Bad Cody Foster!!

I usually am living under a rock, not too aware of what's going on around me.  My life consists of happy things...decorating, creating, gardening, animals, etc.  Most things roll off my back like so many water droplets and there's not a whole lot that gets my temperature up.  But...just now...I've lifted my rock to see what's going on out there in the crafting world and while it's mostly awesomely great things...there's one thing that's really got me going.... 

Many of you may be very familiar with holiday ornament mogul Cody Foster.  His designs are mass produced and offered for sale all over the country and are very beautiful and oh so irresistible.  The only problem...they aren't his designs at all!  And he's been getting into some real heat for it lately too!  

Turns out he's been copying the designs of real artists and designers for years, illegally and without their permission or knowledge!  I heard once a few years ago from someone that if you see Cody Foster at a trade show, you better hide your wares!  I thought it was an exaggeration, but I was wrong!  I just got an email from a very perceptive and outraged gal who informed me that he's even copying me!  Eeek!  I've had copycats before that I've nipped in the bud, but nothing like this.  He's not asking for permission and is certainly not sharing any profits with the small independent artists he's stealing from.  It seems to me that he just cruises the internet, collecting images of original artwork and sending it to China to have it mass produced under his name.  He's making millions from the hard work of the "little people".  I've long avoided having my items mass copied in China myself for a variety of reasons, despite the ease of profit I could collect from it, and it's sad to know that someone else is doing it for me against my will.  For now it seems that my alligator is the only victim of mine, but who knows about next year and the year after?  And of course not to mention the countless other artists...

Luckily, it seems that big name retailers are finally catching on and pulling all Cody Foster merch from shelves and severing ties with him.  Anthropologie, Fab and West Elm among them.  Check out this Los Angeles Times article.  Thank goodness!!  Paper Source is currently considering it as well and I would urge anyone who reads this little post to do the same!  Does that mean you can't have the wonderful (stolen) things offered in his catalog?  Of course not!  You can always get it from the person who originally designed it.  :)

The alligator is the only design of mine that I know of that he's copied...but my friend Mimi?

 She's had several of her design stolen by Cody Foster...including her awesome lumberjack dolls...

 Any adorable sweater owls.  Grrrr....

 Here are just a few more examples...

 

 Check out this flickr page to see tons more examples.