November 05, 2007
maudit artist #5: David & Sun Min/Uglydolls
To me at least, Uglydolls are not ugly. Though I admit to having a hard time warming up to the cyclops and three-eyed versions. CdR once told me that there is an evolutionary reason why human dislike creatures who don't have two eyes and I believe her. Bob and I are undeniably attached to our Wages. Wage is one of the original Uglydolls. I impulse bought our first Wage back in 2004 and since then, Bob and I have acquired about five more Wages. We have all the limited edition Wages, Minimum Wage and Keychain Wage. Wage is very special to us.
Here is Orange Wage (our first Wage) after being issued a ticket for mishandling his jet car. Bob likes to make tableaus involving these guys. Wage possesses an infinite wisdom. Even as he is reprimanded by a recently deputized stuffed crocodile, his zest for life remains intact.
Certainly you have stumbled upon Wage and his Uglydoll pals at finer toy and gift shops nationwide. David and Sun Min apparently met in art school, and while David was in the US and Sun Min was in Korea, David doodled Wage on a letter he sent her, and Sun Min responded by making a plush version of the character. So adorable it was that their pals at Giant Robot asked her to make more Wage dolls, and they sold like hotcakes. They have won mad toy design awards and are probably rolling in dough, all because of these strange little creatures.
I think the appeal of the Uglydolls is that they look needy, like they need your love. Wage has a sort of earnest, confident, yet completely unfazed look about him. You can tell him anything and he loves and accepts you for it. There is a hunger in each of us to be loved just for being ourselves and Uglydolls have that, too. They are imperfect, like we are. And they don't judge.