Iconic Patron Saint is Also Mexico's Hello Kitty Carrie Kahn - NPR.org
go to original December 12, 2013

Amparo Serrano's company Distroller has a full line of colorful characters, some picked up by Wal-Mart and Cartoon Network. (Distroller)

In Mexico, Dec. 12 is the day to celebrate the country's most revered religious icon: the Virgin of Guadalupe.

As many as 6 million pilgrims have made their way to the Mexican capital to pay homage to the country's patron saint on Thursday, and one woman has taken her devotion of the Virgin and turned it into a multimillion-dollar company.

You can find Amparo Serrano, the owner of a company called Distroller's, chubby-cheeked cartoon depictions of the Virgin now on pens, notebooks, pajamas, plates and picture frames. All of her items are packaged at Serrano's warehouse, tucked away in the hills of southern Mexico City.

... This year, Distroller sales will top $5 million. Wal-Mart picked up her doll line, and she penned a deal with Cartoon Network. Her lawyer says licensing fees will bring in another $45 million.

That's quite a feat considering Serrano started out 10 years ago with nothing, she says, and with little confidence. She says she never planned on this being a business.

Read the rest at NPR.org

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!