Horvath, David 1972(?)-

Personal

Born c. 1972; mother a toy designer; married Sun-Min Kim (an author and artist); children: Mini (daughter). Education: Parson's School of Design, degree. Hobbies and other interests: Collecting toys.

Addresses

Home and office—Los Angeles, CA. E-mail—info@davidhorvath.com.

Career

Art-toy designer, animator, and author/illustrator. Creator of character toys, including Uglydolls, Uglydog, Pounda, Noupa, and Littlebony. Toys International, Los Angeles, CA, manager, 2001-02; Prettyugly, Kenilworth, NJ, cofounder with wife, Sun-Min Kim, 2002.

Awards, Honors

Specialty Toy of the Year award, Toy Industry of America, 2006, for Uglydolls.

Writings

Bossy Bear, Hyperion (New York, NY), 2007.

WITH WIFE, SUN-MIN KIM

How to Draw Uglydoll Kit: Ugly Drawings in a Few Easy Steps, Walter Foster Books, 2006.

The Ugly Guide to Things That Go and Things That Should Go but Don't, Random House (New York, NY), 2008.

Ugly Guide to the Uglyverse, Random House (New York, NY), 2008.

Ugly Guide to Being Alive and Staying That Way, Random House (New York, NY), 2009.

Chilly Chilly Ice-Bat, Random House (New York, NY), 2009.

ABC U Later, Random House (New York, NY), 2009.

1, 2, 3, 4 U, Random House (New York, NY), 2009.

Also creator, with Kim, of animated films produced in Japan, including Littlebony and Noupa.

Adaptations

Horvath and Kim's "Ugly" creatures have been adapted as stuffed toys and licensed for other items, including a card game.

Sidelights

Anyone familiar with the names Peaco, Moxy, Ice-Bat, and Chunkanucka will also be familar with David Horvath, one half of the creative talent behind the Uglydoll phenomenon. Joined by wife and artist Sun-Min Kim, Horvath began designing the dolls in the early 2000s, and in 2002 the collectible art toys became available at upscale department stores, galleries, and museum stores in the United States. With an ever-growing following of fans and collectors, the dolls were even the focus of an Uglycon to celebrate the fifth year of their production! Because the dolls are handmade—Kim actually handsewed each one during their first eighteen months of production—each Uglydoll is unique and includes a small tag featuring the character's name, personality, and biography.

In addition to his work designing art toys, Horvath has also collaborated with Kim on several books for children, such as The Ugly Guide to Things That Go and Things That Should Go but Don't, Chilly Chilly Ice-Bat, and ABC U Later. With Bossy Bear Horvath has also produced his own original picture book featuring a cartoon bear who, with a crown atop his head, demands his own way from everyone around him. Helping to teach this pushy bear a lesson about sharing is a cast of colorful characters who, according to a Publishers Weekly contributor, "bear a striking resemblance to the plush dolls created by the author." Horvath's "crisp and spare" art "gives immediate appeal to this simple story," concluded Jayne Damron in her School Library Journal review of Bossy Bear.