Not long after reviewing Xoddo's design-your-own plush doll creation service, another startup in the custom plush field, CurlyQ Cuties, contacted us with an offer to try out their stuffed monster creation service. We checked out their business online and were surprised to see how different their offering was, so we agreed to give it a try. Since Z had already adopted her Xoddo doll, we all agreed beforehand that this time we'd be creating a doll not for her but for her cousin, G., and that Z would have the pleasure of designing it for him.


CurlyQ's design interface works smoothly, and was a bit easier for Z to master than Xoddo's. This is in part because the two companies offer very different design models; unlike Xoddos, which print a virtually unlimited number of graphic layers onto a constructed "blank," CurlyQ Cuties are made of colored pieces of fabric that are sewn together. Although this means there are fewer options overall for your softie's design, the big win here is in body shapes - in addition to ten types of eyes, belly designs, mouths, eye colors, belly colors, and body colors, there are ten different body styles, which vary pretty dramatically once you've accepted the basic pudgy teardrop body type. You can see all of CurlyQ Cutie's body styles here.

The only pressure we exerted during the design process was to refuse to let her make the body pink, a decision she returned to several times throughout the design process. We did this in part because we honestly suspected her five-year-old male cousin would be less enthusiastic about a pink doll, but also because the doll would be shipped to us for review prior to sending it on to its recipient, and we wanted that process to go smoothly.


This makes Cuties with different eyes (from one to three) or belly shapes (heart, circle, star, etc.) feel dramatically different, as one might have a pair of antennae while another sports flamelike hair. The resulting variety feels more comparable with Ugly Dolls, in fact, than with any other custom-made doll we've seen.


Although we read up on the site and product before ordering one, it was honestly hard for us to appreciate just how handmade this little guy would feel. The doll is made of fleece with felt accents serged on and a stitched mouth (some styles are hand-stitched). The only thing we could have asked for was a little stronger mouth line (it is a thin piece of black thread that blends in with the body and has some gaps).

The dolls are about 12" tall, which is a few inches taller than Xoddo dolls, and a couple inches shorter than a standard Ugly Doll.


CurlyQ Cuties cost $25, and can be personalized with an embroidered name for another $5. For a product that is entirely made in the USA (both CurlyQ and Xoddo deserve praise for that) and the level of customization, this is the right price. Standard shipping is $5, and for another $1 you can request a handwritten note for the doll's recipient. They guarantee your doll will ship within 10 business days or you'll get a 10% discount, and indeed ours arrived within a week or so; it was held at the post office for a signature, and we actually received an email from the company reminding us of this, which may have been automated but was still pretty amazing. They also make "Fairy-Tooth" dolls which are shaped like big teeth, have many of the same feature options plus a pocket in back for the proverbial tooth-cash swap, and start at $15.

You can play with CurlyQ Cuties' monster maker, and order the plush monster of your dreams, at CurlyQCuties.com.