Geek Dad – Wired Blogs- The 10 Geekiest Plush Toys Money Can Buy
We are so proud to hit #4 on Geek Dad’s list of The 10 Geekiest Plush Toys Money Can Buy. “Plush toys are wonderful things. They’re like pets that you don’t have to feed or clean up after, and that you can play catch with without fearing injury to them or yourself. If you’re a parent, the odds are pretty good your kid(s) have quite a few of them. The only problem is that, for GeekParents, the selection of plush toys at most stores is pretty mundane. There’s only so many stuffed bears, dogs, horses, and such that a geek can take. 4. Internal Human Organs – There’s something a bit creepy about a gall bladder with a face on it, but the I Heart Guts toys are definitely weird enough to earn a place in any geek’s cubicle. They’d be perfect for a friend who’s in medical school, or for a kid who’s learning anatomy. And imagine the fun of saying “Go upstairs to bed, sweetie, and don’t forget your pancreas!” ” {Sep. 22, 2008}

Time Out New York
“I fell hard when I saw these adorable plush toys from I Heart Guts (iheartguts.com). Founded in 2005, I Heart Guts is the brainchild of Wendy Bryan, an anatomically obsessed illustrator who loves internal organs and all they do. Bryan creates T-shirts, tote bags, buttons, stickers and toys bearing smiling, gloppy guts and silly puns; a cuddly kidney reads, when urine love, and a snuggly liver declares, i’m a liver not a fighter. ‘The idea sprang from a time when I was drawing a bunch of sad hearts after a string of bad man interactions,’ says Bryan. ‘I was also doing a lot of drinking, so I had to wonder: What does a sad liver look like? Lungs, kidneys and the rest followed.’ The deliriously happy bunch is sure to put any get-well card to shame. And having a plush version of whatever’s ailing is like reverse voodoo—somehow, punching a stuffed uterus during a bad period makes it all feel better.” {Aug. 28-Sep. 4, 2008}

Wonka Vision
“Ever wonder what your internal organs would look like made into fluffy plush toys with smiling faces? If you have, today is your lucky day! I Heart Guts has produced an entire line of human organs you can display on a shelf for all to see, or use as pillows in your bed if you’re so inclined.” {August-October 2008}

Bust Magazine
We have loved Bust a very long time, and feel honored to be included on its Page O’ Sh*t, comprising all sorts of menses-related gewgaws. Here’s what they said: “A friendly stuffed uterus? Awesome! This plush could moonlight as the mascot for the National Bowlers Association!” {Aug/Sept 2008}

LA Weekly
There’s a lovely little story about Sarah Jo Marks, the wonderful woman who curated the Stuffed plush food show at Munky King late last year. I Heart Guts got a little teeny mention alongside the Frankenfoods Friends: “Frankenfoods (a.k.a., cheese with fangs, green steak, bloodthirsty martini). Also, human organs in plush format.” {July 18, 2008}

Geekologie
“First it was particle plushies, followed by microbe plushies, and now, for the win and trifecta, come plush guts. Each organ is about 6″-8″ in size and run between $16-$20 (except for the limited edition heart of gold, that one will set you back $30). I personally just bought a backup liver and uterus but was disappointed to find they don’t sell my favorite organ. You do know the one I’m talking about, don’t you? The spleen, how can they not sell the spleen?” {July 2, 2008} Guts note: the spleen is coming…someday… And just for the record, Microbe Plushies came first.

Why Did the Insulin Die in My Pancreas?
“The folks at www.iheartguts.com are devoted to making internal organs come to life with snappy little catchphrases, and their products are perfect for those with a troublesome condition that is usually wrapped up in a stockpile of seriousness and only ever mentioned in hushed tones.” {June 2008}

CBS Life Sciences Education
“The steadily growing body of biological information makes it more challenging to preserve places in the curriculum to provide organismal and physiological context for students, and to cultivate deep thinking about how complex biological systems function through emergent properties of molecular mechanics. We are all interested in how our bodies work and are obsessed, if not enthralled, by our innards, or as one website would put it, ‘we heart guts.’” {June 2008}

Design You Trust
“I Heart Guts is the brainchild of an anatomically obsessed illustrator who loves internal organs and all they do. Founded in 2005, the company strives to offer the best in stoopid slogans paired with happy gloppy guts. They started out with one T-shirt and now their apartment is filled with tote bag guts, button guts, sticker guts, tons of tees, and now plush toys. Oy vey. If ever you need a gut, go on over and they’ll bust you one.” {Mar. 31, 2008}

Associated Press: Cuddly “Food” for Guilt-Free Fun
“At her friends’ urging, ‘Stuffed’ curator Sarah Jo Marks made the move from kitchen curator to the real deal: organizing a plush food show at a local gallery. More than two dozen artists from around the world contributed items ranging from super-realistic cupcakes to Frankensteak, a green felt T-bone with a screw in his neck and a pained expression stitched across his face. “There’s just something fun and cute about a doughnut you can cuddle,’ said Wendy Bryan, creator of the ‘Frankenfoods’ line, which also features ‘Night of the Living Bread’ and ‘Count Drinkula.’” {Mar. 24, 2008}