Papal visit begetting mass rush for tokens

Warren Royal dreamed of a classier bobblehead pope.

The owner of Royal Bobbles is one of the many manufacturers, vendors and artists producing a heavenly host of commemorative baubles -- and bobbles -- that will surround Pope Francis on his visit to Washington, New York and Philadelphia next month. The multitudes will include papal mugs, magnets, buttons and T-shirts along with popes rendered in plush, plastic and (at one Philadelphia delicatessen) mozzarella.

Whatever this pope's view of global capitalism, there's not much he can do about the Papal Industrial Complex busily slapping his name and face on souvenirs ranging from Pope Francis cologne to "YOPO" ("You Only Pope Once") beer. The mercantile blizzard has become a standard feature of the pontifical visit, and Francis, in particular, seems to have inspired secular as well as religious suppliers to get in the game.

"He's one of the most popular men in the world," said Royal, who had never made a papal likeness at his Georgia-based figurine company.

But Royal aimed beyond bobblehead popes of questionable taste. One version on Etsy features the Holy Father's visage bobbing between a pair of Rocky-esque boxing gloves, with a cheesesteak in one fist and a soft pretzel in the other.

So Royal and his designers reduced the plastic pontiff's head by 30 percent ("It's not so cartoonish, but it still moves well"), vetted his vestments for style and color with Catholic scholars, and ordered him cast in the most substantial resin Guangzhou, China, factories could provide.

"It's not just a tchotchke to stick on the dash," Royal said proudly. "People seem to form a personal connection with this figure."

He has sold almost 10,000 of them, at $25 retail, in the weeks leading up to the pope-apalooza and is rushing a new shipment. One of the stores on the back-order list is the Catholic Information Center in downtown Washington, where manager Kevin Jones expects the papal visit to double or triple his sales for the month.

Jones had no compunction about ordering bobblehead popes and plush popes to share shelf space with his more reverent books, rosaries and prayer cards.

"We want people to know that our religion is one of joy," he said. "And the current Holy Father is one who is really filled with joy."

It's an article of faith among sellers that Francis, who has achieved pop star status with his populist touch, would approve of the folksy nature of T-shirts that portray him in a Philadelphia Eagles jersey. They say the pope, who has inveighed against global greed, is unlikely to apply that critique to the scrappy sidewalk vendors who will hawk knockoff "I [Bishop's Hat] Pope Francis" shirts outside the U.S. Capitol while the pontiff addresses Congress on Sept. 24.

There is an official segment of the vast papal-visit memorabilia market. With permission from the Archdiocese of Washington, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where Francis will canonize a saint on Sept. 23, has commissioned several lines of papal-visit souvenirs in English and Spanish.

An island of shirts, medallions and holy water bottles, all emblazoned with a custom logo, already crowds the center of the shrine's shop. By the time Pope Francis arrives, the inventory will fill a tented pop-up pope shop in the parking lot.

For visitor Juana Desantos, buying two $19.95 Francis T-shirts and a handful of medallions for her family in southern Virginia, the objects are more than just mementos of the papal visit she hopes to return for. It's a connection to the pope himself.

"This is such a good man, such a holy man," she said with a broad smile. "Just to see his face, it makes me feel close to him."

Religion on 08/29/2015

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