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| Photo: Staasi Heropoulos, The Republican |
Engel uses her skills as a fabric artist using tools like fabric, needle and thread to create not just art art, but replica dolls of characters from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.
She found her niche rejecting replicating main characters like Kermit, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, for less produced secondary, fan-favorite, characters.
When interviewed about her accomplishment by The Republican, Emily said, “People have that one character they connected with. Sometimes it is a main character, but other times it’s one in the background. People might also feel they were in the background."
Though The Muppets have been appearing on Sesame Street for decades, many people fear
Each donor also was eligible to win a $400 doll of their choice from a group of nine that she selected..
The fundraiser ended Sunday and raised $11,000. What struck her is who wants to help the American TV network with entries from 47 states, all over Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, and Ireland.
Though The Muppets have been appearing on Sesame Street for decades, many people fear
Trump's plan to defund PBS will have dire consequences for the non-profit network.
“What ‘Sesame Street’ represents is so important, because it was created for inner city children who did not have great schools or access to proper materials and books. They could watch educational programming for free and learn stuff they were not getting in their own school system,” said Engel.
Engel reached out to her social media followers, telling them if they each donated $10 to PBS, she will give them a 25% discount on their next purchase of her dolls.
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| Photo: Staasi Heropoulos, The Republican |
Each donor also was eligible to win a $400 doll of their choice from a group of nine that she selected..
The fundraiser ended Sunday and raised $11,000. What struck her is who wants to help the American TV network with entries from 47 states, all over Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, and Ireland.
Though she's been a seamstress for years, Engel made her first plush (non-Muppet) replica in 2010 for a friend with no patterns or training.
“I got some materials and did it from sight ... and it just came together beautifully. That’s how I discovered my ability to replicate visually, with just needles, thread and fabric,” she said.
While the characters are owned by Sesame Workshop and Disney, Engel said she has never had a run-in with their lawyers.
“There’s a ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ situation going on. I don’t make $44 billion a year off of this. I’m not competition with Disney. I’m not picking from their pocket. We coexist peacefully. They know about me. I’m hiding in plain sight. Jim Henson’s daughter even has one of my dolls,” she said.
Over the years, Engel has used her dolls to raise thousands of dollars for charities and nonprofit groups, including $6,500 for the Indian Orchard Food Bank, $10,000 for the presidential campaigns of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and $800 for the Trevor Project, which counsels LGBTQ+ youth.
You can follow Emily's work on Instagram, Twitter, Etsy, and on her website.
“I got some materials and did it from sight ... and it just came together beautifully. That’s how I discovered my ability to replicate visually, with just needles, thread and fabric,” she said.
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| Photo: Staasi Heropoulos, The Republican |
While the characters are owned by Sesame Workshop and Disney, Engel said she has never had a run-in with their lawyers.
“There’s a ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ situation going on. I don’t make $44 billion a year off of this. I’m not competition with Disney. I’m not picking from their pocket. We coexist peacefully. They know about me. I’m hiding in plain sight. Jim Henson’s daughter even has one of my dolls,” she said.
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| Photo: Staasi Heropoulos, The Republican |
You can follow Emily's work on Instagram, Twitter, Etsy, and on her website.
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