Poskod Malaysia

THE 2010/2011 INSPIRED/EXPIRED AWARDS
Category: Most Mediocre Cute Toy Trend

As the antithesis of model-esque, plastic-looking, blonde-haired rubber dolls, the UglyDoll had some appeal. It trended, spawning imitators and storming into Malaysian homes, cars (ugh!) and keychains. The dolls squeaked in at the tail-end of the Japanese anime plushies craze, and meeped through the year of Spike Jonze’s Where The Wild Things Are, becoming the choice cutesy accessory for hip kids.

These polyester, smiley-faced fetuses can be quite cuddly … but not cuddly enough. They lack that special something that makes them truly, I-can’t-sleep-without-my-teddy-bear likeable. And they aren’t ugly enough to be creepy. Ugly dolls are a celebration of mediocrity: a vague cuteness, an average ugly.

The problem with these dolls is that they have not evolved: the faces are still plain, the webbed feet and horns still not yet bejeweled, the grimacing fangs still unadorned with diamante grills. They are called by very uninspiring names. (Can you remember the name of your ugly doll?) How can manufacturers and craftspeople sustain interest? I’d suggest making these things progressively uglier, or come up with a celebrity-inspired collection. :P

(Grace Chin)