As a mom of two boys, I’ve purchased, played with and cleaned up after my fair share of action figures. Most of them came equipped with some weapon or implement of war, which I scrupulously removed prior to letting my young children play with them. Somehow, this made them seem less violent and more acceptable, but still left me somewhat concerned about the message I was sending my sons by letting them play with toys that encouraged fighting.
Now, for moms like me who want to give children toys with a positive message, there is a new resource from One2Believe. The “Messengers of Faith” Talking Bible Dolls series currently features four important biblical characters: Jesus, Mary, Moses and David. These are not your average action figures. They are truly more “doll” like, but moms of boys know better than to call a toy a “doll” if you ever want your son to play with it.
The 12-inch toys feature hand-sewn clothing and accessories, fully articulated joints with gripping hands, and a voice chip containing a variety of biblical phrases. This is an ingenious way to help your child commit to memory some of the treasures of scripture.
Most mothers I know would prefer that their children’s toys not talk (there’s enough noise in our houses already). However if we are going to have talking toys, it’s nice to have toys that quote scripture as opposed to singing purple dinosaurs.
Boys will be boys, and most boys love action figures. What little boy wouldn’t love his own Jesus action figure? Along with providing fun and safe age-appropriate toys, you will have the opportunity to teach your child important lessons about His strength and His love for us along the way.
See also:
Messengers of Faith Talking Bible Dolls
(Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous web sites, including www.catholicmom.com and www.christiancoloring.com, and an avid reader of Catholic literature. Visit her at www.lisahendey.com for more information.)
