It was only a matter of time before “real-life action figure” Volodymyr Zelensky had a toy to match.
Brooklyn-based product design company FCTRY is making an action figure of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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“The way we framed him in the campaign is ‘the unlikely hero,'” chief executive and creative director Jason Feinberg said.
FCTRY launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund production. It reached its fundraising goal of $30,000 within three hours.
Now, less than two weeks since launch, the campaign has already raised over $120,000.
Seattle artist Mike Leavitt has since molded a 15-centimeter-tall clay prototype of Zelensky.
“He’s the perfect leader for this moment, just this super inspirational character. He has this real strength that comes across, but it’s humble and he sort of represents the opposite of everything that we’ve come to associate with politics,” Feinberg said.
Meanwhile, mass production of the figure in plastic will take place in China. Stakeholders expect shipping to start by March 2023.
For every action figure sold, $1 goes to Ukraine.
Zelensky was an actor and comedian prior to the presidency.
He was elected into office in 2019 despite being a political novice due to his popular anti-corruption platform that won him a landslide victory over his incumbent opponent.
The Ukraine president gained global attention for his administration’s response to the Russian invasion, which began in February.
Banner Photo by FCTRY via Instagram.
