Who said only superheroes could have their own action figures?
The Karens of the world can rejoice as their difficult-to-digest persona now comes in the form of a toy.
The K-name has been coopted to call out many a “white-lady-with-a-bone-to-pick” socio-cultural faux pas online, spurring slangy put-downs like “Calm down, Karen.”
Karens often demand to “speak to the manager” and act entitled beyond the scope of what is normal.
Pennsylvania-based toy company Namespace unveiled plans to produce 3¾-inch tongue-in-cheek action figures depicting the problematic Karens of the world.
What’s more, the action figure will be sold along with an overworked “Joe the Manager” figure for the bob-cut action figure to hurl insults at.
“We’re looking for fun even in uncertain times like these,” said Matt Jacquot, Namespace sales manager. “And with these two characters, we want to encourage positive change and even foster a little more tolerance.”
A “Karen” action figure is in the works and will be sold at $18 a pop.Namespace / SWNS The company enlisted the help of freelance Ukrainian designer, Denys Samboval, to bring the much-despised persona to life.
“I take inspiration from the everyday,” Samboval said of the project, adding, “We’ve all seen Karens or Joes in the news or in our daily lives, so this project was easy to relate to.”
Namespace is hoping to raise $30,000 on fundraising platform Kickstarter to secure funding for the production of the action figures, which will be sold at $18 a pop.
So far, just over $200 has been raised.
“Ultimately, for us these two figures embody qualities we can all be guilty of, and so they can help us keep our inner Karens and Joes in check,” Namespace said in a statement.
“We’re all equal, and rather than shout about how the rules don’t apply to us, or sigh as people treat us like doormats, we could all have some fun while being more patient, accepting, and tolerant of each other.”
The “Karen” action figure will be sold along with an overworked “Joe the Manager” figure for the bob-cut action figure to hurl insults at.Namespace / SWNS
A “Joe the Manager” action figure represents all the retail workers who get verbally abused by the Karens of the world.Namespace / SWNS“Karen” has become social media shorthand referring to a middle-aged white woman who makes a big fuss, and is not-so-blissfully ignorant.
The most infamous “Karen” of late is Amy Cooper, a white woman who called the police on black birder Christian Cooper when the two ended up at odds in the Ramble at Central Park while she was walking her dog. She “pulled the pin on the race grenade,” according to Christian Cooper.
When Mr. Cooper asked her to leash her dog, “Karen” promptly told authorities an “African American man is threatening my life,” while appearing to accidentally strangle her dog.
After the video racked up millions of views, “Dog Park Karen” was fired from her investment firm job, temporarily forced to surrender her dog and charged with one count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree. The viral clip also spawned new hate crime legislation.
