Award Winners Winkolina and Trunko

It's official. Winkolina and Trunko win Parents Choice Award 2009! Woot. Woot. This is big.

Our Winkolina's wasted no time in stepping into their new role as award winning stars of plushdom. It's been a dizzy day of photo ops, interviews, and snacks. Trunko was delayed in travel and missed the photo set, so the Winkie's saved his snacks for him. In their tummies.

Being a proud Mommie of Winkolina's myself, I can only imagine how pleased Uglydoll creators David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim must be with this award. They are again to be congratulated for redefining plain and Ugly and transforming them into award winning qualities.

In in the midst of fun and festivites the question remains, however, on the minds of many. What about The Kasoogi's? Why were they passed over for this award? Were they even nominated? Were they ROBBED?

Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi are unconcerned with such trivialities. They are thrilled for their fellow Uglydolls. An award for one is an award for all!

But still, the question will linger for those of us who love and admire The Kasoogi's. Maybe I need to be hit with the Ugly Stick!

Whack. That's better.

Want your own award winning Uglydoll? Click here to go to the Uglydoll Store. Winkolina and Trunko come in 4 sizes: Clip-on, Little Ugly, Classic Ugly 14", and 2 foot Ugly. There's one for every lifestyle.

Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi Hit the Road

Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi have packed their bags and hit the road. We are in a flurry preparing for their arrival. These two adventurous Uglydolls will have some stories to tell, and our Uglies are always excited to hear a good tale. Mr. and Mrs. are bound to have plenty. Rumor has it they've seen a UFO. Maybe they've even been invited aboard??? We can hope.

Two of the stores I've checked have them in stock, ShopRockCandy and Uglydoll Super Store. They both offer free shipping along with some others tempting perks for your patronage.

ShopRockCandy offers free shipping using coupon code UGLY at checkout. If you purchase over 50.00, and easy feat when talking Uglydolls, you get a FREE Little Uglydoll. If you have a preference of which Little Ugly, and who doesn't, just specify the one you want in the Comments section of the order. If they have that Ugly in stock, it's YOURS. Whoo hoo hoo!

Uglydoll Super Store gives you free shipping on any Uglydoll item, a FREE Little Uglydoll for a purchase over 50.00, PLUS they give you Ugly Bucks for every Ugly dollar spent. You can save up your Ugly Bucks for free merchandise.

Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi come in four sizes and price ranges, Clip-on Keychain, Little Ugly, Classic Size, and 2 Foot Ugly. There's something there for every taste and budget.

I've order from both stores. They've been dependable, fast and friendly.

This is what David Horvath has shared about Mr. and Mrs. Kasoogi:

"Mrs. Kasoogi is the boss in the family. She makes sure things run without snags and she keeps Mr. Kasoogi out of the cookie jar. That way there's more for her! Mrs. Kasoogi demands respect and attention. Attention to details! Small details such as where to find burried treasure, paranormal evidence, the secret of life, the secret to your best recipes, and the secret to finding enough time in the day to get things done. Things like naps."

"Mr. Kasoogi is a treasure hunter. He's had a lot of practice hunting for smaller items like candy, donuts, and even fruit. Now he's ready to take on the big challenges...But he needs a partner. Someone he can trust. Or maybe someone like you. Are you up for it? Will you be there when Mrs. Kasoogi turns the kitchen lights on and you're caught with your hand in the cookie jar? Yes? Good! You take the blame! Mr. Kasoogi doesn't mess with Mrs. Kasoogi."

Ugly Dolls

Ugly Dolls. Just the title brings a smile to the face. My first encounter with an Ugly Doll was at a local grocery store. As I often do, I began to wander as my partner went through the checkstand. I scanned for eye-candy. Pottery from Russia, lovely but too busy. I could only tolerate one piece of it in my kitchen. Carved wood ships in the traditional faded red, white, and blue. Possible Father's Day gift? Little interest for me. Mine is dead. And besides, he was an Air Force guy. Mug. All manner of mugs. Nothing pretty. Nothing funky. Nothing classy. Nothing comfortable. Bad mugs all around. Maybe I'll wait outside.

But WAIT. What is this? I reached into a bucket to retrieve....something. Could I believe my eyes? It was brown. We can say that for sure. And softish, like fleece. It had great, round, saucer eyes, a straight, black line of a mouth that spanned most of his face, and a pair of downward facing teeth. A pair of ears stuck out like half-dollar pancakes. His arms were low, way too low, and his feet were too tiny. He was odd. Very odd. He was ugly. He was perfect. I squeezed him. My heart melted. It was love.

Chuckanucka was his name, and he was an Uglydoll. As excited as could be, I thrust him at my partner. Look, I said. Can you believe this? Isn't he wonderful?
Ok, it wasn't love at first sight for Chuck and my partner. However, the money was plopped down, Chuck came home. My partner is now more than on board the Ugly Train. More than.

And so began a relationship with a doll that has grown into a passion. I don't know how many people stop with just one Uglydoll. But that certainly was not to be for us. The care, adoption, and admiration of Uglies is a major part of our lives. We plan, we play, we watch ebay auctions, we read about them, chat on forums, study their history and variations, set them up for photo shoots, take them for rides in the car or on the bike, and enjoy the heck out of ourselves doing it.

I was never one for traditional dolls. In fact, you could say I loathed them. In my childhood, stuffed animals ruled. When I was told I was too old for toys, I never agreed. Stop playing? Why?

As a young adult, my toys moved with me, slept with me, traveled with me. I was devastated to discover most of them were stolen while I was away. It seemed nothing could replace my trolls, action figures, and other great companions. Replacing them with the toys of the day held zero appeal for me. My heart was broken and did not heal for many years. Until Chuck. He gathered up the pieces, and together we got my groove back.

Chuck is now part of a growing Ugly Family. In the photo, Chuck is in the upper left corner, top shelf. Big Chuck, as we call him, is a 2 foot Tall relative of his in the bottom right corner. Isn't he wonderful?

He's waiting for me in there right now.