Influx

Despite today’s image-obsessed media, it looks like ugly sells. After all, what one person considers beautiful, another considers ugly. Leading this style trend is another cultural export from Asia: Ugly Dolls: part toy, part art collectible.

These plush, anatomically-challenged creatures are irresistible. Fans call them “adorably ugly”. And now they’ve grown beyond the urban toy collector to celebrities, fashionistas, and 4 year-olds across the United States. Along with toy boutiques, they’re also being distributed at Barney’s in New York and The Museum of Contemporary Art in LA.

They’ve since expanded into other mediums, from collectable vinyl figures, an upcoming video game for PS3, an animated children’s TV show in Japan, and a show currently in production in the U.S.

The appeal is part design aesthetic and part storytelling. The juxtaposition of the cute and abnormal, combined with a character and creator story, give more meaning, and therefore more value, to the brand. The first Ugly Doll, created by Sun-Min Kim and David Horvath, was born out of a long-distance relationship. Horvath would doodle characters in his love letters to Kim, and she would translate them into plush dolls.

interview with creator of Ugly Doll

There’s also a story behind every doll. Anything “ICE BAT” touches turns to ice yet he warms your heart! “BABO” is the protector and when you are having a bad day he will take care of you. “TRAY” needs to feel important, so sit him next to you on an extra long journey, and “JEERO” – he just wants to hang out with you!

More than a toy trend, Ugly Dolls express the importance of creating a brand-novel. What are the chapters to the larger story? Do you have something to say or show that challenges mainstream ideas?