Wedgie Door Stops

Wedgie door stops are hand-painted in Sri Lanka, one at a time, by people working from home: the blanks and the paints get delivered to them and the finished ones are collected and paid for. Each is carved from Alstonia wood and stamped underneath, and each comes with a sticker telling you who it's meant to be. There's more in homeware and gifts.

Who the Wedgie Characters Are

Every Wedgie is a caricature of somebody, and the names do most of the work. Musicians mostly, with a poet and a painter thrown in, and the joke is in how little detail it takes to get there: a haircut, a pair of sunglasses, a striped top. You'll place some immediately and stare at others for a while, which is part of the fun. There's a sticker on the back of each one telling you who you're looking at, if you'd rather not guess.

How Wedgie Door Stops Are Made

They're carved from Alstonia wood, which Wedgie says is certified by Sri Lanka's Department of Forest Conservation, and painted by hand in people's own homes rather than in a factory. Unpainted blanks arrive at the door along with brushes and paints, and the finished ones are collected and paid for, which lets people earn around whatever else their day involves. The paint is non-toxic and matte, so it doesn't chip the first time a door swings shut on it. No two are quite identical, and Wedgie says so up front.

Wedgie as a Present

This is what they're mostly bought for, and they work because they're specific. A door stop is a boring present; a door stop that looks like somebody's favourite singer isn't. They're small enough to post, they weigh very little, and they cost about what a decent card and a bunch of flowers would. Wedgie is an independent British family business, started by a couple who met in Sri Lanka and went on to work with a workshop owner outside Colombo, and it ships from Manchester.

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