The Greytown Free Range Monkey Company
Handmade sock monkeys made right here in Greytown
Update: after 21 years of sock monkey making, I’ve decided that 2023 will be my final year. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and given a sock monkey as a gift. Your money has gone on to fund some really great projects - which I’ve detailed below.
I’ve made one final batch for Christmas 2023 which you can view here.
Mrs Blackwell’s Village Bookshop stocks sock monkeys made by The Greytown Free Range Monkey Company, founded by Mrs Blackwell herself.
When I’m not devouring a new book, running a software company, or saving trees, I’m sewing artisan sock monkeys to help fund community projects in Greytown. I founded the Greytown Free Range Monkey Company in 2002 as a way to satisfy my creative side and since 2020 I’ve been using monkeys as a way to give back to my community.
Each monkey is hand-sewn from new materials, and no two are the same. They come in a variety of colours and patterns to brighten up any space.
Sock monkeys make perfect gifts for children and anyone who is young-at-heart. They’re easy to care for; they just need lots of cuddles and the occasional bath if they venture into any sticky situations.
There’s a whole range looking for a new home at Mrs Blackwell’s Village Bookshop.
Funding community projects
100% of the proceeds from these monkeys go towards community projects right here in Greytown. That’s every single penny (except postage costs and the GST portion).
I’m particularly fond of funding projects relating to the environment, community beautification, reading, books, and the arts (I do own a bookshop after all).
Previously-funded projects
In 2020, the Greytown Free Range Monkey Company raised $3,593 to save the historic giant gum tree at St Luke’s Church.
In 2021 we gave our first donation to Trees That Count - a local charity working to plant 200 million native trees across New Zealand.
In 2022 we contributed $1,000 to the Greytown Festival of Christmas and in 2023 we contributed $5,000.
History of sock monkeys
You’re probably familiar with the iconic sock monkey toys with brown and white limbs and bright red lips. You may even have had one as a child.
To understand where this particular breed of sock monkey came from, we have to go back to 1868 when John Nelson, a Swedish immigrant to the United States, patented the sock-knitted machine.
Nelson began manufacturing work socks in Rockford, Illinois and later formed the Nelson Knitting Company in 1880. It wasn’t until 1932 that the company added the trademarked red heel to their socks — the red heel that would go on to become the distinctive red mouth of sock monkeys around the world.
During the Great Depression, American crafters started making sock monkeys for their children out of worn-out Rockford Red Heel Socks. This was an affordable way for kids to have toys in a time when every dime counted.
Today, sock monkeys are beloved additions to households around the world. They bring smiles to children and adults alike, with some even believing them to be good luck charms.
The Greytown Free Range Monkey Company crafts sock monkeys with as much love and care as those created for children during the Great Depression. We’ve got a range of colours and patterns to bring a bit of light to your life and home — including a few classic red-heeled monkeys of course!