Then, in December, we were again downtown spending some Christmas money my relatives had sent. Neil had been mentioning UglyDolls for a bit, so I asked if he wanted to take some of the money and get himself one. He was totally excited, so we walked over to the shop. They just had a few, including a green Ox and a large IceBat. Neil chose the giant-sized IceBat, and I thought I'd like to get Ox one day, largely because I thought his eyes--a big "O" and a big "X"--were a great naming device. And he was green.
Neil started doing research, and he found a whole huge underground fan base of these things, with limited editions, homemade versions, new releases, and a bunch of characters we hadn't seen. So, when we went to St. Louis the next weekend to shop in the Delmar Loop, get a glimpse of Emily's baby, celebrate Christmas with the Marlowes, and bring Lily back home, Neil and I were psyched to see the window of Star Clipper on Delmar lined with a new series of Uglies--Ice Lodge (all white) and Secret Mission (all black).
While the kids and Dad went to Ragorama, we descended upon Star Clipper. Neil was SO excited standing in front of their UglyDoll section...they even had two huge 6-foot versions in the window. We picked out a couple to take home (little Abima, little Ice Bat, maybe...we went three times in about a week and a half so I can't be positive), and then the obsession really began. We decided to bestow little Uglies on Neil's family (ostensibly for Paul's birthday, but mostly we just wanted to pick out more, I think) and, on the way to Pigeon Forge to meet them for a post-Christmas week, stopped again at Star Clipper (after a filling meal at Fitz's which included FRIED PICKLE SLICES!) and picked out little green Target for Meme and Papa, Tray for Mark, Wedgehead for Becca, Ox for Stacy, Big Toe for Jacob, and Ugly Worm for PP. We also got Secret Mission Ox, and Secret Mission Ugly Dog for Jordan.
Then, on the way back, we got Ice Lodge Ice Bat. We figured that might be it for awhile.
When Steve's birthday drew near, I thought it might be a fun gift for him, since he sometimes shares my love for quirky toys (like Cigar Smoking Sam from the seashell-sculpture store in Pensacola). Butterfly Tattoo had a small selection, but Jeero looked cute, so we got that for him and even made an accompanying mix CD, called "Jeero Mix for Steve." I had ordered green Ox and Big Toe, but they didn't arrive at the store in time, so we just had to pick those up later to keep for us (darn). THEN, Neil was checking out the Giant Robot store site, and they occasionally have limited-editions for sale there, I guess so people not living in LA have a shot at getting them. We leaped on the Sleepy Chilly Ice Bats, pink and brown, who wear party hats with faces on them and angel-wing mittens.
I went to St. Louis the weekend before Valentine's day, and knew I couldn't pass Star Clipper without just checking. So, on Saturday morning on my way out of town, a gorgeous day, I parked and walked in the sunshine to the store's propped-open door.
Wow. Not only were they entirely restocked, they had the two most recent releases, brown Cinko and Suntan Target--AND everything was on sale. I was so excited. I bought 3 littles and 3 regulars: little Cinko and big Cinko, since the new one's legs were different; little Sailor Babo, because he had a cute hat; regular Abima, since he's Neil's favorite; little Peaco--okay, because I really wanted him--; and Suntan Target. I couldn't WAIT to give them to Neil for Valentine's day. So, I didn't, exactly--I gave him Abima that night. But he had no idea there were five more waiting for him on the Thursday after that!
Sometime during the next couple days, I was determining what to do with a pair of Magic Pants that Neil had rubbed raw. Their "pilling" had migrated to the inside layer, so I didn't like to wear them, but they weren't rough enough anymore for Neil to use, so I looked at them and thought "Hey. I could totally try and make an UglyDoll out of these." They're a neat gray-pinstripe color, and could look vintage.
So for the next few days, with Dad's immense help, I did. I had Ugly Dog at Dad's to use for reference, used Mom's craft felt for eyes, mouth, and teeth, and made a pattern inspired by the one-of-a-kind BaboTrain UglyDoll Neil had shown me as a long-ago prototype online. I named it BoinkyTrain (since we call each other "Binky" and "Bonky"), gave it six appendages and two ears, and finished stuffing it on February 14th. I sewed red felt hearts on every new UglyDoll, writing BoinkyTrain's new name on his with fabric paint, and carted them home. I still had work to do, though. I debated how to present this to Neil, knowing he'd be so excited, and I wanted him to find them rather than have them all out waiting. I worked out a scavenger hunt all through the apartment, positioning all six dolls peeking out in and around the boxes in our outdoor storage closet.
It was awesome, if I do say so myself, and he FREAKED when he opened that door.
And how cute was this...as part of my gift, he gave me little Babo and Wage, who are best friends--and he'd really wanted to find Peaco. The Babo he gave me was regular, not sailor, so we didn't overlap in gifts. It was a great day.
I guess we should be slowing down a bit in our UglyDoll purchases. I might slip a bit next month, when I visit LA with Dad and Joe (if the Giant Robot store is nearby), but I'm sure Neil won't be too mad if I bring home some new kids. :)
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