The Soxanne sock monkey statue that welcomes Midway Village Museum guests (Photos by Lynne Conner/For Chronicle Media)

As animals around the Midway Village Museum campus in Rockford lie dormant for the winter, Soxanne, the museum’s giant fiberglass sock monkey mascot, is also in hibernation for some much-needed repairs and restoration.

“Soxanne has been outside the museum’s main entrance for 20 years exposed to the elements which have weathered the statue,” said Midway marketing director Luke Frederickson. “After being around for 20 years, it’s understandable that repairs would be necessary.

“Fortunately, Phil Sklar and Brad Novak, founders of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, have partnered with Midway Village in subsidizing these repair costs.”

Sklar and Novak, both Rockford natives, have produced a Soxanne bobblehead available for $35 (plus $8 shipping) via the Bobblehead Hall of Fame site (www.bobbleheadhall.com). It is also expected to be available at the museum or through Midway’s online store (www.midwayvillage.com).

Sales proceeds will help cover the costs of Soxanne’s winter restoration. Only 2,024 of the collector bobbleheads have been made and each figurine is individually numbered.

A sock monkey hangs overhead at the Midway Village Museum.

“Brad and I are very excited to team up with Midway Village Museum to unveil the first bobblehead featuring Rockford’s very own Soxanne the Sock Monkey,” Sklar said. “This bobblehead is the perfect way for sock monkey fans to show off their love for the iconic toy and to own a replica of the statue that greets every Midway Village Museum visitor.”

Rockford was once home to multiple sock factories that outfitted soldiers during World War I. Three knitting companies made brown socks with a tan toe, top, and heel.

To distinguish their product from others, the Nelson Knitting Co. used red yarn for the heels of their socks.

During the Great Depression, thrifty mothers used the red-heeled socks to make dolls for their children. Nelson Knitting began including instructions for making the dolls in each package of socks.

In 1955, the company bought a patent for the design of the sock monkey, which is now a symbol of Rockford’s industrial manufacturing history.

Rockford calls itself “Home of the Sock Monkey” to honor this heritage.

Midway Village Museum has an annual Sock Monkey Madness Festival, celebrating everything related to the children’s toy with the iconic red smile.

“In 2005, many large cities constructed fiberglass sculptures representing a specific theme. Chicago put up cows, DeKalb did huskie dogs and Rockford displayed sock monkeys,” Midway’s Fredrickson said. “One of the Rockford sock monkeys, Soxanne, was added to our campus.”

Frederickson anticipates that Soxanne will be reinstalled on museum grounds near the entrance to the Victorian Village sometime in the spring.

The 2025 Sock Monkey Madness Festival, set for March 8, will celebrate Rockford sports and include exhibits where visitors can make sock monkeys, have damaged sock monkeys repaired and participate in games and crafts for families and kids. An exhibit at Midway Village Museum dedicated to sock monkeys will be titled “The Missing Link: Socks, Monkeys and Rockford’s Industrial Past.”

In addition to Soxanne, the museum features a 7-foot stuffed sock monkey named Nelson and other Rockford-themed fiberglass sock monkey statues.