Nostalgic Toy Makes Comeback

Sock monkeys aren’t just for children at Country Grannie’s Playhouse.

A favorite stuffed animal—originating in the Victorian Era—is making a comeback, especially at Country Grannie’s Playhouse in Inola. Carolyn Dormier not only fashions the popular toy from a variety of socks but also loves teaching others how to make the cute button-eyed animals.

    Memories and nostalgia led Dormier to begin fashioning the monkeys—historically created out of a pair of Rockford Red Heel Socks—from socks of all sizes and patterns. “My mother never wasted anything. She made quilts and taught me to make doll clothes as well as sock ­monkeys long before I started school,” she says.

    Dormier’s sock monkeys include Red Hatters, Zumba monkeys, horse and other animal prints, seasonal monkeys as well as striped and polka dotted ­monkeys. However, some of her most popular monkeys—and she can’t keep them in stock very long—are sports-themed sock monkeys. “I can do the Texas Rangers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Cowboys as well as collegiate teams like OU and OSU,” she says. “The OU ­monkeys go fast. So do the Thunder monkeys.”

    Although Dormier’s mother had made them when she was a child, her interest in the stuffed monkeys was renewed when she noticed the once popular ­animals were making a comeback several years ago. “I made an OU-themed one for my 16-year-old granddaughter because she’s such a fan,” she says. “My ­granddaughter, who is now 18, loved it.”

    Because the cute creatures are popular again, Dormier is also offering customers the option of making their own—not from scratch—but finishing off the monkey, making it a labor of love. Individuals or groups can make an appointment with Dormier to select their own unfinished animal to fill with stuffing and stitch up the ­opening. “I can even do the final sewing for them,” she says. “This project would be fun for any group, including a birthday party project.”

    Dormier has tables set up for groups to complete their sock monkey on site or you can buy the bodies and finish them at home or at a group meeting. “They are so easy to finish,” she adds. “They are partially ­constructed and require little sewing.”

    Recently, Dormier was meeting with her craft group at the Inola Library. “I was making a small OU sock monkey and had it sold to another crafter before I had even finished it,” she says.

    Monkeys range in price—from $10 to $25—and come in a variety of sizes, depending on the sock size. For those who want to dress their sock ­monkeys, Dormier even offers a variety of clothes for the lovable creatures.

    For specialty monkeys, Dormier needs a two-week notice. “I have to order the socks,” she explains.

    Sock monkeys, however, aren’t just for children. “I had a classmate—from 1968—who saw my Facebook page and ordered a sock monkey made from a ­horse-patterned sock,” she adds. “Whatever sock monkey pattern someone wants, I can find the socks if I need to.”

    Dormier’s sock monkeys ­frequently find their way to fundraising events in Inola, ­putting a smile on the face of the recipient—no matter their age.

    She will soon be fulfilling an order for 11 farm-themed sock monkeys as children’s gifts. “They make great gifts for any occasion,” she adds. “It takes me an hour to two to make one, depending on the size but I like the variety.”

    The monkeys have even been shipped to Colorado and Texas and as far away as the North Pole, Alaska after people discovered her Facebook page, where you can view an assortment of the colorful, cute sock monkeys crafted with love. If you’re looking for a unique gift or want to make your own sock monkey drop-in to Country Grannie’s Playhouse.

For more information, contact

Country Grannie’s ­Playhouse

222 E. Commercial St.

Inola, OK

(918) 543-6400

www.facebook.com/ICSockMonkeys

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