In 1957, Ben Michtom, president of the Ideal Toy Company, had a brainstorm: why not sell a Jesus doll? The majority of kids in America were Christian, so he figured parents would jump at the opportunity to make playtime a religious experience. Other Ideal executives were horrified, but Michtom consulted with some religious leaders, including most notably the Pope, and the Jesus doll was born. It had beautiful brown glass eyes and was wrapped in molded swaddling cloth. It came in a 12” x 16” package, brown with gold on the edges, made to look like a Bible.

As Sydney Stem describes the doll in Toyland, The High-Stakes Game of the Toy Industry, the Jesus doll was a horrible flop. Parents were horrified at the idea of their child undressing the Jesus doll, dragging it around, sticking it in t…