Naomi Minor Naomi Minor started crocheting in 2023 and has since started selling her creations The 21-year-old's quirky plushies are easy to recognize by their signature facial features In May 2025, the Dallas artist crocheted a plushie of Doja Cat, which caught the singer's attention Since stumbling upon the art of crocheting in 2023, one Dallas woman has been turning heads – and yarn – by transforming iconic movie characters and pop culture figures into quirky,unforgettable plushies. The 21-year-old's creations are easily identifiable with a delightfully strange face that followers have come to adore. With a growing demand for custom orders and a brand that's quickly gaining recognition, Naomi Minor's plushies are more than just toys – they're a testament to imagination, individuality, and the unexpected charm of imperfection. "My audience is really broad and that's what I love about it," Minor tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I've made plushies for people my age surprising their partners, for teens gifting their parents, and for parents celebrating their kids, but the one thing they all have in common? Wanting to make someone smile with something that feels one of a kind." Minor started sharing her artwork on social media five years ago, back when she was dabbling in painting and honing her sculpting skills. But when she started making plushies, that's when everything clicked for her. "It's what I'm known for and my biggest accomplishment," she reveals. "Sharing my work online gave me the space to experiment, grow, and eventually build a brand that's uniquely mine." Naomi Minor While she used to sell her sculptures, the idea of turning her "weird" art into something soft and huggable really stuck with her. "Crochet felt like the perfect way to make my characters come to life in a whole new way," she admits. It takes the young artist between eight to 16 hours to complete a plushie, depending on how complex and unique the character is. Her longest project, League of Legends character Star Guardian Lux, took nearly a full day. "To be fair, this was when I was still fairly new to crocheting, so everything took me double the amount of time it does now," she says. Although the process can sometimes be tedious, Minor takes pride in every stitch. The creative journey often starts with what she calls a "deep stare," where she studies the character's shapes and details, mentally breaking them down. "Most of my attention and effort goes into the clothing. I focus on the little things most people wouldn't expect in a plushie," Minor explains. "Tiny laces on shoes, patterns on a graphic tee, even the specific stitching style…I want each plushie to feel like it's wearing its own story, not just a costume." Naomi Minor No product of Minor's is considered finished without its signature eye bags, thin lips and awkward buck teeth. "Every plushie I make hastheface: sad, strange, and unmistakably mine," she tells PEOPLE. "It's my signature look. People can spot a Naomicartoons plushie from a mile away. My brand leans into the weird, the ugly, the different because it's not about perfection, it's about personality." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Minor enjoys taking "beautiful, polished" characters everyone recognizes, like classic Disney princesses, and reimagining them with her own personal touch. "I love turning something traditionally 'perfect' into something unexpected and strange," she says. "It makes people do a double take, and that's just the kind of reaction I love." Naomi Minor Along with her usual plushies, Minor also takes custom orders. Every day, the artist receives emails from customers who want to see themselves or their loved ones transformed into one of her quirky, plush creations. She's made couples for anniversaries, parents as Christmas gifts, and even family pets for birthdays. "I love it because it turns my art into something more than just a funny style. It becomes a memorable, personal gift," she says. "There's nothing like the moment someone opens a box and sees a plushie version of themselves, bucked teeth and all!" "It's hilarious, unexpected, and totally unforgettable," she adds. In one of her latest TikToks, Minor showed off aplushie inspired by one of her favorite artists, Doja Cat. "I put a lot of care into capturing every detail," she says. "The fuzzy hair, tattoos, body shape, and jewelry were all carefully thought out and ended up being a piece I'm very proud of." As a result, the video racked up over 25 million views, one of them being the "Woman" singer herself. "Where do I buy it," Doja Cat commented. "That moment made me feel like I was doing something right," Minor shares. "Like my weird lovable plushies had reached a level I never would've imagined." Read the original article onPeople
