Ugly Dolls have become a modern classic, but we bristle at the $20 price tag. There's lots to love about these one-of-a-kind DIY monsters that keep costs down and have a special back story.
Amy B. over at The Project Princess Strikes Again whipped up a bunch of dolls based on her children's drawings. They are Christmas gifts for Amy's very lucky nieces and nephews. Check out her step by step details here, along with more monsters here.
(Image: The Project Princess Strikes Again)
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We make our own Ugly Dolls too. We give them as gifts to her friends. My daughter, Giselle, absolutely loves helping me design and sew them al the way done to the buttons and other details. It's a lot of fun!
I did this with my boys too. It was part of their xmas presents one year. I picked up weird fabrics at thrift stores or clearance sections and they helped make the monsters even more fun.
I have no issue with homemade monster stuffies but the knockoff about is just theft.
i agree with judiau, someone worked very hard to design and market ugly dolls. i agree that $20 is a little much for something most people can make themselves, but come on. don't insult the creator.
there may be some theft of intellectual property here... or possibly a real copyright violation. maybe not, but that doesn't make it right.
I don't think $20 is unreasonable at all, especially considering the expensive designer nursery gear that is regularly featured on this site. The amount of time and effort I'd have to expend to copy this product is definitely worth $20 to me.
I do wish they weren't made in China. I would actually be willing to pay more for dolls made in the US of eco-friendly materials.
Hi, I'm the creator of those monsters. I don't feel that I have violated any copyrights with them. I do understand your concerns and it's something I try to think about and keep in mind as I craft.
The point of making the monsters for me wasn't to get cheap Ugly Dolls. It was to make a very personal gift for my nieces and nephews.
My children drew monsters for me; I made their drawings into fleece. We didn't just go to the ugly doll website and choose something to copy. Those monsters are the product of my children's own imaginations. It makes them special and not just a bunch of knock offs. Yes we did get the idea to use fleece and the construction method from Ugly Dolls. I still feel that we have stayed on the right side of the ethical line on this, especially since I have not sold or made a penny off my monsters.
Thank you.
@Amy B. - I respectfully disagree. Your designs are very similar to the Ugly Dolls sold in stores. Especially the purple one in the photo above. It is almost identical to one made by the Ugly Doll manufacturers.
Only if you are selling them..