AsiaLIFE

We’ve all seen the Cambodian Cabbage Patch dolls in shops around Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, but what about the man – yes man – behind Hug Me! Dolls. AsiaLIFE talks with Jet Odrerir.

AsiaLIFE: What first brought you to Cambodia?
Jet Odrerir: I had a friend who had lived here since 1995 and I came to visit him, and see the temples and something outside of America.

How did Cambodia initially strike you as a country?

It was a little rough around the edges, a bit chaotic, but it also had an infectious charm. Everything was so different, I was wide-eyed the whole trip.

What was your experience before you came here?

I was in the remodeling business for fifteen years, specialising in updating old houses. Before that was school, playing in bands, exploring America.

When did you establish Hug Me! Dolls?

I came up with the idea during my first trip. I worked through some ideas with my mom back in Minnesota who had taught me how to sew when I was young. I had no thoughts of moving at that time but in late 2003 I decided to sell my house in the States and move here and then I began in earnest. 

Why?

Originally because I didn't find any iconic Khmer soft dolls here and I thought someone should make a Cambodian styled Raggedy Ann. The other reason was the response I received from Asian women in the U.S. when I talked about doing this. They never had a doll that looked like them when they grew up and told me it would be great if someone would make one.

Can you explain a bit about the concept?

The main focus was to make Cambodian-styled dolls so people could take home a soft lovable reminder of Cambodia. We also wanted to make them from all-natural materials and local materials when possible. We wanted the producers to get a fair wage. All of the people who sew them and sell them really appreciate that the dolls are distinctly Cambodian and they are made right here – 100 percent. I wanted the doll to be just the size for a three- to thirteen-year-old to be able to squeeze and have as a friend.

How successful has it been? Where can we buy it?

Now that we sell online – www.hugmedolls.com – you can buy them 24 hours a day! The shops that we consign the dolls through here in Cambodia have normal business hours though. Sales have improved steadily since we've started and in high season there are a few dozen people making a livelihood from Hug Me! Dolls, which to me is a success. There is definitely room to grow however. The slow down in tourism has made things difficult as we were really turning the corner last year but new opportunities are out there.

Do you have plans to establish other dolls?

We just finished up a Vietnamese doll that we sell online and on the Pandaw Cruise boats that travel between Siem Reap and Saigon. There are other things in the works as well but we have to see how the tourist market goes. Cambodia is a small pond and when there's a change in the market we all feel it. I think it would be great to set up the same sort of thing in other countries, each country making their own style of doll like a grass-roots multinational. If I meet someone who has the same goals and an enthusiasm for the idea I would like to see it spread to other countries.

Finally - how much does the Hug Me! Doll cost and where does the money go?

They cost US$29.90 for a Cambodian Apsara or Vietnamese ao dai, both using Cambodian hand made silk, and US$25.90 for the Farmer and the Student. The cost of materials and all of the producers have to be paid for before the dolls actually get to the shops. The producers include women working at local NGOs, such as NYEMO, and tradespeople working out of their homes that make their business partly as sub-contractors to us. After a doll sells the shops take their percentage and we eventually get the remainder of that. Then of course there are the operating expenses, advertising, etc.

CV

Name: Jet Odrerir

Age: 40

Company: Hug Me! Dolls

Position: Director

Nationality: American

First came to Cambodia in: 2001