When I read the article, I immediately noticed (in the picture) not the Socks.com puppet but the sculpture behind the puppet. The sculpture was called "Puppy" I believe. It was brought to you by Damien Hirst, the brand behind 'Beautiful Union Jack Celebratory Patriotic Olympic Explosion in an Electric Storm Painting’ (2012)'[1][2].
The world's richest artist ($300+M net worth). He is the Madonna, the Material Girl, of the Modern Art world. The person responsible for those inscrutable titles for artwork.
Why is he the world's richest artist? His personal brand. A Marketing Genius (overused, by appropriate here).
He is/was original[3][4].
To be fair, he is using his personal wealth to help create and endow an art museum.
[1] http://www.complex.com/art-design/2012/08/damien-hirsts-flag...
[2] http://www.damienhirst.com/news/august/olympics
[3] http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathonkeats/2012/07/20/is-dami...
[4] http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-01-18/art/damien-hirst-died...