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James Baldwin "Little Thinker" Plush Doll

James Baldwin "Little Thinker" Plush Doll

The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild

Regular price $35.05 CAD
Regular price Sale price $35.05 CAD
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Bring home a piece of literary history! Our James Baldwin "Little Thinker" Plush Doll is the perfect way to celebrate the poet, playwright, novelist, and national treasure. With his 11-inch height, Baldwin will make your bookshelf, mantel, or bedside table look cool and cultured. After all, a little Baldwin makes any room a little brighter—and that's something worth smiling about!

The Chrysler's permanent collection includes not one, but two portraits of James Baldwin!

Product Details

  • Product type: Plush Toy
  • Shipping Dimensions: 11.0 × 6.0 × 4.0 inches  (27.9 × 15.2 × 10.2 cm)
  • Shipping Weight: 1.0 lb (16.0 oz; 454 g)
  • SKU: SKU: SKU010010981
  • UPC: 814229002451
  • Part No.: 5692

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All Products, Black History Month, Discountable Products, Fun & Creative, Gifts Under $25, James Baldwin, LGBTQ Pride Month, Plush Toys, The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild, Toys.
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    James Baldwin

    About the Artist

    James Baldwin

    James Arthur Baldwin (1924 – 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain has been ranked among the best English-language novels. His 1955 essay collection Notes of a Native Son helped establish his reputation as a voice for human equality. Baldwin was a well-known public figure and orator, especially during the civil rights movement in the United States. Two portraits of Baldwin are in the Chrysler Museum's collection.

    James Baldwin in the Chrysler Museum
    The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild

    About the Brand

    The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild

    The origins of the Unemployed Philosophers Guild are shrouded in mystery. Some accounts trace the Guild's birth to Athens in the latter half of the 4th century BCE. Allegedly, several lesser philosophers grew weary of the endless Socratic dialogue endemic in their trade and turned to crafting household implements and playthings. (Hence the assertions that Socrates quaffed his hemlock poison from a Guild-designed chalice, though vigorous debate surrounds the question of whether it was a "disappearing" chalice.)

    Others argue that the UPG dates from the High Middle Ages, when the Philosophers Guild entered the world of commerce by selling bawdy pamphlets to pilgrims facing long lines for the restroom. Business boomed until 1211 when Pope Innocent III condemned the publications. Not surprisingly, this led to increased sales, even as half our membership was burned at the stake.

    More recently, revisionist historians have pinpointed the birth of the Guild to the time it was still cool to live in New York City's Lower East Side. Two brothers turned their inner creativity and love of paying rent towards fulfilling the people's needs for finger puppets, warm slippers, coffee cups, and cracking up at stuff.

    Most of the proceeds go to unemployed philosophers (and their associates). A portion also goes to some groups working on profound causes.

    • Museum Store Association

      Museum Store Association Member

      The Museum Store Association supports the cultural non-profit retail industry and the people who work in it.

    • Non-Profit Organization Symbol

      Supports Non-profit Organizations

      A portion of proceeds is donated to non-profit organizations. See description for details.

    • USA Flag Heart

      Designed in USA

      Designed in the USA, with global manufacturing or assembly.

    • Thank you!

      For more than fifty years, every purchase from the Chrysler Shop supports the non-profit mission and educational programs of the Chrysler Museum of Art. Thank you for your support.

    • Membership has its benefits!

      Learn more about how you can support the Chrysler Museum and reap the benefits! Member perks include discounts, exhibition previews, reciprocal memberships and more!