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UglyDolls – The History, The Upcoming Movie And The Adorable Toys!
After 20 years, UglyDolls has finally been made into a movie! Screening in theatres from 6 June, UglyDolls is an animated musical comedy with a meaningful message.
How Uglydoll Started
But first, what are “UglyDolls”? For those who are not familiar, this is a brand of ‘ugly’ characters made into plush dolls by Sun-Min Kim and David Horvath. It all started when Horvath sent a letter to Kim with a quirky hand-drawn character (later to become “Wage”) in it. Kim sewed a doll of that very character and sent it to Horvath through the mail. Thus, the first Uglydoll was born. When Horvath showed his friend, Eric Nakamura, the doll, Nakamura immediately ordered more for his shop. As such, the “uglyverse” began…
From Toys To A Movie
Here’s a fun fact: The creators rejected offers to make Uglydoll into a movie at first! The reason they did not want an Uglydoll movie was because they were skeptical of the profit-generating objectives that might change their brand. Instead, they wanted to remain as a specialty brand.
What made them change their mind though? After having a daughter, and seeing how social media portrays beauty standards to young children, Horvath saw in his toys a potential inspiring message to counter the negative social media influence. Like the Uglydolls, there is beauty in being different, or ‘ugly’. After all, ‘ugly’ here does not mean unpleasant, but it is a celebration of what is unique and special. Also, that it is not the outward, physical beauty, but what is inside, that makes you who you are. When their aims aligned with animated studio STX’s film direction, they jumped on board with the movie idea.
UglyDolls: A Movie Summary
As such, the movie UglyDolls was created. The film features Moxy, a pink and bubbly Uglydoll, who seeks what lies outside of her home, Uglyville. She leads a team of other Uglydolls, including Ugly Dog, Ox, Wage, Babo and Lucky Bat. On their journey, they chance upon Perfection, a town which trains dolls to be perfect so they can be loved by a child. Through this, the UglyDolls face their own differences and ultimately understand that the most important thing is to be true to who you are.
One feature we love about this playset is that you can fold it into a tote with a handle, so children can bring this anywhere they want! Spread the love of the UglyDolls wherever they go!
5 Adorable UglyDolls Products Your Child Will Love
After a great movie, children are sure to start pestering their parents for related merchandise. For those parents out there, you don’t have to worry about looking for them as we have compiled a list of UglyDolls products you can purchase for your kids! Better yet, you could get them the toys beforehand, so they can bring them along to the cinema to watch~
1. UglyDolls Character Plush Toys
Of course, an Uglydoll doll would be the best product to get! Given that the movie was inspired from these dolls, getting your child the soft toy version of their favourite UglyDolls character is guaranteed to put a smile on their face! Usually, children feel attached to the main character of the movie. So we have found a huggable-sized Moxy plush for you!
Below are some creative twists to the main characters, which makes for an even more special gift! We have the fun Babo having a bad hair day, with bright lime green hair sticking out of his head! There is also a Bad Hair Day version of Ox, with purple hair between his signature droopy ears.
As Ox is one of our favourite characters, we also found some seasonal designs of him! On the left is a Valentine’s version, of a red Ox carrying a “BFF” heart. This would be a great way to appreciate a friend! Meanwhile, the backpack clip on the right features Ox dressed up as the Kiss Demon. Perfect for a Halloween theme! For even more UglyDolls soft toys, you can visit this website.
2. Ugly Kitty Backpack Clips
In 2013, Sanrio partnered with Uglydoll to create the limited edition Ugly Kitty plush series! The line featured Hello Kitty dressed up as 4 of the Uglydoll characters. You can still find some of these rare toys online! Out of the Ugly Kitty series, Ox (pictured left) and Wage (pictured right) are also main characters in the Uglydolls movie. While Trunko is not featured in the movie, the purple doll so adorable, your child will definitely adore him too!
3. McDonald’s Happy Meal
Wait, wait, before you scoff in disdain and scroll past, I have a case to make. McDonald’s is known to be unhealthy, but you can pick the healthier options of Apple Slices and Corn Cup for your child!
The current McDonald’s Happy Meal toys are UglyDolls-themed, but they are not just the usual plastic figurines. They are plain and come with colouring materials, so your child can exercise their creativity and colour the Uglydoll in! Rather than just a conventional toy to play with, they have a colouring activity that would occupy them and appreciate the meaning of the movie more~
After all, children really do love going to McDonald’s, and it could be a nice indulgent treat after a good movie! (But not too often, of course…)
4. UglyDolls Feature Sounds
How about a plush toy that talks! This Ugly Dog Stuffed Plush Toy That Talks can make over 30 different sounds, from movie lines to sound effects! Made by Hasbro, this toy is not just fun and interactive, it is soft and huggable. Don’t worry, the toy is not too loud according to the reviews, so you won’t be easily annoyed by the volume!
There is also a Moxy Feature Sounds Toy to add to the collection~ She is slightly taller than Ugly Dog, which means more room to hug!
5. Uglyville Main Street Playset
This is a pretty (no pun intended) little playset which features 4 different panels of shops in Uglyville. The 4 shops in the Uglyville Playset are the post office, bakery, pet shop and barber shop from the Main Street. This playset comes with character and prop figurines to encourage the child’s imaginative play. They can pretend that Ox is going for a haircut, or buying a cookie at the bakery! You could buy more UglyDolls figurines for them to make their stories more creative as well.
To end off this post, we would like to share our favourite quote from the movie: “Our flaws make us who we are. Those are all worth fighting for.” We hope we have inspired you to bring your child (nephew, niece, godson or granddaughter) to watch this meaningful movie soon!
