Good afternoon gamers!

Some of you may have read my article the other day about the handmade SackBoys and SackGirls on E-bay, created by the seller named diegodecarlo198. Well, the highly talented creator of these wonderful SackBoys was nice enough to sit down with SFX-360 for an interview!

So without further delay, let’s get the interview started!

SFX-360.com: “First let's get a little personal with you. What is your name and where are you from?”

Marina: “I’m Marina Vela, 27 years old. I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.”

SFX-360.com: “When did you discover that you had an awesome talent for creating SackBoys and SackGirls?”

Marina: “One day last year my boyfriend asked me “why don’t you make a Sackboy?” and well, I made it. Actually I made a few until I was completely happy with the result, using different yarns, buttons, needles and stuff. At first they were all disproportioned, after a few attempts they started to look more and more like the one on the screen. I am still trying to improve day after day.”

SFX-360.com: “What, if any, kind of creations were you making before you decided to take a chance at making a SackBoy?”

Marina: “I’ve always liked dolls and toys in general, I used to collect them and I’ve always been a doll maker-artist. Besides from that, I like to draw since I was a mini-me. I also take photos. And I’m a musician.

Uhm...I’m starting to believe that Art is my path in this life.”

SFX-360.com: “When making custom SackBoys have you ever come across a character that is just too hard to make?”

Marina: “Yeaaaah, Black Knight from White Knight Chronicles! It took me more than a week to finish it and all the process was pretty complex, including sculpting work. That’s been the most difficult one, but others like Ezio, Zack Fair, Cloud, Fierce Deity, have also been hard to make.

However, there’s one that it was too hard to make and I had to reject the order. It was Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid games. The helmet was too complicated and it would take a lot of time and it would delay other orders and I don’t have the time to make it.”

SFX-360.com: “How long does it take you to make the SackBoys?”

Marina: “The plain 6 inch ones take about 3 hours. Custom sackboys, depending on the character’s complexity, take not less than 6 hours and up to 7 days. I usually work on several orders simultaneously because there are times I get stuck and don’t know how to solve some difficulties (for instance, what kind of material will work better for a particular detail, what parts of a doll will be crocheted and what parts will be sewn, etc.) and I prefer to work on something else until I figure out what will be the proper solution for a particular doll.”

SFX-360.com: “I found your work by browsing E-bay, has the SackBoy business been good to you? Do you get a lot of orders?”

Marina: “Since I started selling them, luckily the orders never stopped. Last year, since november and during Christmas, I thought I was in risk of finally becoming a Sackgirl. *laughs* I used to work about 12 hours a day during that time. Many of the Sackboys and Sackgirls are orders that I’ve made more than once. For instance Kratos, Old Snake, Goku and a few more.”

SFX-360.com: “Which has been your favorite SackBoy that you have made so far?”

Marina: “Ooh that’s a hard question...uhmm if I had to choose one, it would be Cloud from Kingdom Hearts over all. I also liked the challenge of making Black Knight. But to be honest the ones that I like the most are 10 inches plain sackboys. They are so huggable and vanilla scented I would like to keep them all for myself!”

SFX-360.com: “Are there any characters that you are going to attempt in the near future that you haven't tried before?”

Marina: “I never have time to make new dolls that are not customer’s orders really, but if I had it, at this point I think I would make other videogames or movies characters, or my own designs instead of SackPersons.”

SFX-360.com: “Have you ever tried to make a really big SackBoy? *Laugh*”

Marina: “Not really but a few people asked about it already *Laughs* and I may make one if I can get the proper yarn. The materials I’m working with now would not allow me to make a huge sackboys that can keep his cute shape. It’s something I will make one day. I will keep the first one for myself, that’s for sure.”

SFX-360.com: “For the final question, are you a gamer? Did you play Little Big Planet and say "Hey, I want to make him!"?”

Marina: “Yes, I am a gamer and of course I’ve played and I love Little Big Planet and Sackboy. I fell in love with this game, for it is so universal. Not only different kind of gamers, but people in general enjoy it so much. I love to see the faces of my non-gamer friends and family and their reactions when they play it *Laughs*. They all get excited and happy as a child with a new toy.

By the way, my PSN ID is moon_dancer in case someone wants to add me.”

There you have it folks! As a thank you for her time, SFX-360.com will be sending Marina a copy of Little Big Planet 2 when it is released on November 16th. If anyone would like to order themselves a SackBoy, plain or custom, just visit Marina’s E-bay page by clicking here.