Why we made the Talking Jesus Doll
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
My wife and I raised 3 girls whose favorite toys in their formative years were stuffed animals. Between them, they accumulated over 300 dolls They spent tons of their time with them - playing with them home, they took them everywhere they went and slept with them on their bed. They remember where they got them and/or who gave them to them. Years later, they still have special connections with these toys. While many had sentimental or educational value, we realized that they had no spiritual value.
In 2021, parents spent $69 BILLION on educational toys so that their children can learn their ABC's and 123's at an early age. It makes sense that parents who want their children to develop educationally would invest the tools early to build a strong foundation. The same is true of Christianity - exposure in formative years is critical to developing a strong foundation in Christ.
As parents of a Christian family, I am disappointed in myself that I didn't get my kids Jesus doll that recites scripture. That would have helped us, as parents, to instill the love and lessons of Jesus at the earliest age. The problem is that product didn't exist.
Its true. Parents spent ~$0 Billion on spiritual toys in 2021. There is no industry around religious toys. Big Toy isn't making Christian toys - they are pushing CRT. Big Box doesn't have a spiritual development aisle - but they have a gender neutral toy aisle. And in the last few years we watched once-wholesome toys and television shows devolve into woke propaganda campaigns. Lego’s became LGBT, Mr. Potato Head went non-binary; American Girl became girl-on-girl and Barbie became Bar-bi. Big Toy embraced the woke, Leftist cult which is designed to separate children from their families and their Creator.
Today's parents are forced to either accept the programming of their children’s minds by Big Toy or be purposeful in forging a new path that embraces Biblical truth. The problem is that you can't really opt out if there is nothing else to opt into. We set out to build the toy company of the parallel Christian economy and what better place to start than with Talking Jesus Doll.
Doing some research, we found that there were actually very few plush dolls of Jesus on the market. Lots of Baby Jesus, but babies don't really talk and they aren't that interesting. The vast majority were quite intimidating to put it nicely. None had a loving, welcoming appearance like I imagine Jesus does. And none talk.
So this was the confirmation that there is a need for a proper Jesus doll. And if it spoke scripture then its game over. A winning product, great for parents and kids. What they call a 'category killer'.
We wanted the design would have to be attractive, loving and warm. The material had to be super soft and made with great quality. Most importantly, the voice had to be soft enough and non-threatening to a little boy or girl. And the doll would recite verses from the Bible. As a young child, I remember my Dad saying prayers - specifically the Lords Prayer. The repetition permanently seared it into my brain.
There are a lot of problems in the world today. Jesus is the truth and the solution to these problems. As parents, our #1 priority should be instilling the Lessons and Love of Jesus Christ. This is the greatest gift you can give your child. It will outlive you and be there for your child when they need it most.
The doll can help. That's why we made it. But I'm not in the toy business. How the heck to make this a reality? Read out next post: How we made the Talking Jesus Doll.
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Check out the Talking Jesus Doll.