BBC News has an article on Kenyan soapstone carvers in western Kenya. These people don’t really know who the Simpsons are, but they like them because the new Simpsons film will likely see demand for their work soar.

Pauline Kemunto and her husband work with the Simpsons team in Tabaka; he carves the figures and she smoothes the soapstone afterwards.

Pauline Kemunto: “I don’t know who they are, but I like them because I earn from them.”

From the article:

Soapstone carving is a traditional craft passed down from generation to generation, and the Abagusii tribe is renowned for their carving prowess. So when Twentieth Century Fox designated the Tabaka soapstone carvings as official Simpsons merchandise in July 2006, their lives improved overnight.

Link via Boing Boing