If you're looking for a unique gift, or the action figure collection that has it all and then some, then, well, you've found exactly where you need to be...

Biblical Adventures Kickstarter by d13_toys : r/ActionFigures

The figures may be for children, but there’s no escaping theology. Train Up a Child, for example, offers a light-skinned and a dark-skinned line of figures. CCM’s initial lines had olive-colored skin.Although let us not worry to much, as he can walk on water, heal all woes and most importantly TURN WATER INTO WINE. SOF concludes that “the real fun begins when you let them into the doll’s house, and when David first sets eyes on Barbie…” Second, these figures do “manifest” Scripture and put mental images in more concrete forms. But criticism along these lines would have to reconsider all illustrations inspired by Scripture. And that includes everything from da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” to a child’s illustrated version of the Bible. What’s the coolest action figure since G.I. Joe? The Jesus Action Figure, according to online retailer Archie McPhee.

Jesus Figures Action Figures - Etsy UK

The blurring of boundaries isn’t lost on Kalich: “We feel our action figures serve the same purpose as other Christian products for children, such as coloring books, board games, plush toys and others,” he said. StretchArmstrong SixMillionDollarMan BigJim MajorMattMason ActionMan Jesus Action Figure Value and Price Guide

SOF’s point, of course, is that kids’ imaginations can, and do, run wild. And those imaginations might not shut down just because the figures represent characters from Holy Scriptures.

Jesus (Son of Christ) action figure – Oxford Cult Collectibles Jesus (Son of Christ) action figure – Oxford Cult Collectibles

Third, various forms of “Bible figures” have been around for centuries. Nativity sets are comprised of biblical figures, though they probably don’t have moveable arms and legs. But many a child has rearranged those figures, hidden them and used them with other figurines. Folklorist Simon Bronner, in Grasping Things: Folk Material Culture and Mass Society in America, wrote that touch is important because its “association with the hand implies the grip of possession.” That is, people become invested in ideas when they can experience them through other senses, especially touch. In the irreverent online publication Bully Magazine ( www.bullymag.com), Ken Wohlrob wrote: “What’s really interesting is that most of these manufacturers overlook one basic fact—that action figures are to be used with an imagination.” So when CCM promotes its Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus action figure collection, it states that not only will the figures help children “mingle play time with faith time,” but the collection will bring the nativity “to life.” The product information also indicates that the figures will create “hours of fun for acting out the Christmas story.” Flannel board figures, while not three-dimensional, have offered children a means of acting out stories with Bible characters for decades.

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These figures, however, can pose more than their arms and legs. They pose a problem for some who examine religious culture. It’s common knowledge that tactile experience is good for intellectual as well as motor skill development. That’s why toys are tools for learning. Also, scholars have demonstrated that people tend to be creative when they start monkeying around with things.

Jesus Action Figures - Figures Toy Company Jesus Action Figures - Figures Toy Company

These biblical action figures are important precisely because they are toys: adults manufacture them and children play with them. And they do interpret Christian tradition. If there is an ethic behind biblical action figures, it may have less to do with which figures are put into plastic and more to do with how Jesus—in the hands of children—behaves.For example, Cook Communications Ministries ( www.cookministries.com) has produced a line of action figures including Jesus, Moses, David, Goliath and Samson.