A religious plush toy of the Virgin Mary is a hit among the religious Croats.
Big, small, stuffed, plastic, wooden, inspired by cartoon characters, fairytales …, children’s toys are popular and sought after commodities on the world market, and manufacturers are, with all their might, coming up with more imaginative ways to meet various customer needs – because, as all would agree, there is no parent who doesn’t like to make their youngster happy and spoil them a bit.
But unlike the popular brands, where profit is the only guiding principle when it comes to business, a couple from Zagreb designed a stuffed toy just for their children and themselves that is in line with their religious beliefs, unaware that it would become an absolute hit, reports Jutarnji.hr on September 20, 2017.
Robert Rukavina and his wife, Nada have designed the plush toy of the Virgin Mary, having received inquiries from Ireland, America and Australia.
Plišana gospa… da sam žensko ova slika bih mi bila profilna pic.twitter.com/DNams0cAog
— ツ (@forcebook) September 20, 2017
“The idea came to us some ten years ago, when our youngest kids wanted to have the Blessed Virgin Mary by themselves, but everything we had at home was made out of plaster, wood or plastic. We looked for such a toy at the sanctuaries first, but when we could not find it, we decided to make the plush toy ourselves, the one that cannot break and is safe even for the youngest kids. We had no idea where to start, who makes such things, who can start the serial production…Then, after ten years, by accident, I came across people who were willing to try to make a prototype. It took us almost a year of many meetings and changes to get the first set of ready-made plush Virgin Mary toys”, says Mr Rukavina.
He believed that interest could be great because, he adds, there are many parents in the world who want to raise up children in faith and get them acquainted with the Heavenly Mother. The Plush St. Mary also came as a continuation of the very popular Bible game “Travelling with Mary, Mother of Jesus” (“Na putu s Marijom, Majkom Isusovom”), which was also created by Robert’s family.
Credit: Putovanje s Gospom Facebook
“My husband and I have decided on the look of the toy, but we also consulted with our children. Actually, I can not say that the plush toy looks the way I imagined it, but we have let the kids decide which one they like most. When we finally got their confirmation, we no longer hesitated. Like most plush toys, our toy was made in China, but the end product was completed in Croatia. It has a CE certificate that guarantees that the toy is compatible with all European health regulations and other norms and is made of the finest plush”, explains Robert.
The Virgin Mary Toy (Our Lady) is 30 centimetres high, costs 135 kunas and can be bought at all Verbum stores or you can order it by email at [email protected].
Translated from Jutarnji.hr
