In The Secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea, I’ve written about an entire family of sock monkeys. Each time a new person is born into the family of Ethel Constance Easterling, who celebrates her 90th birthday during the book, she creates a sock monkey for them and names each one. Within this story, we meet:

• Throckmorton S. Monkey, Annaliese’s companion
• Sir Rudyard S. Monkey, Evan’s sock monkey
• Captain Eugene S. Monkey, Teddy’s sock monkey
• Miss Beatrice S. Monkey, their father, Judge Easterling’s, sock monkey
• Dame Lorraine S. Monkey, the judge’s father’s sock monkey
• Ebenezer S. Monkey

Writing Prompt

Do you have sock monkeys of your own? Or other stuffed animals that you consider part of your family? Do your animal friends have a family of their own? Are they cousins, brothers and sisters, or related in some other way? Did they all grow up where you live now? Or have they moved here from some other place? Perhaps you can write a story about each one of your stuffed animals and then read the stories out loud so that they can all enjoy them. It’s always good to help your companions feel like they’re a part of your family.

Did you know that Rockford, Illinois calls itself the Home of the Sock Monkey? That’s because John Nelson, a Swedish immigrant to America, patented a sock-knitting machine in 1868, in Rockford, Illinois. His son Franklin later created a machine that would knit a sock without any seams (because walking on seams can be uncomfortable). In 1932, the company knit its first red-heeled sock which came to be called “Rockfords.” Between 1951 and 1953, a number of people had the idea to create a doll out of the socks, a monkey. The Nelson Knitting Company bought their doll patterns and patented the official pattern, thereby becoming known through the annals of history for their sock monkey distinction.