Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been leading his country in action against the Russian invasion. Now, a company in New York City is turning the eastern European leader into an action figure.
FCTRY is a company in the Brooklyn area of New York City. It is launching an internet campaign on a website called Kickstarter to raise money for the project.
In just two weeks, FCTRY has raised over $120,000 with $30,000 raised within the first three hours of the campaign. For each action figure sold, $1 will go to Ukraine. The campaign ends this Friday.
A prototype of the Zelenskiy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. (REUTERS/Roselle Chen)
The original action figure of Zelenskyy is a 15-centimeter-tall model made of clay. It was created by artist Mike Leavitt of Seattle in the state of Washington. The action figures produced for the public will be produced in China and made of plastic. They will likely ship by March of 2023.
Jason Feinberg is FCTRY's creative director. He called Zelenskyy "the unlikely hero."
"He's the perfect leader for this moment… He has this real strength that comes across, but it's humble and he sort of represents the opposite of everything that we've come to associate with politics."
President Zelenskyy, who is 44 years old, is a former actor. He was elected three years ago and promised an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine with separatists supported by Russia.
Zelenskyy is seen as a smart communicator. He has won international approval for defending his country against the Russian invasion, which started in February of this year.
The new Zelenskyy action figure will join a group that includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top infectious disease expert, Pope Francis and tennis legend Billie Jean King. Other political action figures for sale on FCTRY include U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump. The company website, however, says Trump's action figure is "sold out."
I'm Faith Pirlo.
Roselle Chen wrote this article for Reuters. Faith Pirlo adapted it for Learning English.
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Words in This Story
action figure — n. a drawing, sculpture, etc., that represents the form of a person or animal
clay — n. an earthy material that is sticky and easily molded when wet and hard when baked
moment — n. a very short period of time
humble — adj. not thinking of yourself as better than other people
legend —n. a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well