Kate Hart peddled retro toys for years before finally creating her own, with a familiar aesthetic. Hart's creations, Bittersqueaks, are made from molds circa the 1950s and '60s that she acquired from the son of iconic toymaker Edward Mobley. After tracking down Mobley's family in Ohio, she has sold via her Etsy page (www.etsy.com/shop/katehartxoxo) original Mobley rubber squeak toys, as well as her own, customized and accented with a punchy pink color palette that would make Lisa Frank proud.
The Seal Beach-based Hart has only been making the toys for a short while, but she has already built a solid fan base, among them pop artist Gary Baseman. While Hart's versions do maintain some faithfulness to Mobley's original designs (Bittersqueak toys are also made of rubber and use cloth for animal ears), these toys are clearly more geared for people older than toddler age. To date, Hart's toy output includes an artist-collaborated series of rubber teddy bears painted by creepy-cute doll maker Sheri Debow and surreal painter Squid Vishuss (Debow's painted bears glow in the dark!); a line of “dino-kitties,” long-necked cats designed with pop surrealist painter Mab Graves; and a scented, hot-pink wiener dog that was also painted by Graves. There are even enamel pins made to resemble vintage Mobley toys.
Hart, who lives and breathes vintage, finds a strange kinship with Mobley's toys. “They just have such cute faces,” Hart says. “Hopefully, they inspire other people to paint cute. The art world doesn't have to be so dark and moody—I like it that way for sure, but it can also be super-sunshine-y and cute and a little bit creepy.”
The only tragedy? Bittersqueak toys are made in criminally limited numbers due to manufacturing costs, but you can check the Instagram (@bittersqueaks) for new releases, updates and news on future appearances.
Aimee Murillo is calendar editor and frequently covers film and previously contributed to the OCW’s long-running fashion column, Trendzilla. Don’t ask her what her favorite movie is unless you want to hear her lengthy defense of Showgirls.