"Fall 2007"Photograph not available.[Story by] Angela Dahma

Dahman, Angela

English

University of Missouri: MOspace

sock monkeyWhitney Shroyer, left, and Letitia Walker share anaffinity for, and their house with, sock monkeys.This site is archival. Please visit the current MIZZOU magazine site for up-to-date content.University of MissouriMIZZOUThe magazine ofthe Mizzou Alumni AssociationHome » Fall 2007 » Alumni Profiles » Monkey businessAlumni ProfileMonkey businessLetitia Walker didn’t realize she wasstarting a sock monkey enterprisewhen she gave one of the collectibles toWhitney Shroyer for Valentine’s Day1997. “We were getting married thatOctober,” says Walker, “so I decided to find as many sock monkeys as I could to give toWhitney as our wedding gift. And there was no looking back.”Shroyer, BA, BA ’93, and Walker, MA ’95, met in a British Romanticism course at MU. “Ourswas a downtown courtship for sure,” Shroyer says. Walker worked at Ron’s Country Boy (nowLucy’s Corner Café), while Shroyer ran Whizz Records (now Happy Time Media) and spunrecords at Shattered on the side.The couple relocated to Asheville, N.C., with their growing sock monkey collection in 1998.Today, they own more than 200 monkeys, and their home — affectionately dubbed “The RedHeel Monkey Shelter” — provides the setting for their book Sock Monkey Dreams (VikingStudio, 2006).Sock Monkey Dreams tells the stories of the Red Heel Monkey Shelter society, which includescharacters such as reporter Benny Hathaway, talk-show host Happy George, has-been actressBaby Jane, and No. 1 Redheel Emily, the monkey who started everything in 1997.At first glance, the book appears to be collection of children’s stories. But a closer read — or anexploration of the sock monkey videos Shroyer and Walker have published on YouTube —reveals why their fan base also includes adults.“It’s the post-modern Winnie the Pooh,” Walker explains. “When we’re telling these stories, itreally is our filtering of what we see in the world around us, our impressions of culture, oursense of commentary. I hope they’re entertaining, but that they also say something about theAmerica that has existed in the 70 years since sock monkeys first came on the scene.”https://mizzoumagarchives.missouri.edu/2007-fall/profiles/mon... 4/6/21, 10:01 AM— Angela DahmanMore Fall 2007 Alumni Profiles » Follow us on Twitter       Join us on Facebook       Subscribe to our feedPublished by MIZZOU magazine, 109 Reynolds Alumni Center, Columbia, MO 65211 | Phone: 573-882-5916| E-mail: Mizzou@missouri.eduOpinions expressed in this site do not necessarily reflect the official position of MU or the Mizzou AlumniAssociation.Copyright © 2021 — Curators of the University of Missouri. All rights reserved. DMCA and other copyrightinformation.An equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.Last updated: Feb. 15, 2013https://mizzoumagarchives.missouri.edu/2007-fall/profiles/mon... 4/6/21, 10:01 AM

Monkey business

https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/10355/82209/1/MIZZOUMag-MonkeyBusiness.pdf

Monkey business

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