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googlie
Regular Guest
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 Posted 12-07-07 10:48 AM   
Ma Rainey, Granny Mae, Eve, Barnabas, The Bobbin, Arnold (our answer to Sleazy Hugh) and the newest Bull City munk, who hasn't revealed her name yet, but we think is Clara, all traveled over to Raleigh, The Capital City, last night to go to the Gregg museum of Art and Design at the N.C. State University to hear Dr. Dan Bartlett from Rockford Village speak on "The Missing Link: Evolution of the Sock Monkey". The others have asked me to post about this big moment in S.M. recognition.
First of all, there was a BIG crowd of peeples there, at least 60, or maybe more, I would say. So many that some of them had to sit on the floor. Sadly, we were the only sockosimians who were in attendance. Dr. Dan was a nice fellow, with a shaved head and a nice gold ear ring in one ear. He said he had gotten to Raleigh at 3:00 a.m. in the morning, so we appreciated his being willing to suffer in order to spread the word.
His talk was about the history of sock monkeys and he said that a lot of the historical information on the Innernet was wrong. He mentioned Supersockmonkey 'specially as a place that had a lot of wrong facts. Of course, Dr. Dan had to start with a LOT of history about the socks. We all tried to listen to this, but I noticed that Arnold was looking at the young girls in the crowd and Barnabas seemed to be dozing. The N.C. State University teaches about a thing called "Tex-Tiles" and a lot of the students seemed interested in talk about looms and looped ankles and so forth.
What we were mainly interested in was SOCK MONKEYS and what Dr. Dan said that there is not much evidence before 1920 about any kind of sock dolls and that the first sock dolls looked like humans. He said that in his, "Barlett's Theory of Sock Monkey Evolution", the sock monkey descended from the human. The first evidence of monkey-looking dolls was at a place called Dayton, Tennis-see, where they were having a "monkey trial" in 1925. We were all upset that they would try a monkey in a peeples court, but it turns out they were trying a peeple teecher about teeching that people came from monkeys. Well, I guess so, since everybody knows it was the other way around. Anyway, a lot of peeples came from all over to see this trial and Dr. Dan had a picture of some young ladies who were selling monkey dolls, but he said they were probably peeple dolls that had been changed a bit to look more like monkeys. They didn't look much like me or my friends.
Dr. Dan went on and what he said was basically that he didn't see much evidence that many grandmas were making sock monkeys (the kind we all know and love) before the ending of the peeples second World War. He told how they can guess at a sock monkey's age by the way the socks were made, but said it's impossible to say for sure, because the Rockford peeple were using old machines and new machines at the same time. He said that a 20 year-old munk who has been well-loved can look as old as a 50 year-old munk who has just sat on a shelf.
He answered some questions when his talk was over. Some were borrrring like did they have a union in the sock factory and did Mr. Nelson, who started the sock machine factory and the sock factory, fight in the peeples Civil War Between the States? Sharon asked him about colors of socks. He said he knew about the blue Rockford Socks, but that the only other colored socks he had heard about were Forest City Socks (a kind of cousin to Rockford Socks). He mentioned green and brownish red as two colors he had heard about. But they had no red heel.
We were real glad that Dr. Dan had come down here to talk about SMs. After he finished, he looked at us and said some nice things about how pretty we were. Link Wray's human, Michael, was there and he took our pictures. We were happy to see all the peeples interested in our species.
I know this has been a long report, but hey! You're sock monkeys, what else do you have to do? Printed copies of this report may be obtained by sending two bananas to the Bull City Monkey House, ATTN: googlie.
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You see us together, chasing the moonlight (it's true, I have a crush on cinnamon)
Posts: 143 | Registered: Oct 2006 | Profile | PM | IP Logged |
Barnabas
Welcome to the Red Heel!
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Posted 12-07-07 12:14 PM
It was fun to go to the Capital City last night. We got to see lots of pix of Red Heel Monkey Shelter monks, and also have many people say how great sock monkeys are (no surprise). There was a lot of fussing and admiration. There are a lot of friendly people out there who are now looking for sock monkeys of their own.
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Hi! I'm Barnabas! I have this great shirt that came to Bull City in the mail from Missus Melnee.
Posts: 5 | Registered: Aug 2007 | Profile | PM | IP Logged |
Eve
Welcome to the Red Heel!
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Posted 12-07-07 12:18 PM
It was FUN! I should have borrowed Googlie's sheepy-skin coat, it was reely cold outside.
I saw a beautiful sock mermaid surrounded by sockosimians of all sorts. WOW she was beautiful, just beautiful. I wonder if she was a sock monkey in costume or a real mermaid. She was in a glass case for her own safety so I couldn't get really close to her to ask.
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I'm the first sock monkey Sharon ever made. Life is good at the Bull City Home for Sock Monkeys
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knitty
New Resident
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Posted 12-07-07 02:26 PM
Wow! Awesome report! Thanks for the news Googlie and the rest of Bull City.
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Ooooohhhhh.... We're going to have so much fun.
Posts: 228 | Registered: Mar 2006 | Profile | PM | IP Logged |
coco
Permanent Resident
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Posted 12-07-07 02:29 PM
quote:
googlie wrote:
Sharon asked him about colors of socks. He said he knew about the blue Rockford Socks, but that the only other colored socks he had heard about were Forest City Socks (a kind of cousin to Rockford Socks). He mentioned green and brownish red as two colors he had heard about. But they had no red heel.
Hmph! No other read heels?? Then how does he explain Mr. Fancy Buttons here....??
There is the bright blue like Buford, which we think is from the 70s-ish and an old blue which really looks more grey, which we're not sure how old they are. The heel is more orange, so we think they might be 50s-ish or earlier.
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A round of 'nanner smoothies for everyone!
Miss Red Heel Monkey Shelter Message Board 2006
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googlie
Regular Guest
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Posted 12-07-07 10:12 PM
Well he's a handsome and striking munk.
So, you are saying that his pelts are Rockford socks or Forest City? Now, I was just repeating what Dan (I call him Dan, we're friends now) was saying and once he said Forest City when he meant Fox River (we all caught that). But there are red heels and there are "Red Heels". He said the "Red Heels" had finally been patented, but now it's not clear in my little mind if he was talking about the phrase or the design or both. I was thinking both. He did say something about Forest City wanting to use the red heel design at one time, but even though both companies had been started by the same peeples, they weren't able to. Leastways, that's what I think I heard. I guess anybody could make a totally red-heeled sock as long as they didn't call it "Red Heel".
Sounds like you've been studying this longer than I have, which is since last night(well a little longer than that). Maybe we can snoop around up there when the next monkeyfest is held.
Right now, my heel and my head are spinning.
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You see us together, chasing the moonlight (it's true, I have a crush on cinnamon)
Posts: 143 | Registered: Oct 2006 | Profile | PM | IP Logged |
coco
Permanent Resident
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Posted 12-08-07 02:29 AM
Well, we're not really sure about our red faced friend. He could be a whole other company. But the way his white is attached and the gauge looks the same as us Rockfords. He just showed up last week in the girl's brother's luggage and decided to stay.
There is also a red heel with white that is shaped a little more round. We have no idea where he was loomed:
We've seen another company that makes socks with the red/white combo. Sometimes they show up on eBay and I think some other folks here have won some in the past, so maybe they could pipe in with info on the company and where they were located.
Ginger and I met with Dr. Dan a couple of years ago to try and figure out who was older, but it was non-conclusive.
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A round of 'nanner smoothies for everyone!
Miss Red Heel Monkey Shelter Message Board 2006
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Candy Striper Claire
Welcome to the Red Heel!
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Posted 12-08-07 02:34 AM
Hey, don't forget us Rockford's with the different lip shape and deeper definition. Nobody knows when or why!
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Anyone need a pillow, a blankie? Can I bring you a cup of cocoa?
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Alameda
Welcome to the Red Heel!
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Posted 12-08-07 02:36 AM
I don't know know why I'm different!
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I dig things that grow!
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totalkathy
Regular Guest
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Posted 12-08-07 03:09 PM
I don't know much about the history of Socks, but I have never seen tiny red heel socks before. Does anyone have any information about these? Are they rare? Just curious.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pair-Vintage-Do...1QQcmdZViewItem
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Don't trust anyone who does not love sock monkeys!
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Barnabas
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Posted 12-08-07 09:41 PM
Dr. Dan called them "pee-wees" and they were made for salespersons to use, I suppose, to demonstrate to prospective customers. Maybe they were given away as a promotion, too. I have no idea how many were made or how many are around these days.
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Hi! I'm Barnabas! I have this great shirt that came to Bull City in the mail from Missus Melnee.
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