Kane County Reporter

Illinois Sen. Dan McConchie, R-26th, announced a new Guinness World Records holder existed within his district. That honor goes to the Sock Monkey Museum in Long Grove, with more than 2,000 sock monkeys on display.

"We have a Guinness World Record holder in the 26th District!" McConchie said in an Aug. 14 Facebook post. "Congratulations to the Sock Monkey Museum in Long Grove. If you want to see what 2,098 sock monkeys looks like, this is the place!"

You know a sock monkey when you see it. The iconic brown and white design with a bright red lip has its origins in Rockford, Ill. The Strong National Museum of Play noted the Nelson Knitting Company’s iconic Rockford socks with red heels were popular in 1932. The company received the patent for the sock monkey toy in 1955, and it began including the pattern for the sock monkey doll in packages of their red heel socks.

Those toys have become iconic, and the Daily Herald revealed the identity of the newest Guinness World Record holder Aug. 10 – the Sock Monkey Museum in Long Grove. McConchie shared a link to that article in his Facebook post. 

“Guinness representatives Hannah Ortman and Chloe McCarthy were at the museum Thursday counting sock monkeys and adding up the total," Daily Herald reported. "The result was a world record in a new category: the largest collection of handmade sock monkeys in the world. The museum far exceeded the benchmark of 1,000 set by Guinness, with 2,098 official sock monkeys.”

The Sock Monkey Museum got its start with a 2006 visit to a Cracker Barrel restaurant, according to the museum’s website, and the collection grew, with the mindset of “No Sock Monkey left behind.” Now, after that first Sock Monkey’s relatives have continued to find it, there are more than 2,000 that now reside together in Long Grove. 

The museum is located at 210 Old McHenry Road, Long Grove, the website said. The museum is open noon-4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is $6 for guests 12 and over. Children older than 4 are $4, and those 4 years old and under get in free.