Such was the popularity of Jobs, who co-founded Apple, that sales of the 12-inch toys are predicted to buck the trend of the declining popularity of collectable figurines.
Once upon a time, Star Wars statues and Hulk Hogan figurines were hot property. Now, if pre-sales are any indication, Apple fanboys are set to ensure the Steve Jobs statues have the same success.
The poseable figures are being manufactured by the Chinese company InIcons and are set to go on sale in February
The volume of Internet traffic Tuesday morning slowed InIcons’ website to a crawl, proof of continuing public interest in the Silicon Valley inventor.
But whether the unauthorised product will ever see store shelves, remains to be seen. Apple’s famously combative lawyers are reportedly aware of the product, according to the Daily Mail, and most take issue with InIcons’ appropriation of Jobs’ likeness.
“Mr Jobs has not consented to the use of his name and/or image in the product,” Apple lawyers reportedly said.
Dedicated “to the Genius, Great Inventor and Visionary: Steve Jobs.”, the collectable, equipped with trademark poloneck, jeans and John Lennon specs, is of a 1:6 scale and will retail for around $100 (£64).
It will come with a spare pair of glasses and an additional two pairs of hands, curiously described as “gripping”.
The company has apparently stopped taking pre-orders for the Jobs figurine, after an apparent overload of interest.
In 2010, Apple successfully blocked retailer MIC Gadget from selling iPhone 4-sized Steve Jobs sculptures.
Steve Jobs died on October 5 last year after a seven-year battle with pancreatic cancer.
