ALLEN, Texas (ABP) — A Christian artist has found a way to celebrate his faith while creating a keepsake that many collectors appear eager to get.
“God works in strange and mysterious ways,” says Dan Foote, creator of 7-inch bobblehead dolls depicting Noah, Moses and Samson. “If we can be part of that strange and mysterious way, praise God,” the Louisville, Ky., native says. “This whole thing has been a lot of fun.”
Foote estimates he's sold 750 of the light-hearted dolls, mostly on the Web. They also attracted the attention of the minor-league baseball team in Nashville, Tenn., which commissioned 6,000 5-inch versions of the dolls to give away at “faith night” promotions this summer.
“The church groups are going crazy over these things,” said Brent High, church and youth programs director for the Nashville Sounds, according to Baptist Press. “We've had some churches double the number of people they brought last year, and they attribute it to the bobbleheads.”
Who knew a biblical character with a spring in his neck could be so popular?
The whole thing started three years ago at a Texas Rangers baseball game, according to Foote, an author and cartoonist whose drawings have appeared in a variety of Christian books, magazines and discipleship materials. Clients range from Focus on the Family to the satirical Christian magazine The Door.
When Foote and a friend received free bobblehead dolls at a game, the friend told Foote he had the talent to sculpt something similar. But Foote wasn't interested. When he lived in Cleveland, he'd already looked into the idea. Licensing agreements with teams and athletes posed too large of a legal and financial headache.
The only way it would work, he told his friend, was if the bobblehead depicted someone well-known but dead, like a famous author.
Or a Bible character.
The two joked about the idea during the game. Foote suggested a John the Baptist doll, with a detachable head.
Foote didn't plan to pursue it, but he became more intrigued as his friend continued to push what he thought was a good idea. “As a creative person, I'm always bouncing ideas around,” Foote says.
As the idea continued to bounce, Foote's brother-in-law, Abner Dabney, who sells promotional products in Louisville, connected Foote with a manufacturer in Lake Katrine, N.Y. But making the dolls proved pricier than he anticipated, Foote says.
“After I swallowed hard, I did what any red-blooded American would do. I called my dad.”
With new financial backing, Foote involved his brother, Andy, to build the Web site and set up a distribution strategy through UPS.
Today their company, “Isaac Bros.,” has become a nice side business for the three principles. Each doll includes a small comic book, drawn by Foote, telling the character's Bible story.
Each doll has a cartoon look to it. Two have modern-day features to help tell their story. Samson sports a “God's Gym” T-shirt. Noah has an umbrella under one arm and a dove in his hands.
Foote admits he and his friends “have gotten some heat” from people questioning whether their motives are faith-filled or financially driven. But he doesn't want anyone getting bent out of shape just because Noah has a spring where his throat should be.
“We're not telling anyone that these are filled with some sort of spiritual power. We all have a deep faith,” he insists. “We don't want to be disrespectful.” Foote notes that the company's namesake, Isaac, is Hebrew for laughter. That's something Foote says Christians aren't always good at. “We tend to be the biggest sticks in the mud.”
The dolls are popular enough that Foote and his partners are working on another set of three. The Nashville Sounds already have signed on to give away the second set next season.
The next set will depict Daniel, Queen Esther and John the Baptist. “Our first foray in to the New Testament,” Foote notes.
And, no, John's head doesn't come off.
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