• USA Today, Monday, July 16, 2007 10:49 AM

Beginning next month, Wal-Mart stores that sell a lot of Bibles will carry a line of faith-based toys from One2believe. They target parents who wants their kids to play with a Samson action figure, not Spider-Man. About 425 Wal-Mart stores nationwide will devote two feet of toy-aisle shelf space to the products, says Melissa O'Brien, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.

The toys are based on biblical stories. For example, there's a set of 3-inch figures based on Daniel in the lion's den for about $7. A 12-inch talking Jesus doll is about $15. And 14-inch Samson or Goliath action figures are about $20. The toys target kids from preschool to age 12, and also are sold online at one2believe.com.

Religious products have become a multibillion-dollar business, and the Wal-Mart move comes as the industry targets a younger audience. Fox recently created FoxFaith, a 20th Century Fox unit to distribute family movies with Christian themes.

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