The Simpsons Makes an Impact in Kenya

Craft Village U.K. is relaunching a range of hand-carved African soapstone sculptures of characters from The Simpsons, made in the village of Tabaka in Kenya.

The Simpsons "Stone Sculpts" range is hand crafted by a team of Tabaka master carvers and finished by the women of the village. The project, which includes 12 intricately carved 12cm high busts, has taken over three years to come to fruition. After a soft-launch in 2007, the product packaging has been redesigned to reflect the ethical nature of the range. Craft Village U.K. is now an accredited provisional member of the World Fair Trade Organization.

"The Simpsons sculpture range is fun and innovative, but more importantly it is actually having a direct affect on over 400 people in Kenya," says Paul Young, founder of Craft Village U.K. "Families who live two hours from the nearest town, are benefiting from every sale we make. It is the mission of Craft Village U.K. to improve the working and living conditions of the crafts people and their families by promoting fair wages and job creation. This year, with the exciting launch of the range, we are working to increase the positive impact we've already made in Tabaka."

"This range is a totally unique addition to our licensing program," says Carl Lumbard, senior vice president and managing director, Twentieth Century Fox L&M, Europe. "It offers fans of The Simpsons a quality product, while simultaneously having a positive economic impact in rural Kenya. We are really impressed by what Craft Village U.K. has achieved with the range and look forward to seeing this product on-shelf and making a difference to the villagers of Tabaka."

The 12 characters are: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson, Mr. Burns, Chief Wiggum, Sideshow Bob, Krusty, Willie, Otto and Moe.