SEPTEMBER COLLECTION 2011



SEPTEMBER COLLECTION WITH THEIR MODEL, DUANE.



"EVERYONE LOOK AT ME"...AND THEY DID!

Wow! Here I am at the end of September already - 273 sock monkeys into the year, and that's not including all the extras I make. This month I have two people to thank. One of course is the above model, Duane Mackie. He has been one of my biggest supporters in the sock department and even though I had to beg him to be the model for this month, he was a good sport about it and the monkeys loved him! So, a big THANK YOU to Duane (all the sock monkeys are cheering - I can hear them through their box...).

Secondly, I really want to say thank you to Aubrey Reintjes who I am shipping another 40 monkeys off to this week. She lives in BC and works with the Cowichan people, helping to run their "Boys Road" club. These sock monkeys will find good homes and hopefully make some young kids smile! Thank you Aubrey - you made my month.

And last but not least, THANKS to those who read my blog faithfully (Beverly) and continue to encourage me with this project. Keep reading!

SASHA, POLLY & BLUE

SASHA: Born - September 28th. Sasha eats green pea soup for every meal. You'd think with that much green pea soup in her, she'd be green. Well, she's clearly not green. Not only does she eat green pea soup all the time but,she doesn't eat any normal sock monkey food such as; bananas, banana daiquiris, lice, fruits, vegetables etc....ever. How does she stay healthy AND eat the same thing day in and day out and never get sick of it?? Sasha is a weird little sock monkey....
POLLY: Born - September 29th. Polly doesn't like me very much. I really haven't any idea why. I sing to her every day "Polly Wolly doodle all day" , and ask her if "Polly wants a cracker".  I also tell her facts like; the name Polly has not made the "top 1000 names" list since 1977 OR, Polly is a variant of Mary/Molly so there is no origin to the name Polly. I'm just stating the facts folks, why doesn't she like me? I don't get it.
BLUE: Born - September 30th. Blue has amazing blue eyes, that's why he's called Blue. If you look at him, he's kind of a boring colored sock monkey - you know, just khaki and beige stripes, nothing exciting...just fortunate to have those blue eyes. Blue also only sees things in different shades of blue.From the branches on the trees to the banana he shoves in his mouth at dinner, everything is blue! How cool is that?

SCOUT, RANGER & CUBZ

SCOUT, RANGER & CUBZ: Born - September 25th, 26th & 27th. Well, much as I try to have all my Sock Monkeys have separate bio's, sometimes that can't be avoided - especially when you have similar socks or a theme that you want to use. In this case, not only did these socks come in a three pack, but as their names may indicate, they also have a theme going on. Therefore, a joint bio.
Scout, Ranger and Cubz are all avid boy club members. They started out as participants and have now become the organizers and leaders of the Sock Monkey Boys Clubs in the small town of "Bald Knob" Arkansas (yes, it exists). They meet every day and enjoy hours of fun - sometimes chaotic fun - teaching young Sock Monkeys necessary life skills such as; camping, fishing, boating, banana bunch fetching, chandelier swinging, cooking, cleaning, picking lice, sewing, how to tell a good joke and scratching in inappropriate places.
Once you've managed to pass all the little tests for the above skills, you get patches you can sew on your really cool underwear - which in these clubs are worn as hats. You can also move up in the ranks and become a junior or senior officer within each club. Lots of opportunities and fun for the whole troops! Too bad there's nothing like that available here. I'm sure we could all benefit from learning how to pick lice....

ZIG & ZAG

ZIG & ZAG: Born - September 23rd & 24th. These two Sock Monkeys are identical right down to the stuffing.Given to me by my good friend and co-worker/boss lady, I decided they should have a story line relatively close to the Brenda & Jessica story line that follows us when we travel for work. So, without further delay, here is their story.
Zig is taller (in her mind) while Zag is smaller. Zag can be a little "short" tempered and Zig loses her breath from the higher altitude. While Zag loves to drive, Zig attempts to throw gum out the car window and inevitably rolls the window up on her thumb...
Once in awhile Zag joins in the somewhat "absentmindedness" (for lack of a better word) and will be wondering why the Ipod is not working in the vehicles stereo, at which point, after many cuss words and freakin' hours of frustration, they both look down and realize they had the wrong plug in... 
Zig and Zag tend to arrive late in town and head to the local theatre where they eat their nutritious supper of hot dogs, popcorn and slurpies. Maybe they'll catch a movie or perhaps they'll just load up on extreme buttered popcorn and stay in for the night. Their day is all about shopping and make no mistake, these two can shop. Up at the crack of dawn (that lines just funny no matter how many times I say it) and done when the last store closes at 10pm. Sounds fun but it's exhausting.
After the many hours of shopping or attending workshops or running conferences, these two Sock Monkeys find their way home - be it by ground or air - and collapse exhausted in their homes ready for a good nights sleep.
Author's note: Due to the subject matter of some of the crap that happens to Brenda and I on the road, I could only let you in on a small part of it. HOWEVER, once I have all our "adventures" logged, you can expect a book - it will have stick figures and maybe some pop-ups BUT, rest assured it will be....ummmm...entertaining.

EMMA, DORIE, BLOSSOM & FAITH

EMMA, DORIE, BLOSSOM & FAITH: Born - September 19th, 20th, 21st & 22nd respectively. This quartet of sisters just happen to be the backup singers to a Sock Monkey Band called "Orange Peel in the Ditch". Their ability to sing in perfect unison or four part harmony is uncanny and they are known all over the world. The sisters didn't always sing, they each had individual jobs at one point. Emma was a door sales monkey, Dorie raised goldfish for Pet stores, Blossom was a chandelier light bulb changer and Faith actually worked as a guard at the local sanatorium. One day, they were visiting each other and a cool song came on the radio. They started singing along and before they knew it, had a groove all their own going on and decided to give singing a chance. I'm really glad they did and so is the band - especially the lead singer Stripes Magee who appreciates the distraction the lovely girls bring to the audience. No more lost kilts for Stripes Magee....
Author's note: You can read about Stripes Magee if you go back o March 3rd of this year. You'll understand why Stripes appreciates the distraction...

CHARLOTTE & SANDERSON

CHARLOTTE & SANDERSON: Born - September 17th & 18th respectively. So Charlotte and Sanderson are not a couple and not related. They just happen to be two very good friends who connected over their passion for their jobs. Both these amazing Sock Monkeys are "Gumbusters".
There you are, on a lovely night out with your better half, sitting at a fancy restaurant and your knee accidentally bumps the underside of your table. You pull your knee away but wait....there's something stuck to it. GUM!! Or, you and your date are in the very last row at the theatre, holding hands, getting ready to share popcorn and enjoy a movie, when you shift in your chair and realize....there's something stuck to your butt. GUM!! Or, you're on public transit and you bend down to pick up the book you have just dropped and your hair touches the back of the chair in front of you and BAM! Fricken GUM!! We've all been there and it isn't pleasant.
Here's where Charlotte and Sanderson come in. They are the ones who go around and remove gum from all these hidden places - hence, Gumbusters. The world is alot less "gummier" with these two around. Thank you Charlotte and Sanderson for working diligently at your job. We humans appreciate it!
Author's note: We humans would appreciate it a ton more if stupid humans would NOT put there GUM in places it doesn't belong. Just saying...

LADY ARCUS

THE LOVELY "LADY ARCUS".



LADY ARCUS STRIKING A CASUAL POSE....



LADY ARCUS: Born - September 16th. Firstly, let me explain the word "Arcus" then, you'll understand why I chose it. Arcus is the Latin word for "rainbow". As Lady Arcus is created from 6 different pairs of socks  (all the fuzzy ones I might add) and they are all brightly coloured like a rainbow, I thought it would be appropriate. She also struck me as a Lady. Not a duchess or a princess but, a "proper Lady" (as my mother would say). She is also a HUGE fan of the Smurfs. No one really knows why and she's not saying, we just walk around all the Smurf paraphernalia. Anyway, without further ado, here is Lady Arcus's story.  
Lady Arcus is an internationally well known Snake Milker. What is a snake milker you ask? Let me enlighten you. A snake milker removes the venom from snakes. First, he/she must capture them, then stretch latex over a jar and make the snake bite the latex. A snake milker then extracts the venom by either manually massaging the venomous glands or using electric stimulation on the muscles around the glands to encourage the snake to "spit" the venom into the jar. The venom is used for anti venom AND some is also used for research in stroke victims. Cool.
So, why did Lady Arcus decide on this profession? After five of her family members and many friends became victims of the very rare "White Polar Snake" (found only above the 60th parallel) , Lady Arcus decided it had to end. She studied  "Herpetology" - which is the science of reptiles - and also Pharmaceutical Science for several years and is now the worlds top Snake Milker and Anti Venom creator of this rare Snake. She is sought out from all circumpolar regions of the earth and can't seem to keep up on the requests for seminars and Smurf facts. Whoa. That was random....
ANYWAY, if you happen to encounter the rare White Polar Snake and unfortunately get bit, you'd better hope Lady Arcus has been around and there's anti venom at the local health facility. If there is, you can thank Lady Arcus someday, if there isn't, well, it was nice knowing you....
Author's note: While there is no such thing as the "White Polar Snake" (yes, you can breathe now), there are actual Snake Milkers out there. Fascinating field. It would be interesting to see what their turnover for employees is...or maybe death toll?....

BROOKE, JUNCTION & OSLUND

BROOKE: Born - September 14th. So..... deciding on a name. Sometimes you just look at a pair of socks and you have it - other times the design on the sock gives it away. Well, THIS pair of socks was chosen by my good friends daughter and we looked at the socks and thought of "Ducky". However, as I was cutting up the socks, my son pointed out they were chicks, not ducks. Was I going to name it "Chicky"? I think not. Therefore, I did the only rational thing I could do and named this Sock Monkey for the young lady she will belong to. Hope you like her Brooke!
JUNCTION: Born - September 15th. Junction is a Vacuum sales Monkey. He goes from house to house and does his very best to sell you vacuums. I'd like to point out that most vacuums are 10 times his size and 50 times his weight which can cause problems when you're demonstrating your product. Needless to say, Junction leaves your house owing you a free vacuum after he's destroyed your living room as he can't control the vacuum. He will never get rich at this but, it is rather entertaining...
OSLUND: Born - September 16th. Oslund has long legs (just in case you didn't notice). They are great for when he needs to find other Sock Monkeys in a hurry. He can tower over the troop and find anyone within seconds. Though he's not the tallest Sock Monkey out there, he is just smart about how he uses his height to further his purposes. He owns stilts, platform shoes (vintage 1973) and a pogo stick. I won't go into detail but, all his props are either an asset or a weapon, especially the pogo stick....but that's another story.
Author's note: I would like to point out to you the buttons used for Brooke's eyes. They are either ceramic or porcelain and hand painted with a tiny "bamboo" pattern. Thanks Bev for sharing these special and really cool buttons - they worked well with the Sock Monkey. 

LEMON & LIME

LEMON & LIME: Born - September 12th & 13th. These two brightly coloured Sock Monkeys are appropriately named "Lemon & Lime" - not just because of their colours but also because I couldn't come up with anything better. Really, it's not like I'm gonna name them "Lucy and Dan" or "Mark and Corrina" - how could I NOT name them their colours?? Look at them. ANYWAY, I digress..... I could make a smart ass comment like "all they eat are lemons and limes" BUT, that's incorrect and I don't need these two ticked at me. They eat bananas. Hey - some bananas are brightly coloured like Lemon & Lime. There. Issue solved. They ARE what they eat after all.

STAR, SPORT & FLOWER

STAR: Born - September 9th. Star was in a horrible hand mixer accident when she was 3. It started out innocently enough. She sat on the counter while her human made buttercream icing. When Star had a moment alone with the mixer, she grabbed ahold and turned the beaters on....full blast. Star hung on for dear life but was whipped around the room (as the beater stayed plugged in) and smashed the bowl on the ceramic floor. When the human finally came back and turned the beater off, there was buttercream icing from one end of the kitchen to the other - not too mention a beat up Sock Monkey lying in the midst of it all. This might have been a nightmare to clean up however, Star just invited the other 200 monkeys and clean up was done in 3 minutes. Mmmmmmm... buttercream icing...
SPORT: Born - September 10th. Sport is involved in just about every sport imaginable. He is very fit and a bit of a health nut. So when the opportunity came for him to help in the above buttercream incident, he jumped at it. Literally. He jumped around and cleaned the most buttercream icing out of all 200 monkeys. While that was good for other monkeys, it was not so good for Sport. He spent the next two days in bed with a tummy ache. 
 Sometimes it doesn't pay to be so fast....right Sport?
FLOWER: Born - September 11th. Flower was created in memory of the Flowers that were planted at Ground Zero. Today is a day we should all take stock of our blessings and thank God for our lives. Thank you Flower for reminding me to do that.

DONNY, TINA & CHRIS

DONNY: Born - September 6th. Donny lives in a small garbage can that was once the home of Oscar the Grouch. Though Oscar outgrew this can before he became a star on Sesame Street, Donny likes to let people think otherwise. He once had a few Sock Monkeys convinced he was just "garbage can sitting" while Oscar was away and sold them an old smelly mitt claiming it belonged to Oscar. Donny was always a bit crafty...
TINA: Born - September 7th. Tina was the inspiration behind the ABBA song "Nina, Pretty Ballerina". You see, Tina is a dancer (of sorts) and happened to be dancing one night at the Monkey Tale Bar when the group ABBA walked in. They were all so taken with her dancing they sat down right there and wrote the song. So why is it "Nina" not "Tina"? The music was so loud that night that when the group asked the name of the dancer all they heard was "ina". They took a vote and came up with Nina.... And no, Tina doesn't get any royalties.
CHRIS: Born - September 8th. Chris is an amateur magician. He has started to get good with card tricks and is working on pulling coins out from behind your ears. When he first started, he wanted to jump in and do the magic hat trick and pull out a bunny. Unfortunately, unless you've been practicing for awhile, pulling out a bunny just doesn't happen on the first try. Chris almost lost his arm when he reached in, botched his magic words and pulled out a Tiger Shark. I won't even get into the story of him trying to saw another monkey in half - I've tried to erase that from my mind. Stick to cards Chris...

REXI, RYAN & OWEN

REXI: Born - September 3rd. Rexi has a phobia. I know we have mentioned phobias before AND phobias are quite serious - not to be messed around with...ever. Rexi's phobia is fairly rare but does exist. It is "arachibutyrophobia" which as we all know, is the fear of "peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth." Now, I am not sure how Rexi acquired this phobia HOWEVER, I do know that peanut butter and banana sandwiches are not a good snack to put in front of him when he's over for a visit. We're still scraping bits of the sandwiches off the wall... Fricken phobias...
RYAN: Born - September 4th. Ryan will only brush his teeth on the days of the week with an 'r' in it. No one has figured out why but we have some theories. One theory is that he likes the letter R, therefore only brushing on R letter days. Another theory is that he brushes for his hot dates on the weekend, the rest of the week can go to the dogs. My theory is that he's a Sock Monkey and he doesn't have any teeth therefore rendering this entire bio useless! Come on people!
OWEN: Born - September 5th. Owen just happens to be born on the same day as my very good and most awesome friend Bev. Like Bev, Owen is unbelievably smart, incredibly capable in all areas of handiness, beautiful inside and out and can change your kitchen drawers around in a matter of minutes while you've gone to the bathroom.... Oh yeah, and like Bev, Owen can also feed you licorice and banana shooters and Highlander Grogg espressos. This is one gifted woman, oops! I mean Sock Monkey.
Author's note: Bev -  you are the sunshine to my cloudy day! I love you tons and wish nothing but the most amazing year ahead for you. May all you days be filled with "many magnificent memory making moments" - try saying that five times real fast...

HEIDI & FRANCO

HEIDI & FRANCO: Born - September 1st & 2nd. These two lovely Sock Monkeys are made in honor of my two friends, Heidi and Franco, who were kind enough to let me crash at their house while I was in Ft. Smith this past August.
Like their human namesakes, this happy Sock Monkey couple co-habitate in an eclectic house of colours, rooms and history. Every morning there is freshly ground coffee perking in the Italian Espresso maker and the smell of "bacon" smokies and pancakes in the air....yum! Aside from the great coffee and food, you'll be in awe of the computer technology and aircraft throughout the house - not to mention the various art selections which grace every possible wall space, nook & cranny. Franco and Heidi are a wonderful couple of Sock Monkeys and fabulous hosts!
So....have I earned a spot at the house for next years Festival???