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Swinging from the backpack of Sasha Obama, Babo's Bird is now Uglydoll Elect. The secret is out of the bag, and Uglydolls are all over the big network news. All across the nation, and world people are awakening to the awesomeness of Uglydolls. Google must be fat with searches on the subject.
I'm not sure how I feel about the great big world focusing in on my tiny corner of bliss. I not only collect all things Ugly, but I covet them, hoard them, adore and protect them. They are sweet. They are vulnerable. And just as I'm sure the Obama's wish to protect their kids from over-exposure, I want to protect the Uglydolls. I want to round them all up in a safe little place and tell the world to go away.
It's not just about the dolls. It's about the lifestyle of collecting, trading, anticapting, and discussing Uglydolls. It's a small community of people who adore the creations of David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, and I want to protect that too.
In reality, I can't protect Uglydoll from over-production, mass distribution, or over-exposure. Only their creators can do that. But I can hope that I don't one day find them hanging from the "impulse buy" end caps at supermarkets. Or see ads associating them with Buddhist Monks high on a secluded hilltop. I don't want to see them in a Happy Meal, on an antenna ball, or discarded in massive heaps in a thrift store.
Why? Because I love them. They are my friends, my Ugly family, and one of the most enjoyable aspects of my life. Because they deserve better. They are endowed with a quality that cannot be expressed on a blog. How do you describe their little softy soul that lives behind their big, expressive gaze? It's a quality that compels us to take them out with us, and photograph them in public places. They attend our parties, watch TV with us, sleep in the bed, travel on our holiday's, steal our cookies, make us laugh, put color into every day. Yes, this is beyond a collection for me, and I am not ashamed one bit to admit it. I'm a grown-up with toys, who plays with them everyday, and loves it.
There is a tendency in this country toward fads and excess. I hope my sweet Uglydoll's hold their own against the uber-commercialism that runs wild in the world today. I hope the Uglyverse is beyond all that. When that world is pressing in on me, I turn to the Uglyverse for renewal and joy. Being with them is like hitting the reset button on my heart.
On the other, less selfish side of things, I'm excited and happy to see the country take notice of the talented and lovely co-creators, David and Sun-Min. I can only imagine how cool it must be to see something you designed and produced get national notoriety. If they love that, I must be glad for them. David Horvath is such a positive thinking person, he might get a giggle out of my concerns. I'm glad the future of Uglydoll's is in his hands, and I hope it stays there.
So world, be kind to these soft, cuddly, sensitive, soulful, funny, trusting characters known as Uglydoll's. They are not just another toy. It's an adoption.
Note: Uglydoll Wage is pictured above.