You could call them Bible Bratz, or He-Men for a Higher Authority. But Don Levine, who created the G.I. Joe doll in 1964, calls his new line of biblical action figures the Almighty Heroes.
There's Queen Esther, a doe-eyed brunette hottie, dressed in a shimmery pink ball gown with plenty of plastic gemstone bling. And Moses (before the beard years) with biceps as big as The Rock's and a righteous pharaoh headdress.
There's Deborah the Warrior, who looks remarkably like Jessica Simpson the Warbler. And action Noah, who looks like, well, nobody seems quite sure.Actually, the reporter got these two female figures confuzzled, Queen Ester is shown here, but hey... | "I saw this line as a way to teach about the quest of good over evil," said Levine, who established his own company, Family Values L.L.C., to market the dolls. I'm very passionate about what is going on in the world right now, seeing youngsters with guns, seeing terrorism and all that," he said in a telephone interview. "I wanted to come up with characters kids can look to as heroes."
Truth be told, he's also seeking a profit. "There are two billion Christians out there," Levine said. "Quite a niche market." In other words, for a savvy businessman with the right product, Levine said, a new twist on the Old Testament could bring manna from heaven.
Currently, the toys are not available at mainstream stores. They are being sold for $12.99 to $24.99 at Christian stores, and online at Amazon.com and at Familyvaluescenter.com. |