Check out this Zuma’s Revenge voodoo doll and keyring

This is one of those “Hey, look what we got,” kind of posts, but do stick with the text for a second. There’s a cool story here and an opportunity to learn a little bit more about what appears to be a solid organization with a cool mission.

First, though, let’s talk about what I received. Earlier this afternoon, the mailman dropped a Zuma’s Revenge-themed box on my doorstep. Upon spilling its contents, I saw that little guy in the header, some cute instructions, and a colorful keyring.

The doll is indeed what it looks like: a voodoo doll. The instructions that came with this bit of videogame swag gives directions on how to grant more power to the doll, as well as the ability to force your editors into letting you write about what you want, whenever you want. It works, however, I refuse to reveal the powerful incantations publicly because I fear for what some people might do to my beautiful editor-in-chief Nick Chester. (Sorry for the leg pain, by the way, but I REALLY wanted to write about Iwata this morning.)

Anyway, the keyring is the big-ticket item here. PopCap Games shoveled some of the promotional budget for Zuma’s Revenge towards a charitable cause — the Maasai Women Art project. This network of women’s groups are aiding the impoverished Maasai tribe in Northern Tanzania by offering literacy courses and teaching them to use their leather and bead skills to earn money. The keychain (you can see it in the gallery, but I apologize for the quality) is a piece the Maasai tribe has created as a result of the program. Pretty cool.

Anyway, there’s a voodoo doll in the gallery. How often do we get to read that? Oh, videogame swag!