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ImmigrationProf Blog
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Immigrant of the Day: Sun-Min Kim (South Korea)

By immigrationprof

180px-Icebats  200px-Uglydoll_Booth_at_Comic_Con_2008_by_Gage_Skidmore The latest American craze a la the “pet rock” of a few years ago?  Uglydolls are a collection of designer toys created by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. First released in 2002, Uglydolls in 2006 were awarded the Specialty Toy of the Year award by the Toy Industry of America.  It is hard to describe the dolls except to say that they do not embrace the traditional beauty of a “Barbie” and are popular among young boys.

David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, our Immigrant of the Day,created the dolls when they were dating.   They met as art students, but when her visa expired in 2001, she had to move back to South Korea. According to the N.Y. Times, “Lonely and upset because toy companies were snubbing his ideas, Mr. Horvath drew one of his characters on the bottom of his love letters: Wage, a little orange everyman in an apron who works in a supermarket. As a Christmas present, Ms. Kim sewed him one.”  And Uglydolls were born!

Hat tip to Tiernan!!!

KJ