Silly Sock Monkey

Where Did the Sock Monkey Come From?

When it comes to sewing projects for boys, dolls won't do, so you'll turn to making stuffed animals like the sock monkey. Have you wondered how the sock monkey came about? We've got the scoop on the origins of these adorable stuffed toys.

The origin of the name "sock monkey" is pretty self-explanatory: it's a monkey-shaped toy made from socks. The popularity of monkey toys was sparked from the combination of the demand for stuffed animal toys that went from Europe to North America and then the period known as the "Scramble for Africa." Stories of the strange creatures like monkeys came from the colonization of Africa as well as the popular children's story the Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. 

The red lips of the typical sock monkey came from the popular knit socks with red heels made by the Nelson Knitting Company. Because the Nelson Knitting Company was based in Rockford, IL and two people fought over the patent rights to the sock monkey design, Rockford is now known as the "home of the sock monkey."

Sewing projects for boys may not be as prevalent as those for girls, but the sock monkey has a grand history that you can appreciate by sewing one like the project above.