Bargain Christian War Toys

My new Oriental Trading Company catalogue came today and the Soldier of God line of Vacation Bible Studies products is gone. I checked the website and it's not there either. This was the result of what was perhaps the world's easiest internet-based pressure campaign, sparked by this blog in just its second month. I imagine that this was a tiny piece of their inventory and they quickly decided it wasn't worth the controversy. So, where did all the camouflaged helmets with crosses and Jesus dog tags go? I looked, and it's not easy to find. But at least some of it wound up at the Christian Dollar Store, where it has been deeply discounted.

The Soldiers of God Go Underground

Last April, after coming across the Soldier of God product line in an Oriental Trading Company catalogue, I wrote a post called Kill for Jesus. Never one to take anything at face value, I was a little amazed to see little rubber duckies and teddy bears in army helmets, toy military gear emblazoned with crosses, camouflage clothing items with the Soldier of God logo, and so forth, all targeted at kids 10 and under. While these toys represent a small part of the Vacation Bible Study product line, which is in turn a small part of OTCs overall inventory, they still very much creeped me out.

Happily, I was not alone. Freelance writer Corey Habbas wrote Holy Warrior Toys Sell in America for an online publication called OpEd.com. The article quotes various faith leaders and educators expressing various levels of dismay that a market exists for such toys and that this company has filled the niche. Habbas' piece caused OTC to pull the toys from their catalogues and website. Few wins come this easily.

As it turns out, this one didn't either. Habbas has found that the company continues to sell their Soldier of God toys through their call center. The products have not come off the market. They've just gone slightly underground. A petition has been set up to ask the company to stop selling the products altogether. It takes 30 seconds to sign. For what it's worth, please do. And pass it on.

The Pen IS Mightier Than The Sword

Wow. Suddenly I feel like a real internet journalist. I received the following email today from Corey Habbas, declaring victory over the Soldiers of God:

Thank you so much for supporting this effort. I am really glad to have had you as a catalyst that sparked awareness to this whole issue via your blog. Also, I have good news! as a result of the petition and the article that appeared off of the Google news search this morning, the OTC issued a formal statement this morning to the reps that this product line would not be sold any longer. So as of this morning, they are no longer selling it.

Interesting to see that the Oriental Trading Company has visited my blog about 20 times so far today. And nice to know that little Apesma, which was about one month old when I posted Kill for Jesus, could spark this outcome. A Big Thank You to Corey for taking on the fight, and an even bigger thank you to Oriental Trading Company for recognizing that God, militarism, and kids toys is not an appropriate sales niche for a respectable company.