And They Said It Without Laughing
Do you remember Beanie Babies? I remember them. I have nightmares about them. Back in the day, my mother thought they were the cutest things ever and started collecting them. And then she decided she liked them a little bit more so collected some more. Started buying and selling them online. She started making my dad go on McDonald's runs across the city to get all the special edition ones. Most people mow the lawn and do other errands on the weekend. Not my dad. Nope. 10 hours a day of McDonald's duty. That was of course after he had spent three hours driving from swap meet to flea market to garage sales. Our house was a Beanie Baby. It was one big, fat, Beanie Baby.
At that time I was not forced to live in the basement, and actually had my own place. I'm glad, because at the time there was no room in the basement to walk or to move. Each baby was wrapped in some kind of indestructible plastic and had those little plastic tags over the Ty heart. Those dolls were given more love and attention and care than my mom gave me. I think that's why I drink. Anyway, one day I came by and they were gone. None in sight. Turns out they could see the bottom coming and cashed out. They bought a new minivan because the old one had been driven so much during the Beanie Baby patrols they had worn it out.
So, I bring all of this up because I thought the company was gone, but it turns out they are still very much alive and have decided to produce "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia" dolls. Although the dolls share the names of the first daughters and bear a strong resemblance to the pair, the company says it is all just a big coincidence. Seriously, that is their story and they are sticking to it. They claim they came up with the names just because "they are beautiful names." Uh huh.
"There's nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls. It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not."
Uh huh.
If you like the dolls you better snap them up quickly because they will not be on the market long. Despite what Ty says, there is no way any court is going to buy the argument that Ty is not trying to make money off the image of the two girls. You can't do that. It would be the same thing if McDonald's started using photos of Taylor Momsen and said, "don't turn into this girl. Eat a burger." They would be making money off her image without paying her.
So, go snap them up wherever you can find them because they will certainly be changing the names and likenesses soon and so the originals will probably be worth some money. Just don't tell my mom. Please.
awww poor Enty....scared of little teddy bears. I always thought the Cabbage Patch Kids were creepy .Could be worse - she could get on the Webkinz craze !!!
ReplyDeleteIt's marketing, pure and simple. They have been off the radar so long and this is the best way to get back into people's minds. What else could they have made? Bristol Palin dolls?
ReplyDeleteYou know how when you're drinking and someone says something funny, and your reaction is to laugh but since you were drinking you end up coughing and choking and looking like a total incompetent dork?
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was me when I read the tags for this post.
The mouth on the dolls is scary. Are all of the dolls mouths this ugly and scary or is this a special mouth for "not Obama" girls?
ReplyDeleteI so remember watching QVC or Home Shopping back when Beanie Babies were hot. The show was selling a few of the earliest ones in a package deal for about $1000.
ReplyDeleteThe shyster host was foretelling the increased value would cover the cost of a college tuition.
The hype for a $5 toy and the blinding belief of so many people buying into it.
It's one thing to take advantage and profit from it, playing the market for gain; but I wondered of the psychological needs of those whose actual bought into what that host was saying.
The Sasha & Malia dolls are just another way of cashing in on the Obama high. Counter that with a news report I saw of a young African-American teen who said before the innauguration all his friends wanted to be either rappers or basketball stars. Now they saw the possibilities and wanted to be president.
I only have 1. I went to the All Star baseball game about 10 years ago in Denver and they gave out the beanie baby all star bear complete with all the authenticity crap that goes with it. I kept mine. People were getting 200-300 dollars for them before they even stepped foot in the stadium. Silly me I kept mine and now all I have a worthless beanie baby. The guy I went with sold his on the spot for $300.
ReplyDeleteits all mass produced crap now, never be of any value, beyond the initial sale. that was the downfall of baseball cards...overproduced.
ReplyDeletei didn't know the obama girls were little hawaiian girls.
sandman well afterall their father is Hawaiian.
ReplyDelete