The “Notorious RBG” is getting the superhero treatment thanks to a Brooklyn-based product incubator.
Fctry’s action figure of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — complete with wire-rimmed glasses, pulled-back hair and wooden gavel — has raised $613,705 dollars on Kickstarter, eclipsing its goal of $15G. The company has placed its first purchase order for 50,000 units and plans to begin shipping by October.
“The $15,000 is really the base level of what we need to begin production,” said Fctry marketing coordinator Zoe Cronin. “We actually hit that in under an hour of starting the project, which was kind of shocking.”
The justice-doling dolls, which are manufactured in China, feature Ginsburg’s iconic jabot “to make fashion and judicial statements” as well as heeled loafers “to stand tall against oppressors,” according to the Kickstarter page.
“I will just mention that Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself has one that we gave her,” Cronin said. “She said she would put it on her mantelpiece, so we’re really excited about that.”
CEO Jason Feinberg said Ginsburg’s approval was especially meaningful to one member of their team.
“There was a lot of giggling and screaming in the office when we found out that she said that,” Feinberg told amNewYork in an email. “I think it was extra special for Mike Leavitt, the sculptor who designs all of our figures. He puts so much love into these pieces and for him, her approval is like the ultimate validation of his work.”
Fctry is also excited to support She’s The First, an organization that mentors women who are the first of their family to graduate high school. One dollar from every Kickstarter backer goes to the organization, and Fctry recently cut a check for $15,654.
Feinberg, who has a background in sculpture, co-founded the company in 2008 with wife Alyssa Zeller Feinberg. The duo launched its inaugural figure of President Barack Obama to high demand and critical praise. They then added Hillary Clinton to the political line in 2015.
“People of course started asking for Bernie action figures as well, and that became a big crowdfunding project. And then it continued on with Elizabeth Warren, which was last year, and now RBG,” Cronin said.
The choice of Warren and Ginsburg marks a shift in focus for the company, Cronin added.
“Obviously it’s been pretty hefty political figures until now, but we’re starting to get into the zone of feminist action figures,” she said. “That was the big idea with RBG was that we wanted to make this league of feminist action figures, and RBG was the biggest request from customers.”
Cronin confirmed that several more figures are already in the works, including junior California Sen. Kamala Harris. Fctry is still in the sculpting process and finalizing the design, but plans to have pocket-size Harrises ready to ship in 2019.
