Question 1

Do they make a version in which Jesus is not white?

Accepted Answer

I've decided to buy the children's Nativity set by BibleToys ( available from Amazon and other places )  for the following reasons.  My husband and I are white, my adopted daughter is Hispanic and her boyfriend and their child is Hispanic/Haitian/Bahamian.   I feel it's important for my grandson to see people in his life and toys that show a diverse world that he can feel comfortable in.  I feel that the Nativity Story's central character is baby Jesus but all the rest of the people are adults so I like that Bible Toys show the adults looking like adults.  As a brown haired person, I've always disliked the old stories where the perfect girl always had blonde hair so I like that this Mary has very dark hair.  Bible Toys Jesus has a dark curl on his forehead.  Josephs is coffee colored, the darkest skin person in the set.  The other characters have maybe 3 different shades of skin color, not especially dark but no blonde hair.    The two angels look like white Europeans, one with blonde hair and one with brown hair.  The faces of the other people don't have Western European features.  I looked at them and immediately thought that this group of people were from another place.  This set has 2 shepherds, a sheep and a ram, each shepherd has a staff ( potential for being bitten off by a small child ).  Little People sells a replacement character that is dressed just like Joseph but can be used to replace Joseph or used as a shepherd without a staff but wearing Joseph colored clothes. The single character costs $15.  There is a larger set that contains shepherds but it's about twice the price.   One thing that I had to think about is that baby Jesus in Bible Toys set is a swaddled baby that can be removed from the manger making it a small object with choking potential for young children.  The set is recommended for ages 3+.  They also don't sell a replacement Jesus so there's a possibility that you could end up with a Nativity with a lost Jesus - not so useful.  I might consider glueing the baby to the manger.    I've read so many comments below and just offer this information for those who are looking for a more authentically accurate characters or characters that their child or grandchild could more easily identify with.  I'm all for everyone having choices and I think the Little People really did us buyers a disservice by eliminating shepherds from this set when they do make a set that includes shepherds.  I think it would be a better story to have 2 shepherds and 2 sheep rather than the cart.   As I recall the story, there were definitely shepherds but I don't remember any mention of a cart.   Bible Toys set is slightly more expensive, around $32 including shipping.  I don't work for BibleToys.  Their set just appealed to me more because of the reasons above.   Merry Christmas to all.  How wonderful that so many kids are getting Nativity sets when so much of the world around us ( in the U.S. ) down plays the story of Jesus.

Question 2

Why are there no shepherds??

Accepted Answer

They do make one with a shepherd. It looks a lot like this set but it has more pieces and much more expensive. You can find it here on Amazon.

Question 3

Does the manger come apart for easy storage?  will this be hard to store?  (love the concept - but nyc apartment  = no space)

Accepted Answer

No, you can store it in the box it comes in. The size of the box is 13.1 inches x 6.8 inches x 7.5 inches

Question 4

im trying to get the one that plays music and lights up does this one from Baker.book.house?

Accepted Answer

I purchased this item online from Family Christian for $18 plus $5 tax/shipping.  It's priced at $30, but I used a 40% off coupon which is available fairly often.  My set was new mint condition in the original Fisher-Price box, and it is exactly as described--plays music and lights up.

Item Weight	1 Kilograms
Number of Pieces	14
Item Dimensions	6.77 x 13.19 x 7.48 inches
Size	1 - 5 Years
Theme	Religious
Color	Multicolor
Material Type	Plastic

Fisher-Price Little People Toddler Toy Christmas Story Nativity Playset with Light & Music for Preschool Pretend Play Kids Ages 1+ Years

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