Teagan’s likeable literature: Uglydolls

“Ugly” doll?  Who would want an “ugly” doll?  Have you ever seen an Uglydoll? Here’s a little history in case you’re not familiar with Uglydolls.  The origin is actually quite romantic!

The Uglydoll characters are from the creative minds of husband and wife team David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. Horvath’s soon to be wife, Sun-Min, who at the time lived in the USA, returned to Korea. David was unable to join her. He sent her many “I miss you” letters with his little Wage character drawn at the bottom.  As a surprise, Sun-Min sewed this character into a plush doll and sent it back to David. David asked Sun-Min to sew a couple more for the Giant Robot store in Los Angeles and they sold out in one day! A very excited Sun-Min sewed many more and those sold just as fast.  That brought on the ultra-big bang of the “Uglyverse”!

Teagan received an Uglydoll on her 1^st birthday. It goes by the name of Babo. Babo means “fool” in Korean. He does look pretty foolish but is quite loveable.  Uglydolls have 2 Board Books out with a 3^rd one set to release in April. We were able to read and review all three books.  Teagan loves the characters and the hubby and I love the humor and off beat story line!

All titles by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. Illustrated by David Horvath. Published by Random House Children’s Books.

ABC U Later
Ages 0-4 years
$6.99

There are many ABC titles to choose from in this world but none are like this board book. “A is for Apple” is probably the only standard line. “B is for Bargain”, “C is for Check-up”…each page has a little scene or skit that represents and follows the sequence of letters. You are also introduced to a vast array of Uglies from the Uglyverse. This book is a huge hit in our house! Teagan loves to recite her ABCs and there are distinctive new words for her to learn. Mommy and daddy love the to read them, too.

1234U
Ages 0-4 years
$6.99

1234U is of course about counting. The book counts up to “10”.  Not only are you seeing the number “2” but also see the word “two”, and two items, etc. There are plenty of opportunities to count, calculate and associate the words with the numbers. Again, a big hit with Teagan. She loves counting the cookies and snackies. The artwork is atypical and the content created to count is so kooky!  My husband, a music teacher, even shared these with the literature teacher and math teacher at his high school for a laugh!

Ugly Colors
Ages 0-4 years
$7.99
Release date: April 27, 2010

Ugly Colors is the latest edition to the Ugly Board Books. This book continues the hilarious discourse found in the first two books. The pages are full of color “commentary”. Teagan enjoys pointing out and naming colors especially the brown cookies. She’s also learning about a secret color!

We love reading to Teagan and have enjoyed even the most “baby” of baby books we have shared with her.  But what a surprise when we found ourselves laughing out loud and actually reading the Ugly Board Books again after Teagan went to bed.  One of the rare moments where there is an exceptional combination of kid and (not quite) adult humor.

All titles can be purchased at http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/

GIVEAWAY – Enter to win all 3 Uglydoll titles!

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This giveaway will run through midnight on March 24, 2010 (PST) with winner being announced March 25, 2010 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (18+).

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
*We did receive copies of books for review purposes. This will in no way sway our opinion of the service.
The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinion may differ.