I’m so excited for today! It’s officially Sock Monkey Day, which was just the excuse I needed to share the story of a supporter of the sanctuary who started and runs a Sock Monkey Museum! No joke!
I don’t think you can be a person interested in primates and not have some awareness of sock monkeys, if not a collection of your own. For my part, I have sock monkey socks (of course), and I even made a version of a sock monkey that was supposed to be a likeness to Negra for a sanctuary auction we had in 2012 (see photos below).
Sock Monkey Museum founder Arlene and her husband Michael missed out on my sock creation, as they started supporting the sanctuary in 2013 with generosity and kind notes that accompanied their gifts. Unbeknownst to me, Arlene was already building a private collection of sock monkeys, and unbeknownst to any of us, this private collection would turn into something much bigger that would be another way to support Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
I wanted to know all about how this came to be, so I sent Arlene some questions, and she graciously took the time to answer them and send me some photos of the museum too. The physical museum is located in Long Grove, IL not too far outside of Chicago, and also has a fun online presence. You can visit the official website here and from there see the Facebook and Instagram pages too.
I hope you enjoy this slight departure on the blog and enjoy learning about this unique passion from a fellow CSNW supporter.
Here’s the Q&A:
How and why did you start the museum?
I have collected sock monkeys for about 18 years. My husband and I were traveling the country in an RV and he bought me my first one at a Cracker Barrel Store. That became our mascot on the road. I looked into the history of them and found they are part of Americana, as they started around the Great Depression and World War II, when parents didn’t have money to buy toys for their kids. So, they repurposed what they had in the house, which was the worn out red-heel work socks. I realized there was a whole generation of sock monkeys that came before mine. I started to buy them slowly, online, at garage sales, thrift shops, etc. Eventually, we had a lot at home, and one day my husband said “why don’t you take them out of the house (lol) and let people enjoy them?” That is how the idea of the Sock Monkey Museum came to be.
I’ve read that it’s not a static museum that you walk through but there are hands-on activities. What can people do while they are there?
Oh, there’s a lot to do, for all ages. The first floor has over 700 vintage sock monkeys on display. There is a 7 ft. Sock Monkey Ferris Wheel that you can start by pressing a button – it plays spins, lights up, and plays music. You can operate our trains with buttons and hear sounds like the engineers and train whistles. We hold workshops where people can come and make their own Sock Monkey from a pair of socks, the original way. We also sell kits that you can take home to make your monkey. We host tour groups and parties as well. There is also a gift shop filled with all kinds of fun sock monkey items.
The Museum is upstairs and includes sock history, from the time of cavemen. There are educational exhibits as well as fun displays, such as Solemates. People love this because it shows sock monkeys that were made to go together. Sometimes they were separated through the years, but have found each other again at our Museum. We have a Sockumentary, that tells the history of the red-heel work socks since their creation in Rockford, IL, back in 1932. There is a scavenger hunt that takes people through the whole building, and some people spend hours trying to complete.
How have you incorporated support of the sanctuary with this endeavor?
We let visitors know that we donate a portion of Museum entrance fees to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest when they come in, or when they are purchasing their admission to the Museum. Many times that begins a conversation about where CSNW is located, and we share that you have the blog everyday and suggest people take a look. We also have Burrito’s picture at the register with a sign about CSNW. We show his photo. When people see him and hear his name, it really engages people. We also have a “Chimp Change” box right under his picture and so people can donate there as well.
We designed our own custom stuffable sock monkey, named after Burrito! It’s a great way to open a conversation with people about the Chimps at CSNW and the wonderful work that you do.
(side note from Diana here – what a good job of creating more chimp-like features for this Burrito sock “monkey”! Maybe an even better job than my homemade Negra sock chimp. Maybe.)
What did you expect when starting it, and how does the reality match your expectations? What’s been the most surprising outcome?
When we started to create this, we had no idea how it would evolve. I wanted to be sure there was something that would appeal to everyone. I didn’t want to just put my sock monkeys on shelves and say “here is my collection”. The more I researched about sock monkeys, the more I found to share. Then we included the history of socks as well, to make it more comprehensive. I think the historic building that houses the Museum lends itself to the whimsical nature of the sock monkeys. Judging from the wonderful comments we receive, our visitors are really enjoying it. It is nostalgic, educational, kid-friendly and fun.
You’ve gotten a lot of publicity lately! What’s been the most exciting media story or recognition?
Being on your blog means a lot to us as we hold the Sanctuary very dear. The Guinness World Record we received last year is quite an achievement, and that has brought quite a bit of attention to the Museum. We were certified August 10, 2023, as Largest Collection of Handmade Sock Monkeys in the World (2,098 sock monkeys then, but now we have over 2200). We’ve been on tv, in People Magazine and People.com (see that story here), and even in a book called “100 Things to do in Illinois Before You Die”. It’s kind of overwhelming.
Where do you go from here?
We will just be celebrating our second year in April. The Museum is evolving, as Museums do. The collection of Sock Monkeys keeps growing. As my husband says with a smile, “They keep coming”. It’s true – people donate their sock monkeys to us. Sometimes we get one sock monkey from someone who may be downsizing and it is still very important to them, with sentimental value, and they want to make sure it is still loved and appreciated. We have also received large boxes of sock monkeys from people who may be moving, or come across them. In either circumstance, it means a lot to receive them. We put them on display and love to share their history if we have that. We love them all!
We keep getting new ideas and adding to the displays, so it is fun that the Museum may be different for people that have been here before, when they come back. There is so much to see anyway, that people tell us they want to come back, which is such a nice compliment. Visitors to the Museum say it makes them happy. It brings back good memories for so many, and reminds many of their childhood, perhaps someone’s grandmother made them a sock monkey and they still have it! They may want to share that tradition with their own family now. There is so much enthusiasm for sock monkeys and their story by young and old alike. I believe we are preserving the tradition and that is very rewarding.
Huge thanks to Arlene for sharing with the sanctuary in so many ways and for creating something that brings more happiness into the world!