The Iconic Sock Monkey...
and it ALL Started Here.
Come monkey around and enjoy sock monkeys, red-heeled socks, and stories about the sock knitting industry in Rockford from its beginnings in the 1870s until its end in the 1990s.
See the original patent for both the red heeled sock and the sock monkey along with the sock monkey used in the patent litigation that won Rockford its “Home of the Sock Monkey” title. This exhibit houses a diverse and unique collection of sock monkeys including Nelson, our seven foot sock monkey.
Be sure to visit the Museum for the Sock Monkey Madness Festival as well, held each March. See our Events page for more information. For more information on the history of the sock monkey and the Nelson Knitting Company that made the red-heeled sock, download our Sock Monkey research packet...
Sock Monkey Resource Packet, 46 pages, 5.45 MB.
Note: This packet includes the original nelson Knitting Company's illustrated "Instructions for making the Sensational Monkey Toy".
Also available in our online Museum Signature Store "How to Make the Original Rockford Red Heel Monkey" book, as well as a variety of delightful, "ready-to-adopt" Sock Monkeys.