Uglydolls

Meet Icebat.

He's my new Uglydoll. He's 14" tall, he's soft and plushy.

He's pretty ugly, like the rest of his friends. Yet he's also undeniably adorable, which challenged my assumptions about cuteness and ugliness.

I don't fully understand why I bought Icebat on a whim the other day. I suspect most people who fall in love with an Uglydoll can't exactly explain either.

Icebat's card reads:

Ice Bat lives in an ice cave inside an icebox. Anything he touches turns to ice... yet he warms your heart!

Here you have very simple plush dolls, with nothing to them but a design concept that evokes a complex emotional response. Perhaps making us think about cuteness, ugliness, or even about the difference between outside appearance and inner character.

And because of that, they become a hit!

An inside source at the Manhattan F.A.O. Schwarz told me they will soon open an entire Uglydoll store on the top floor.