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Height: 4 inches
Base: 2.5in x 2.5in x 1in
Weight: 0.75kg
A message from the creator of the Simpsons:
When I first saw the Simpsons sculptures, hand-carved by the talented artists of the western Kenyan village of Tabaka, I was amazed and delighted. Bart, Homer, Maggie, and the rest have found new lives in soapstone, and it makes me very happy to see that these funny-looking cartoon characters have spread so far throughout the world. To the craftsmen and craftswomen of Tabaka, I thank you for your great work.
Matt Groening
Far from Springfield, in the remote village of Tabaka in Kenya, Homer Simpson, Marge, Bart, and the rest of the cast have become a major source of income.
Soapstone in mined in quarries in the hills around the village.
Each carving takes two days to complete. The craftsmen hammer out a dozen different Simpson characters.
These craftsmen are setting into stone, the tradition of soapstone carving, passed by their grandfathers. But now they're chipping away at tradition to reveal a new face.
How they're made
1. Stone is selected from quarries.
2. Measured and cut to size
3. General busts are sculpted with pangas axes and chisels.
4. Finer details are added with a knife.
5. Finished statues are sanded, waxed and polished.
See the pictures on the right for different stages of the process.
Generating income for quarry workers, carver groups, women's co-operatives, hardware suppliers, local delivery companies.
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