Vinny was discovered in the spring of 2004 at the St. Vincent DePaul thrift store in South Bend, Indiana. He was at the bottom of a box filled with broken toys and soiled linens. The asking price was a quarter. Vinny was missing his left ear, his tail was dangling by a thread, and there was a half dollar size stain the color of chocolate on his right arm.

Upon being rescued, vinny quickly found a hat with a blue ribbon that effectively hid the missing ear and he attached a blue diaper pin to his red rump so his tail wouldn't get lost. Vinny is truly one of a kind, the epitome of American Folk Art. He has four yarns sticking up topside his head and one can imagine the beautiful pompom vinny sported in his youth.

Vinny quickly became the source of much needed attention and The Wisconsin Sock Monkey Rescue Organization was founded. Soon other hosiery primates joined him making for a hectic household and a virtual three ring circus. From holidays to visiting cousins to the annual Sock Monkey Festival, vinny and the gang love to ham it up, posing for the camera and sharing a most unusual perspective on life.