Mr. Soft-T
Like most kids growing up in the 80s, I loved both Mr. T and the Cabbage Patch Kids. Driven by this undying emotion, I braved San Francisco’s not-so-tender Tenderloin district last week to encounter the apparent lovechild my two childhood favorites. I PITY THE DOLLS!, the current exhibit at Rx Gallery, showcases Greg Rivera’s massive collection of more than 175 vintage Mr. T plush dolls, all of them lovingly handmade by moms and grandmas from the 1984 Miss Martha Originals pattern book. The show also features Mr. T-inspired artwork by several local artists—including Jeremy Fish (the man behind the Silly Pink Bunnies sidewalk stencils), graffiti artists Mr. Element and Empte Eyes, and collector nerd Chris Brennan. Rivera, along with fellow T fetishist Mike Essl, has stockpiled the world’s largest Mr. T memorabilia collection, which the duo proudly shows off on their website, Mr. T and Me.
Although every doll in the show was born from the same pattern, they certainly weren’t all cut from the same cloth. Several dolls are suspiciously light-skinned, and at least one maker took certain anatomical liberties with her creation. Still, Mr. T’s “softer” side is on full display in the show. While Be Somebody… or Be Somebody’s Fool! plays on one wall, inspiring gallery denizens to “just say no,” the adjoining wall of outstretched dolls seems to beckon viewers into a giant Mr. T group hug. The pattern book itself is also worth a look, with its glossy photos of Mr. T “soft sculptures” in full gold-chain regalia and instructions for stitching dimples into little T’s bottom.
The collection has previously shown at the Orchard Street Gallery in NYC and in Toronto. More than just a kitschy nostalgia fix, the American Folk Art Museum has called the show “an important collection of modern day folk art.” What’s more, Rx Gallery doubles as a wine and saké bar, just in case the Mr. T experience isn’t enough to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. I pity the fool who doesn’t check out this cuddly collection before the run ends on June 23. (If you can’t make it San Francisco, however, don’t pity yourself just yet; Rivera plans to travel further with the soft Ts in the coming months.)
