I first had the initial idea for stone-carved caricatures of famous animation characters in March 2004, after my sister sent home stone statues of African animals from Uganda. I thought that if the artisans could produce sculptures with a popular western theme, it would be interesting to see the results.
I contacted various Embassies and Fair Trade networks to research stone production, stone carvers and suppliers. This led me to the Kisii region of Kenya where soapstone had been carved for generations. There I made contact with the Master and Classic Carver groups and we began our first period of ‘product development’ on our range of ‘Simpsons statues’
Summer 2005: I made my first application for a License to 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising, sending product samples and information about the carvers and Tabaka region. Fox were impressed with the idea & product, but were not ready to offer a license. At that time the business was in its infancy and there were many areas that required improvement.
October 2005: I visited Kenya and made a mini documentary called 'Carving a Future', (as seen on our website) to show 20th Century Fox footage of the carver groups, the carving process and the people who would potentially benefit from the success of this project.
November 2005: Craft Village UK Ltd registered as an official business and became VAT registered. We redesigned the statues, improved quality control, and restructured the business. We secured backing and support from The Kenyan EPC (Export Promotion Council) and KIPI (Kenya Industrial Property Institute) plus some fair trade networks
June 2006: I submitted a new application to 20th Century Fox in LA. Alongside an improved product and business plan, endorsements from networks in Kenya, and our promotional video. Fox approved the application and dialogue began on Craft Village becoming an official Simpsons Licensee.
August 2006: Craft Village UK became an official Fox Merchandising License. It took almost another year to develop the Craft Village business model into a position ready to trade. We trained new carvers; developed our website; developed Simpsons branded packaging and certificates of authenticity, etc.
August 2007: Our website and business finally launched and Craft Village began trading.
To learn more about this author, visit Craft Village 's Website.
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Craft Village
(Visit Craft Village's Website)
Craft Village is a small business based in
England. With the artisans of Kisii
Tabaka, Western Kenya, we have been
developing our unique sculptures and
nurturing this project since 2004.
Recognizing the skill and talent of the
Kisii carvers, Craft Village identified
the need for a new outlook in terms of
design. A progression from the
traditional soapstone statues saturating
the market.
Training rural Kenyan craftsmen to sculpt
caricatures of cartoon characters, and
introducing new production techniques and
quality control methods, Craft Village
have secured approval from 20th Century
Fox and achieved an exclusive license to
produce and sell our Simpsons sculptures.
We are proud to be in a position to supply
Simpsons fans with new, high quality,
unique, animation art, whilst
simultaneously having a positive economic
impact in rural Kenya.
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