T: Is for Items that are HOT!

What do Paris Hilton, Snoop Dog, Carmen Diaz, Brad and Angelina all have in common? If you guessed an Uglydoll you'd be up on your pop culture. Contrary to popular opinion being ugly is not always a disadvantage, ugly sells. What one person considers ugly, another considers beautiful. Uglydolls are a bunch of quirky, colorful characters that have taken the US by storm, disappearing off shelves. Soft and huggable, they make great naptime companions. Part toy, part art collectible, Uglydolls are the buddies of choice for celebs and fashionistas. Über-chic stores such as Barney's of New York can't get enough of the little devils, and they're even being featured at MoMA, The Whitney and The Louvre. There are twenty-four lovable characters and each doll has his/her/its(?) own endearing traits, so you can choose an Uglydoll to suit your disposition. For example, Big Toe is very busy and Toodee is curious about everything. Yes, I know it sounds a little weird, but all the best crazes do! Let's be honest, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were hardly normal, were they?

The story of the Uglydolls started a couple of years ago. David Horovath was living in Los Angeles, and his girlfriend, Sun-Min Kim, had moved back to Korea. Writing long, pining letters, and at the end he would draw one of a number of cartoon characters he had made up -- a blocky, orange guy named Wage, with startled round eyes and an apron. At Christmas, Kim surprised him by sending back a plush-toy version of Wage. Wage has been bought by the thousands and about half the people buying Uglydolls are grown-ups who have no intention of passing their cute new companions, with names like Jeero and Babo, on to a child. We all need something to cuddle and this great new product that started out as a love story has it's happy ending in our arms.

While at the toy fair a new game was introduced by a world conscious company called Enlightened Play. EcoRanch is a board based on inner and social awareness. Volunteering to aid a ranch in herding a group of rescued animals to their temporary foster pens to await adoption, you make a decision to adopt an animal. But wait! There’s a mix-up and you must barter or trade with other players to get your animal. During play, you encounter choices that impact you, the other players, and the animals. This game is meant to build and strengthen relationships, while learning yourself, your friends and family, and the collective society we live in. Check out www.enlightenedplay.com to learn more.

Toys now can teach us to love ourselves, faults and all and move on. Maybe by excepting we can make a better world and that would be an encouraging F.A.C.T.