Stuffed animals are meant to be cute and cuddly, but they become downright terrifying when paired with human teeth.
Known as ‘tooth monster dolls’ or ‘Fugglers’ online, these colorful plush toys featuring glass eyes and pearly white chompers have taken the internet by storm — with some people creepily claiming the toys are made with real baby teeth.
However, the maker of the Fuggler — known only as Mrs. McGettrick online — has made it clear that the human teeth are on her dolls are fake. In fact, the dolls aren’t even toys; they’re collectibles for adults.
Terrifying or cute? Fuggler dolls are colorful plush toys featuring glass eyes and fake human teeth
Made to order: The maker, who is known only as Mrs. McGettrick online, sells the unique collectibles for $67 to $107 on her website
Pearly whites: McGerrtick started making the dolls when she came across a bag of individual false teeth on eBay
According to the Fuggler site, McGerrtick’s unusual online business started in 2010 when she came across a listing for a bag of individual false teeth on eBay one night.
The posting made her laugh, and while she wondered what the teeth could possibly be used for, she envisioned a ‘little old lady buying the teeth to add to her home made teddy bears.’
McGerrtick ended up ordering the teeth with the plan of adding them to second-hand teddy bears she purchased at charity shops. However, when she failed to find what she was looking for, she started making her own dolls from scratch.
‘The first attempts were terrible, but entertainingly so: uneven eyes, wonky teeth, obvious stitching,’ she explained on the site. ‘My husband was appalled, which further fueled my amusement.’
McGerrtick started posting the dolls on Etsy, and she admitted she was both ‘bewildered and excited’ when she sold her first order.
Unforgettable: Although she intended to attach the teeth to second-hand teddy bears, she ended up creating her own dolls from scratch and selling them online
Sales are booming: Over the past seven years, the part-time hobby has turned into a full-time business
Fake news: Some social media posts falsely claim parents are using their children’s baby teeth to make the dolls while sharing photos of the ones created by McGerrtick
The orders continued to pour in and pictures of her Fuggler dolls were being passed from person to person until her part-time hobby turned into a lucrative full-time business.
‘If you’d told me in 2010 I’d be making Fugglers full time, I’d have thought you needed your bumps felt,’ she joked. ‘It all still feels mildly absurd to me, but in the best possible way.’
Although they have been around for years, photos of them continue to be shared on social media while rumors swirl about the original of the dolls’ signature teeth.
One popular post featuring two Fugglers suggests that parents are making these dolls as keepsakes for their children who have lost all of their baby teeth.
‘You just take your little one’s baby teeth and sew or glue them into a monster doll’s mouth. Now your child can cuddle with a plush toy made from his or her own discarded body parts! FUN! reads the message.
Sense of humor: ‘When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you,’ McGerrtick captioned this image on her Instagram page featuring her latest creations
Custom orders: On her website, McGerrtick warns people not to send her their teeth or their children’s baby teeth
More to come: McGerrtick stresses that the handmade collectibles are for adults only, but she is looking to make a child-friendly version
However, McGerrtick is adamant that she will never use real teeth — even though some people are begging her to.
‘I implore you. Do not send me your teeth,’ she wrote in the FAQ’s section of her site. ‘There’s probably a very good reason they’re not in your mouth any more. Besides, I’m quite alright with the worst thing I receive in the mail being my student loan balance.’
She had a similar answer for parents looking to have dolls made with their children’s baby teeth.
‘Again, I’m going to have to say no. As delightful as it might be to have envelopes full of the tiny teeth of strange children dropping on to my door mat every day, I’m pretty sure that’s how you get put under surveillance,’ she joked.
The price of the dolls range from $67 to $107 depending on the size and make, but McGerrtick stresses that the handmade collectibles are for adults only.
However, she noted that she is currently working with a manufacturer to produce a range of Fugglers that will be ‘suitable for a younger audience.’
‘When I say suitable, obviously it’s still going to be a teddy bear with artificial human teeth,’ she added.