This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on May 16, 2025.
Across from a vendor stall at El Mercadito adorned with El Niño Dios dolls, rosaries and paintings of La Virgen and The Last Supper, dozens of grinning elf-like figurines are stealing the spotlight.
Shoppers, young and old, stop to admire the dolls dressed in Dodgers gear, Gucci overalls or popular fast-food-chain-inspired outfits…