While I remain far out of the ‘plush collectible’ demographic, I admit that I sleep alongside a plush Cthulhu or two, as well as a squid that I’d sewn myself. My mother also whiles away many hours constructing adorable things out of fleece and stuffing, from giraffes to floppy dogs, so we’re kinda plush experts, even if that title is accidental. Plus, they’re handy to wedge between myself and the cold, cold wall come wintertime. Even when at my most cuddly, I remain practical.
I’ve been plunging deeper and deeper into the designer toy scene and realizing how amazingly vast it really is, running in these brightly-colored undercurrents beneath the ’serious’ art world. So, when I caught news of a ‘designer’ plush series called ‘Deglingos‘, I was intrigued. I normally just peruse Etsy for my quirky plush fix.
I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to ‘designer’ toys. There needs to be a name attached to them – some struggling artist who’s managed to produce an interesting, unique product using their rent money, or through amazing happenstance, because they were noticed by a larger company who assisted their efforts. ‘Designer’ also means that the item’s price might be a little inflated, because each item is made by hand, and in limited numbers. Of course, the word ‘designer’ is also abused, slapped onto things that might be a little quirky so that a price inflation might be lexically justified.
The Deglingos come from France, or Montclair, NJ, depending on which part of the literature you read, and there are ten characters in the basic set, each one assigned a personality and a little back story. Each plush has eight or nine different fabrics stitched together, creating a very varied and textured surface that’s probably really fascinating to young minds and hands. You don’t really get the impression that the dolls were sewn together out of whatever was left in the rag bin, but there are enough intentionally loose threads and the occasional tatter to evoke that aesthetic.
Each Deglingo also has a ‘Baby’ iteration, made of less parts and simpler construction, suitable for infants, as well as ‘Discovery’ versions, with beads and interesting shapes to stimulate tiny little baby brains. Or very simple adult brains. Four Deglingos come in giant form, also, in case you want to bury your face in the quirkiness.
I’m going to pass my strange, pastel fabric Frankenstein of a Deglingo on to my 8-year old niece. I don’t think he’s getting along too well with the terrifying, aquatic creatures that already live in my bed. They’re a neat idea, even if they’re trying very hard to evoke an aesthetic that evolved out of a conservation and inexpensive re-use of existing materials. You get the feeling that with a modest amount of effort, you could make your own unique creatures, and I appreciate that inspiration, as well as the ‘vintage’ look of the fabrics that are incorporated into the figures – but keep in mind that the Deglingos are also completely machine washable and baby-safe, unless otherwise indicated.
While I won’t say if these’ll be the next Beanie Babies or Webkinz or whichever plush toy that collective young female demographic has moved on to by now, they’re worth keeping an eye on.
