Only a soul that’s devoid of joy can fail to love a good sock monkey, or to smile at that goofy knitted-primate face and gangling limbs. More fun yet, when the sock monkey gets celebrity status!

This little guy, from the Sock Monkey Jungle of Lancashire, UK, channels Elton John at his most groovy, complete with over-sized sunglasses and a star-spangled red-striped outfit you wouldn’t have been caught dead in even in the depth of Disco Days. (The slouchy newsboy cap? Maybe.)

A self-described “sock monkey addict,” crafter Blue Saphire makes a wide range of unique sock monkey characters — from amusing rips of Batman, Rocky, and even Santa Claus — to girly-girl monkeys with fancy party frocks and long flowing hair. And I spotted a Bride and Groom couple, which seems to me just about the perfect wedding gift — way better than giving the newlyweds yet another waffle iron!

Gift certificates, sock monkey kits and patterns, even sock monkey notecards, as well as the cuddly critters themselves, can be found at bluesaphire.etsy.com.

Cat lovers and sock monkey fans, take note!

Pokey’s eyes, nose, legs, tail, and ribbon are all securely sewn in place; her whiskers are knotted to prevent pull-out. She’s got a hidden pipecleaner in her tail, to make it bendable and poseable.She’s sweet, she’s safe, and she’s tiny: a mere 9″ (22.86 cm) long by 5″ (12.7 cm) tall.

Pokey the Child-Safe Sock Cat is a crafty creation of the bold and whimsical UppityWomanDesigns, one of my very favourite Etsy artists.

For those of us whose clothes dryers seem to eat one tube sock per load of laundry, here’s a solution to hunting for lost socks.

Step by step, with illustrations, it’s the definitive craft tutorial to show you how to transform those mismatched orphan socks into happy little stuffed sock monkey toys — where else, but at SuperSockMonkey.com!