyfil and other synthetic fibers have replaced the old rags and dried grain once used for stuffing. Indeed, some modern sock monkeys are not even made from socks at all.

[edit] In popular culture

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In 2005 the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" featured sock monkeys prominently in the fourth episode, entitled Return of the Shirt. A giant sock monkey is offered as compensation by Ted for dumping a girl (who collects sock monkeys) on her birthday.
The alternative comic Sock Monkey by Tony Millionaire features a sock monkey named Uncle Gabby as its protagonist.
In 2001, the popular ITV Digital advert campaign featured Johnny Vegas and a knitted sock monkey named Digital Monkey.
In 2003, Cece Bell wrote, illustrated, and published a series of children's books about sock monkeys.
A sock monkey named Dickie narrates the 2004 novel Sock (ISBN 0-312-32805-2) by Penn Jillette.
Designer Paul Frank sells a line of merchandise featuring a sock-monkey-like character named Julius.
A 2004 film short by puppet filmmaker Justin Bastard Sane explores The Secret Lives of Sock Monkeys.
In 2005, artist Mandy Jouan created Buttons, a 15 foot tall sock monkey.
In 2005, Dee Lindner a.k.a. The Sock Monkey Lady, a sock monkey doll designer, artist, and photographer, had Monkey Love (ISBN 100740754831) published. She also has sock monkey greeting cards, journals, and other items featuring her sock monkey dolls published.
In 2006, Viking Studio published, Sock Monkey Dreams (ISBN 0670038083) by Whitney Shroyer, Letitia Walker, and photographs by Michael Traister chronicles the daily life of sock monkeys at the Red Heel Monkey Shelter.
In 2007, In My Own Dream Studio published, Everything Coming Up Sock Monkeys (ISBN 097903230X) by B. K. Connelly, which is a comprehensive look at the art, history and business of the American sock monkey.