Thrifting 2.22.13 For the Love of Deb

I've been wanting to give my friend Deb a puppet for awhile.  Last Friday, I stopped by the VOA and happened to see a Wrinkles puppet in a pile of stuffed toys.  I guess it was karma.  Deb is a great friend at work who deserves this more than anyone.  She performs puppet shows for children and teachers.  She's an amazing woman!

Taken From Wikipedia:

Wrinkles dogs (also referred to as Wrinkles) was a line of plush toys manufactured by Canadian toy manufacturer GANZ in the 1980s. They have been sold as part of the company's "Heritage Collection", though the line appears to have been discontinued. The toys were easily identifiable by their characteristic wrinkled faces and clothing. They were based on the on a hound(probably Bloodhound) breed of dog. The original design was created by Senitt Puppets, based in Carnarvon, Ontario. Senitt designed and sold handmade puppets for over twenty years throughout the United States and Canada. The Wrinkles was and still is their creation.

Another famous Wrinkles, "Wrinkles Gemma White"

Trunkit, the Wrinkles elephant

The dogs came in three sizes. Most common were the medium-sized toys, which stood about 18 inches (46 cm) high, and were the most anthropomorphic, as they were designed to sit upright. They were dressed in jogging suits, in overalls and a t-shirt, or in dresses, and had openings to allow them to double as hand puppets. There were also smaller, nine-inch-high (23 cm) toys, who sat on four legs and wore bonnets and booties, and larger toys, which stood over 2 feet (61 cm) tall. Other Wrinkles animals were also manufactured, including a moose named Moogums (or Moogy), and an elephant named Trunkit.

As proof of authenticity, all Wrinkles toys came with a bone-shaped symbol embroidered into their ear. As well, they all came with a fabric bone. The plush Wrinkles spawned some additional merchandise, including metal dinner trays, PVC figures, poseable dolls and even a direct to video movie.

The Wrinkles TV advertisement which aired during the 1980s featured the Wrinkles talking and chatting to the camera and finished with the dog looking to the screen and exclaiming "Hi, I'm wrinkles, I've got my name under my ear!", at which point it flicked its little plush head to one side, lifting its ear to reveal the bone-shaped symbol under the ear.

Wrinkles dogs are fairly common fare on eBay and other auction sites selling toys. They can also still be purchased from the original designers at Senitt Puppets.