Omar on The Onion

One of my Omar bibs made a cameo in a video on The Onion recently. A customer, Kyle, let me know the other day that his daughter wears her Omar bib (bought back in 2012 and still looking great!) in her appearance in the video “Rising Number of Weak, Emasculated Men Working as Stay-at-Home Dads.” The clip is part of The Onion’s series of fake news spots and Kyle appears as a “Pansy” dad along with his daughter. I dunno, though, any dad putting his kid in Omar can’t be too much of a wuss, right?

Thanks to Kyle for the shout out to Omar, and to me!

Happy Face

Hearing from happy customers is without a doubt one of my favorite parts of my job. It’s awesome enough to be able to make stuff I love and for other people to like it enough to want to buy it. When someone takes the time to get back in touch after they’ve received an order or given a gift, though, it’s simply the icing on the cake.

In the spirit of awesome people giving awesome feedback, I simply had to share this photo from a customer, Paul. Paul’s original order was, sadly, lost in the mail and had to be replaced (Boo. Hiss. I’m looking at you, USPS). It’s always a bummer when that happens and I so appreciate customers who are understanding about delays like that. Anyway, I dispatched a replacement puppet for Paul when it was clear that his original wasn’t going to show up anytime soon, and a few days later received this note and accompanying picture: “I got it! Thank you so much Abbey!! I cant wait to give this to my friend! It is so cute! Thank you again!”

How great is that, right? If something I make (probably while wearing my pajamas and watching Netflix) can make somebody that happy, well, my work is complete.

Thanks for making my whole week, Paul.

Wes’ Bob Ross Adventures

Wes Lazenby is a huge fan of Bob Ross. So huge that when his mom gifted him a Bob Ross finger puppet last year, Wes set about creating an entire Facebook album chronically “The Adventures of Bob Ross”. Wes, a Penn State student, took Bob to games and iconic locations around campus, even on vacation. Check out some of Wes and Bob’s greatest adventures–

Wes’ beloved Bob puppet was accidentally lost back in the spring and when purchasing a new one, he shared the photos with me. Here’s hoping Bob II is around for more adventures for a very long time.

Ira on Vacation

 

Nothing makes a good vacation great than someone awesome to share it with. One of my customers, D, recently road tripped from Milwaukee to the West Coast with her beloved Ira Glass puppet in tow and shared the photographic travelogue of their adventures together. 

D reported that she and Ira have been close for a while and she’s been known to take a random photo or two of him before, but decided that having Ira as trip mascot would be a fun way to share her vacation pics. While on the trip, D said “I’ve been getting a few goofy looks as I’ve been taking photos but get a laugh when I explain. Most people seem to know who Ira Glass actually is, except a few teens.”

Ira Finds a Home

I stumbled across these two photos of folks enjoying their Ira Glass puppets and thought I’d share. Felt Ira has always been one of my most popular designs but I don’t often get to glimpse what happens to a puppets after it finds a home. It’s nice to see that these are being enjoyed… taken on excursions and treated to delicious breakfasts. Lucky Ira.

via Resilient Rabbit

via What Happened

Saying Thanks

I wanted to share this sweet thank you card in the mail last week from a customer who placed an order a while back.

Since the shop’s been closed up for a bit, it was such a lovely surprise to be reminded of exactly why I love making and selling things– how could you not enjoy a job working with lovely customers like this? Thanks to all of you awesome folks who make what I do so much fun.

Dog Twins

Photo shared by a happy customer of her custom dog puppet–

This was actually posted back in 2011 but I never remember to look at the appreciation photos on Etsy. Glad I did the other day, though, as this adorable little gem was waiting for me. How sweet are these two??

Bob Ross Gets to Work

Feedback fom an recent customer:

“Bob looks as good as the picture and was a big hit!!! He’s already started painting and seem to really enjoy his new surroundings!”

So. Awesome.

I really do have the greatest customers ever.

Happy Birthday, Baby Zeke!

Cutest kid ever, right? I had to share this photo of Amanda + Neal‘s son, Zeke, who celebrated his first birthday last week. And what’s that thing around his neck, you ask? It happens to be the very first Omar bib I ever made. I’d say both Zeke and Omar are looking pretty great after a whole year together… though Zeke’s still cuter.

Mr. Glass goes to Philadelphia

I was recently alerted that a certain felt Ira Glass took a very memorable trip to the city of brotherly love back in February and, like any good tourist, had his photo taken many, many times. Come along as Mr. Glass goes to Philadelphia.

As a responsible and environmentally-conscious citizen, Mr. Glass of course took public transportation into downtown Philly. And, judging by his expression, he thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Ira was sure to hit up all the Philadelphia highlights both historical and gastronomical. Above he visits Independence Hall and (vicariously) eats a Philly Cheesesteak.

Ira, taking a ride over the various bridges into and out of Philadelphia. He enjoys bridges– who knew?

Not content to simply stay in the Philly itself, Ira also took in the sites and sounds of Atlantic City, including some slots, the Atlantic Ocean and Engelbert Humperdinck (well, his poster anyway).

Looks like Ira had quite the time! Thanks to Hannah for sharing these photos, and accompanying Ira on his trip.