Embrace Your Weirdness with Frankenbois

by Rachel Galstad

Iqueer/allied vendor event where I fell in love and took home my very own Frankenboi. Meet Brie, the Frankenboi herself! She caught up with OFM to discuss her creepy but cute creations known as Frankenbois. This multi-talented artist creates Sid-fromToy Story-esque stuffed animals, allowing customers to heal their inner child one boi at a time.

What is a Frankenboi?

I feel like your guess is as good as mine; it's all over the board. I get called Sid from Toy Story a lot. So if you want to envision something he would make, it’s kinda like a bunch of mashed together stuffed animals. But recently, I've been starting to use plastic toys, which are very much more Toy Story-esque. I just mix and match and sew everything together.

What inspired you to start creating Frankenbois?

I used to manage an urban outfitters at Park Meadows Mall. And I would bring in my cross stitching stuff, which you saw me break out at OFM’s PrePride event. I would just work on my cross stitch on my break at work. We had these lanyards with our names and little stuffed animals on them. So I started to switch the heads on all of those little tiny stuffed animals. Then we were all just walking around with little tiny Frankenboi lanyards. So I was like, “I’m gonna start doing this bigger,” and that’s kind of how it took off. Tell me about the different products you sell. Oh, man. No two are the same. So it's all over the place, but I feel like a classic is probably one of the two-headed ones. My classic go-to is, like, a two headed Ty baby with giant eyes on one bear body. So that and the keychains with little tiny baby heads on. I think those two are my staples. But it's all over the place.

Do you dabble in costume Frankenbois?

It depends. I thrift everything, so if someone wants a seahorse and a panda head, those are two very specific creatures. I just tell them, “If I can find them, I will definitely keep you in mind.” But I also have done customs in the past where I have ordered stuffed animals online and then sewed them together for people. I also have done customs at events; I did the Meow Wolf Vortex Festival and made Frankenbois there just from a table full of pieces. So yes, and no.

Where will Frankenboi be popping up next to sell your creations?

I'll be at the Wonder Bus Festival in Columbus in August. So come see me in August, everybody!

How do you want your Frankenbois to make people feel?

There’s shock value for sure, but it's creepy enough that it's still cute. I just want to be happy and to connect with my work. I had this one Frankenboi, and it was a Louis Griffin Body and My Little Pony head. I literally had it for six months, and no one was buying it. That rarely happens because I either rip them apart or they sell. But something was telling me, “Don't take it apart.” Then I went to this event, and this guy was like, “Family Guy and My Little Pony are literally my two favorite things on the planet,” and he immediately bought it. I just knew it. I knew the perfect person would come and connect with it. I want someone to be like,”This is what I've been looking for my whole life.”

Where do you find all the stuffies?

I get a big portion of my stuffies from thrifting. But I get a lot of donations, too. I have a lot of friends with kids who don't want their kids to have a thousand stuffed animals, and I want them; so it's a win-win. I keep it as sustainable as I can because a lot of the time, these will wind up in the landfill, and I don't want that to happen.

Do you think creating weird art is a good outlet for expressing your inner weirdness?

It expresses something in me. I didn't know how much I needed to do this because I am super in touch with my inner child. It's definitely an amazing outlet, which is why I started doing workshops too, because I want other people to experience that joy of creating a toy that's just different, weird, and creepy. And I feel so lucky that I am able to make money off of something I'd be doing regardless if it was lucrative or not.

Why do you think it’s important to highlight the Queerdo community?

It’s important for queerdos/creatives to take up space. Being your authentic self is hard enough, and to be discriminated against for it makes it a thousand times harder. We need to not only protect the community but uplift them, and to share their stories and art.

I think it's so fucked for anyone to come for a group of people specifically for who they love and for how they live. My inner circle is in this community; a lot of my customer base is also in this community, and I work a lot of events in queer spaces. I can tell you the amount of love I've received from this community is by far more than I've received from any community!

Keep up with Brie at @briehirsh on Instagram; go take home a Frakenboi for yourself!