Sock Monkey History
In 1870, the first sock was knitted by a machine invented by a Swedish immigrant. The inventors name was John Nelson. With his new invention, he opened a factory to make mittens and the factory eventually switched to socks. This factory was located in Rockford Illinois. His sock factory with automatic knitting machines eventually led to the creation of the well-known red heeled sock monkey. Sock Monkeys can be found in many homes and were a popular craft in the 20th century. The origins of sock monkeys are unknown but the famous red heeled sock monkey has a history that started with the Nelson Knitting Company and has continued to be a popular image in crafting and in today’s society. Nelson’s knitting company did not create the sock monkey,
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Their origins are unknown but some individuals claim that they were first created as early as 1919. These first sock monkeys are known as imitation stuffed animals. We know that they started to appear in the late Victorian era and it has been suggested that they were inspired by stories from Rudyard Kipling’s writings for example, The Jungle Book and Just so Stories. Today’s red lipped sock monkeys originated from Rockford Illinois. As mentioned before, the first automatic knitting machine was created in 1870 by John Nelson. Nevertheless, it was his son Franklin that improved his invention and later made it unlike any other sock on the market. Ten years after his father’s discovery, Franklin was able to create a sock without seams in the heel. The seamless sock became so popular, many companies started to imitate his idea. In 1932, advertising executive Howard Monk came up with idea to make the heels of the brown sock red. Nelson called the sock de-tec-tip. It is also known by many other names such as the “red heeled sock” or “Rockford’s.” The earliest possible appearance of the iconic red heeled sock monkey is 1932 but, the earliest claim of red heeled of a modern sock monkey dates back to 1949. The company learned of the red heeled sock monkeys in 1951 and four years later received the patent. When they contracted the patent, they started to include a pattern for sock monkeys on every pair of socks that they sold (Robinson
Their origins are unknown but some individuals claim that they were first created as early as 1919. These first sock monkeys are known as imitation stuffed animals. We know that they started to appear in the late Victorian era and it has been suggested that they were inspired by stories from Rudyard Kipling’s writings for example, The Jungle Book and Just so Stories. Today’s red lipped sock monkeys originated from Rockford Illinois. As mentioned before, the first automatic knitting machine was created in 1870 by John Nelson. Nevertheless, it was his son Franklin that improved his invention and later made it unlike any other sock on the market. Ten years after his father’s discovery, Franklin was able to create a sock without seams in the heel. The seamless sock became so popular, many companies started to imitate his idea. In 1932, advertising executive Howard Monk came up with idea to make the heels of the brown sock red. Nelson called the sock de-tec-tip. It is also known by many other names such as the “red heeled sock” or “Rockford’s.” The earliest possible appearance of the iconic red heeled sock monkey is 1932 but, the earliest claim of red heeled of a modern sock monkey dates back to 1949. The company learned of the red heeled sock monkeys in 1951 and four years later received the patent. When they contracted the patent, they started to include a pattern for sock monkeys on every pair of socks that they sold (Robinson