A holiday mensch welcomes new buddies to his bench

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Mensch on a Bench has expanded his family this season to include a good-hearted Mitzvah Moose and the wise (and hilarious) Ask Papa dolls.

• Mitzvah Moose is a battery-operated plush, blue Moose doll that includes a storybook. In the story, Moshe the Mensch helps the moose complete a series of eight mitzvot  (good deeds) in order to help light-up his antlers. The doll retails for $24.99.
• Ask Papa is a plush, battery-operated grandfather doll who is sweet, lovable and has 14 humorous Jewish phrases to keep kids laughing. Papa retails for $19.99.

The Mensch on a Bench was created by Neal Hoffman, and has become a retail star since his introduction in 2013. He’s is among the most popular products to come from the television show Shark Tank. On Sunday, Nov. 18, Moshe the Mensch will host BE A MENSCH DAY, encouraging children and adults alike to act like a mensch and do good deeds all day.

It’s been a big year for Moshe, who now has a partnership with Major League Baseball, and will join players in several U.S. cities in 2019 for Jewish Heritage Nights. He, along with Robert Herjavec (Shark from Shark Tank) were honored at Boston Red Sox’s Jewish Heritage Night, threw out the first pitch and were the subject of limited-edition Bobbleheads, which were given out to fans.

The Mensch on a Bench, which retails for $29.99, was featured this year in “Heading Home,” a documentary about the underdog journey of Israel’s national baseball team and was named the mascot.