The company that makes the popular Beanie Babies is retiring the names Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha from its Ty Girlz collection -- and first lady Michelle Obama is pleased.
The dolls have been renamed Marvelous Mariah and Sweet Sydney, said Ty Warner, chief executive of Ty Inc., in a statement Tuesday.
The original names were inspired by what Warner called "this historic time in our nation's history," but he said the dolls were not intended to bear the likeness of President Barack Obama's daughters. Source
Wink, wink.
The switch is in deference to the first family, after Michelle Obama said using her daughters' names was inappropriate, Warner said. Profits from sales of the original dolls will be donated to charity.
"We appreciate the company's response to this matter," Michelle Obama's spokeswoman, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, said Tuesday. Source
And to those of you who've already purchased the dolls: You may have just landed yourself a jackpot -- if you keep them away from the kids.
To collectors, the dolls with their original names will become more valuable, said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of timetoplaymag.com in New York.
"I'm sure many of them are being put away in a closet and are never going to be opened," Silver said. "Those who bought them for their children to play with, they're not going to have much value." Source



Comments: (6)
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By: Linda on 2/06/2009 5:43PM
They lied saying the names were not because of the first daughters. Were there any ethnic dolls made by them before these two beautiful girls came along? Eveyone is capitalizing on the first family. The almighty dollar baby.
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By: HERNOT VERSAINT on 2/06/2009 8:40PM
No way else than the theme BLACKNESS could be more expressive by describing certain feelings. But it is just a visual characteristic, then and about the intrinsic facts??? We can not let them over just through the feelings. Let's be more smart than the time, above all which is nineth century. It is the brain new twenty-first-air; In fact, requeres a serious RE-EDUCATION in AMERICA, indeed to glue this marvelous melting POT that we love more than any, any other skin or sky; P.S. try to read "FORWARD OF MY WAY" by VERSAINT, at poetry.com
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By: HERNOT VERSAINT on 2/06/2009 9:33PM
NO WAY ELSE THAN THE THEME BLACKNESS COULD BE MORE EXPRESSIVE BY DESCRIBING CERTAIN HARD FEELINGS. BUT IT IS JUST A VISUAL CHARACTERISTIC, THEN, AND ABOUT THE THE INTRINSIC FACTS??? WE CAN NOT LET THEM OVER JUST THROUGH THE FEELINGS, LET'S BE MORE SMART THAN THE TIME, ABOVE ALL WHICH IS NOT IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. THIS IS ABOUT TWENTY FIRST AIR, IN FACT, REQUIRES A SERIOUS RE-EDUCATION IN AMERICA; INDEED TO GLUE THIS MARVELOUS MELTING POT THAT WE ALL LOVE MORE THAN ANY, ANY OTHER KIND OF SKIN OR SKY; P.S. TRY TO READ "FORWARD OF MY WAY" BY VERSAINT, AT POETRY.COM
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By: "DimePiece" on 2/06/2009 10:30PM
The TY company called it quits because they had made eneough money on the dolls and had their company had bad plublicity. Very disrespectful and ignorant to the First Daughters! First Lady Obama was not HAVING THAT! Their company would have been OUT OF BUSINESS!
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By: Maddie on 2/08/2009 1:22PM
Everyone seems to be inadvertantly disrespecting the President, reporters etc are calling him Barack likehe is their long time buddy...so with those dolls, and might I say, those were some ugly dolls...but that's besides the point...next time you hear anyone callin him Barack,just remind them that he is President Barack or Mr Obama or some such name, not just Barach. No one was that familiar with george bush until he was not doing anything, then it was OK to some extent to call him bush, see, I think, its a respect issue...
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By: Jess on 2/12/2009 2:01PM
They shouldn't have marketed these at all without the Obama's consent.
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