Sock monkeys turn 65 this year. But they show no signs that they're ready to be retired. In fact, they're as popular today as they were back then. I've always loved the cuddly little monkeys, so I got a lot of them as gifts when I was growing up. And I still have most of them! The very oldest in my collection were homemade. Their contemporary companions are of the mass produced variety.

I love all of them equally.

The story of the sock monkey starts during the Great Depression. Without much money for the necessities of life, people had to make do. But that didn't mean their kids had to go without toys!  "Making do", as people had to do back then, parents started using worn-out Rockford Red Heel Socks to make stuffed toys for their kids.

The Nelson Knitting Company, maker of the Red Heel Socks, discovered the new invention born out of their worn out socks in 1951. The company got a patent on their unique sock pattern and by 1955, they incorporated the pattern in every pair of socks they made. With the publication of "How To Make Sock Toys," which some claim is the most popular book ever, the monkeys and their sock toy pals became a permanent part of American culture.