Uglydoll: Goin' Places TPPublisher: VizKids
Release Date: July 2, 2013
Price: $7.99
Creators: Various
Format: 80 pgs., 7" x 9", Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9-781-4215-5522-5
Age Rating: All ages
ICv2 Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
This book of sheer insanity includes an all-star cast of creators, including James Kochalka. For those not familiar with Uglydoll products, they are a line of toys where seemingly monstrous little creatures are cute, cuddly, and generally very stupid. The positive side is that they are all warm and welcoming, and supportive of each other’s faults and shortcomings. Think of them as deformed, brainless Care Bears. For over a decade, new Uglydoll toys have come out, and the line actually won a toy industry award in 2006.
To branch out from the toys, Kochalka, Ian McGinty, Travis Nichols and others have created short stories with the characters put in various improbable settings, from the wild west to the seven seas, and let their pre-set interactions run amok. Wage always pretends to have a job, and becomes everything from a store manager to a port official to a deputy sheriff, all without actually being hired. Ice-Bat and Ninja Batty Shogun try to make use of their innate bat senses, and set bats everywhere back by millennia. Other hijinks ensue.
The stories in this collection will appeal most to young kids who own or have seen the toys. The stories may also appeal to kids who like Adventure Time or other books by artists like Kochalka. Unfortunately, some of the humor may go over their heads, but it's mostly harmless fun.
--Nick Smith: Librarian Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.