Yogis and warriors may seem a contradiction, but not according to Dan Abramson, creator of Yoga Joes (yogajoes.com), plastic soldiers in yoga poses (USD 24 for a set). He started the company in 2014 as a humorous attempt to make yoga seem macho and draw men to the practice, chiefly to promote his male-yoga-bag business (brogamats.com) that he’d begun a year before. But when they became a success (they’ve sold 5 lakh figures), the movement spawned a comic book series called Yoga Joe . Here, edited excerpts from an interview.
What inspired the idea?
In the US, yoga is often viewed as a practice for women only (even though, ironically, it is a practice developed by men). As a man with back pain, who had benefited from the practice, I wanted men to know how great it can make them feel, physically and mentally. I wanted to change popular perceptions about yoga.
Yoga Joes were an attempt to make yoga look more macho. And then it hit us: green army men doing yoga! Their little platforms could be replaced with yoga mats. And the classic green army men toys were already in very similar gestural poses to yoga asanas . For example, the Warrior Two pose was inspired by a classic soldier toy throwing a grenade. The army man crawling through the trenches resembles the Cobra Pose.
In addition to the humour of it, I also enjoyed making a violent toy peaceful. And as the Yoga Joes began to resonate with the military community, it became clear that soldiers doing yoga is not a contradiction at all. And yoga celebrates a soldier’s most admirable qualities: discipline, focus, and a desire to bring peace where there is pain.
Which came first, the comic or the figures?
The figures came first. And after they were so unexpectedly popular, I suddenly found myself with an audience of yoga practitioners, who wanted to know the origin story of Yoga Joe. So, we made a yoga superhero comic book!
Along with writer Chris Mead and illustrator PK Olson, we set out to make an unusual comic book. It allowed us to dig deep into the action of yoga gestures.
We were lucky enough to collaborate with a lot of yogis who are also military veterans — men and women who have served in the military, and are now strong advocates for yoga.
Who are your target buyers?
I think adults like them. Whether you’re into yoga, not into yoga, or just think they’re funny. Some people like to display them to remind them to practise yoga, or simply calm down. I’ve seen customers mount them on their car dashboard, so they can remember to stay calm while in traffic.
There’s a humongous community of people in the military that are into yoga. Whether for physical training exercises, or to treat veterans for post-traumatic stress.
Messages poured in from armies all over the world, from people in the military that have found benefits in yoga, and wanted to convince others to do the same.
What is the purpose of these figures?
In practice, it’s kind of working as both a toy for kids as well as conceptual art for adults. Moms tend to like buying them as a non-violent toy, to inspire their kids to get excited about yoga.
But then, a lot of museum gift stores are now carrying them, as a form of giftable art statuette. Adults tend to share them as a little green reminder to keep the peace.
And then the idea keeps evolving without me. For example, a total stranger contacted me from South Africa, because he and his friends wanted to dress up as Yoga Joes for AfrikaBurn — the Burning Man of South Africa.
I gave him costume advice and the next thing I knew, there were Instagram photos of real-life Yoga Joes in the African Desert, doing yoga. So, it took on a life of its own, as performance art.
