Toy maker Mark Logan from Teeny Tiny Toy Store puts a new meaning to the term stuffed toys. He creates stuffed fabric sculptures that have no other equals and are unique.
Mark describes himself as a self taught plush artist. He began making stuffed animals in 2001. At first he started with the goal of making them as presents for his niece and nephew but he liked it and turned it into a hobby.
Slowly the hobby grew into a business. In 2008 he opened The Teeny Tiny Toy Store in Bisbee, Arizona. From there his business grew and his stuffed sculptures started to become more and more popular.
There’s a very good reason why we don’t call his creations stuffed toys or animals. It is beacause they come in all shapes, sizes and… species.
“I sort of tend to go at it like it’s sculpture, just with a different medium than working with clay or marble. I sort of more concentrate on playing around with shapes and colors, like in an origami way but with fabric”, says Logan to VPR.
It all starts with an un-organized box of fabric. Mark uses it to browse through the materials and get creative ideas.
He never makes the same toy twice. There might be similar ones, but they will use different colors or fabrics. “I’m usually just exploring with color, but I always to try think that what I’m making is an heirloom,” Logan says.
So far he has made over 7000 stuffed fabric sculptures. Some of them are of US President Barack Obama and one of these toys has gone into The Smithsonian museum in their permanent collection.
But even if his creations are unique, Mark hasn’t forgotten the most important thing. “It’s not high brow art. There doesn’t need to be a big wall between those two things. At the end of the day, these are also stuffed animals that you can carry around with you and hug.”
