Michelle Obama Thinks Sasha, Malia Dolls Are "Inappropriate"

[my2sense]

From the Huffingtonpost.com

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Ty Dolls, the company responsible for the 1990's Beanie Babies craze, is trying to cash in on a new trend with a pair of "Sasha" and "Malia" dolls. The company insists there's no connection to the Obama daughters. They just chose what they thought were "beautiful names."

"There's nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls," spokeswoman Tania Lundeen said. "It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not."

Michelle Obama doesn't seem to be buying it, Chicago Business reports.

First lady Michelle Obama is not pleased about the marketing of a pair of dolls that bear the same names as her daughters.


"We believe it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes," Ms. Obama's spokeswoman said.

The dolls were were introduced in early January, and a limited supply has been shipped to retailers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/23/michelle-obama-thinks-sas_n_160277.html?view=print

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. I agree with Michelle

This would upset me if they were my kids.

[stlsaxman]

31. Write them, as i did. link-

http://ty.com/Talk2Ty_contactus

[TuxedoKat]

47. Me too.

I was creeped out when I saw them and would be highly annoyed if someone did that to my kids. Not that the dolls are ugly, just the idea of making dolls that allude to the kids without their permission. Fortunately the dolls don't even look like the girls.

[JerseygirlCT]

88. I do, too

They are kids, and they deserve a whole lot more privacy and protection than this. And attempting to use those two adorable little girls for profit... leaves a bad taste.

[marshall]

2. That's life in the Gold Fish bowl

Unfortunately they'll have to get used to it because it's the world we live in.

[aquart]

10. Uh no.

Celebrities get paid for the little dolls with their faces and names. Rights licensing is a very busy industry.

Either don't do it or cough up the appropriate royalties. This is theft.

[marshall]

17. Have you seen the Obama stuff that's already for sale at Wal Mart?

This is going to turn into a big industry.

[Bucky]

22. Of course you understand there's a diff between a commemorative plate & these dolls

The tacky people about to make a few bucks off these dolls, which certainly fall legally under "fair use" protection, don't understand the difference between fair game for public honors and exploitation of the children of public characters. It's actualy not that big a difference since the Obamas, like every other national politician (except Howard Dean) used his kids for some limited marketing appeal. Making Sasha and Malia dolls crosses the line, but it's not that big of a line to begin with.

[marshall]

27. True, and tacky doesn't equal illegal

There would be a lot less salespeople in the world if people stopped making and selling tacky stuff.

[DainBramaged]

73. Many of us here refuse to shop at Wally World and don't own foreign cars

[Subdivisions]

25. The Obamas are not celebrities. They are public figures. I don't

think the royalty program applies to them.

[Dawgs]

11. Agree. I was just about to write that Michelle Obama will have to get used to stuff like this.

There's a lot of 'inappropriateness' that will come from having the most popular family in the world.

[marshall]

86. This is actually tame compared to what we will probably see in the future

At least there's nothing offensive about these dolls, even if they are post-pubescent.

[ThatsMyBarack]

3. I felt bad seeing these.

I knew that the girls were going to have to live a "fishbowl" life, but this is ridiculous!

[Myrina]

4. I think it's inappropriate pressure ...

... to put on 2 little girls, to be made - essentially - icons when all they're trying to be is themselves.


This country needs to get over its idol-ification of people who are 'in the news'.

[aquart]

5. Good for her.

AND, if they are deemed celebrities, then they are entitled to rights licensing fees for the use of their names and images, thank you very much.

[marshall]

19. That's not the way it works in politics

The Bush twins didn't get any royalties from "That's My Bush". Princess Diana never got anything off the myriad of memorabilia from pot holders to thimbles that had her face on them.

The best that can be done is to find a way to deal with the phenomenon positively and just ride it out.

[LittleClarkie]

39. You're talking about older offspring. Chelsea was left alone for the most part

as was Amy Carter.

Can they wait til the girls hit puberty at least?

[marshall]

61. We're living in a whole different world since Amy Carter

I would hope that people would be circumspect, but when there's a dollar to be made and it's not illegal it will happen.

[LWolf]

6. MO is correct.

And Ty Dolls is full of shit.

Is there any legal action that can prohibit them from marketing people's children without permission?

[Strong Atheist]

7. Family should be off limits. The dolls are just exploitative.

Boycott them! grr:

[katandmoon]

8. Don't buyTy's denial and totally agree with Michelle (but if those were my kids I'd buy the dolls!)

[aikoaiko]

9. Somethings should just be ignored.

Its not really worth the effort to give them this publicity.

[stlsaxman]

34. and this is not one of them.

http://ty.com/Talk2Ty_contactus

[aikoaiko]

37. The Obamas' don't own these names

Of course its completely disingenuous of the toy company to say that the dolls weren't inspired by the darling Obama girls.

Let's face it, they are 'celebrities' because of their parents actions and their names will be more popular now.

The toy company is making money off of them, newspapers and magazines are making money off of stories and pictures, websites too.

There is no harm here.

[FLAprogressive]

12. She is right.

leave the kids alone.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

13. I'd go with friggin' creepy over inappropriate.

[DKRC]

60. I used both in my email & added liars just for good measure

:grr:

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Stinky the Clown agrees with Michelle Obama

This sounds sick to me.

[Peacetrain]

15. I agree with MO...

too much being thrown at those little girls.

[CTyankee]

16. Did anyone notice that the dolls have breasts? Not "breast bumps" but

full busts in a tight fitting shirt. Both dolls!

Michelle Obama has done the right thing, IMO. Good common sense. As a grandmother to 2 girls exactly the same age as the Obama girls, I congratulate Michelle for being a great mother. I'm sure my daughter would do the same thing...

[Fireweed247]

44. THAT is what I thought was really weird too!

I think Ty was trying to honor the girls, but it was definately disingenuous to say they weren't named after them.

But geez...putting large breasts on the dolls WTH!!

[Sequoia]

59. Where's the pic of the dolls?

I agree with Michelle too. Especially if the dolls have bumps.

[Occam Bandage]

18. I agree with Michelle. Exploit Barack, maybe even Michelle, but leave the kids alone. nt

[blondeatlast]

20. Not EXACT replicas; that would be rather difficult but really, Ty? Puh-leeze (pic):

[bdamomma]

21. I agree with Michelle on this.

[woodsprite]

23. If they continue to sell them, they should be made to donate the

proceeds to a charity of the Sasha and Malia's choice.

[stlsaxman]

29. Or pay for their college educations AND retirement funds...

JFC!!! Give them EVERY PENNY of profit made from this exploitation.

This is borderline pornographic.

[Bucky]

24. from the look of these dolls, the dollmaker apparently thinks they're twins

also, they seem to be cousins of Raggedy Ann

[Bu Megdi]

26. Wa LOOOOOOOOOOL!

Wa LOOOOOOOOOOL!

[TahitiNut]

40. RIP, a**hole.

:eyes:

[kwassa]

28. oh, the identical names of the dolls are just a coincidence?

The company spokeswoman is clearly lying.

[dysfunctional press]

30. lots of things are "inappropriate", but people still buy and sell them.

sorry, but that's just life in the public arena, michelle. welcome to the limelight- get used to it.

[Avalux]

32. I agree and Ty's insistence the names are coincidence is ridiculous.

Good for Michelle for speaking out.

[saracat]

33. I guess no one remembers the Caroline and John John dolls

by Madame Alexander in the 1960's ? There were also a flood of Jackie dolls. I am a doll collector and only have the "Jackie" but would love to have the children(MA's John John and Caroline) Michelle may be next. It is actually a "tribute " to the girls, and yes of course folks are making money and it may be "exploitive" but hey thats capitalism! I'll bet the girls are thrilled and it might help the economy!The Caroline and John John dolls didn't really look like the kids either. The The Sasha and Malia dolls are kind of cute but seem based on the contemporary "Bratz " dolls, and I am not really a fan of those. But if Madame Alexander , or Tonner doll company, or the Franklin Mint did some dolls of the girls I would buy them in a hot second. The Obama girls are darling.

[FedUpWithIt All]

70. I really am not getting the outrage here. These kids were visible. They are admired by children.

the names were obviously used as a nod to the girls but then i suspect those two names are fast becoming two of the most common names given to newborns as we speak. Even combined, they are just names, not likenesses.

There is a long tradition of paper dolls and collector dolls of first families, the children included.

The Obamas brought the children into the spotlight. They ran the campaign on family to a large extent. The whole nation is concerned about the type of dog these girls get for crying out loud.

Obama did say that children are off limits when Palin was being attacked and on that point the Obamas have been consistent and deserve credit. Many here on DU were not so generous. Either the kids are off limits or they are not, campaign tool or not.

I think the dolls would have been a relative non issue if attention had not been drawn to them. I have three daughters and i had never heard of them until i was informed that their existence offended.

[marshall]

87. Remember Amy Carter featured in a Hustler comic strip?

Larry Flynt was supposedly friends with Jimmy Carter's sister, but that didn't stop him from featuring Amy in his "Chester the Molester" comic strip in Hustler magazine.

It could be far worse.

[customerserviceguy]

35. "We believe it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes"

You cannot trot out little kids on stage at a convention, or a victory party, or whatever, then make that claim.

We rightly bashed Caribou Barbie for this, if she and McLame had won, wouldn't there be little Trig dolls being marketed right now?

[yellowcanine]

36. 'The company insists there's no connection to the Obama daughters. They just chose what they

thought were "beautiful names."'


Yeah right. That is believable.

[jmowreader]

38. How about paying royalties to Sasha and Malia?

It's obvious they picked these beautiful names because of the Obama girls.

I think they should run the price of the dolls up fifty cents or a buck, and send that extra money to the Obama girls' college funds. By the end of the year, those young ladies will have enough money to go to Duke without scholarships. (Not that they necessarily NEED to go to Duke, you understand...)

[Enrique]

41. rofl at the ad that appeared in this thread

[Karenina]

42. BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[zbdent]

43. and "Baby Ruth" wasn't named after Babe Ruth ...

riiiiiiiiight ...

[kdpeters]

64. It wasn't.

It was named after Baby Ruth Cleveland.

[zbdent]

69. It was merely co-incidence that the candy bar came out in the midst of Babe Ruth's

immense popularity ... riiiiiight ...

[Frank Cannon]

65. And Popeye's Chicken wasn't named after the Sailor Man

Supposedly the Popeye's founder named the chain after James "Popeye" Doyle in the movie the French Connection.

Because, you know, nothing reminds you of cajun-style chicken wings and red-beans-and-rice like a New York City narcotics detective.

[DemBones DemBones]

45. She's a lawyer so I'm wondering if her comment

indicates she knows a lawsuit would be useless and hopes to sway public opinion against the dolls. Manufacturers always try to capitalize on what's popular, which may be tacky in this case but may not be illegal. A lot of Obama supporters may want these dolls because of their names. Life in the goldfish bowl, as was said upthread. I think every First Family finds out the hard way that being the First Family has its downside.

[treestar]

49. Yeah, that sums it up - it is creepy and who would buy one, but

nothing can be done to stop it - if they looked like the kids even, what law would prevent it?

That's why she used "inappropriate." It's inappropriate but not illegal.

[Dorian Gray]

46. Totally agree....

They should knock it off if they didn't get permission.

[Sultana]

48. Good for Michelle

:fistbump:

The company and dolls are tasteless.

[politicasista]

50. I agree with MO. SAM should be left alone

They are charming girls who do not deserved to be exploited for greed purposes.

[Captain Hilts]

51. Yes, MO's right SAM should be left ALONE. nt

[Gregorian]

52. I've waited so long for this! Real humans in the White House.

I grew up around people like the Obamas. Finally, finally, they're supervising the country.

Man we needed this. Money has driven everything. But Michelle wants here kids to be normal kids. Not superstars.

I love Sasha. What a specimen!!!! Her enthusiasm is something to behold.

[Bluenorthwest]

53. I agree with Michelle, fully

"We believe it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes,"

So do I. Very much so. Good for the First Lady.

[ColbertWatcher]

55. Me too.

Over at the Truthiness Encyclopedia, we make fun of everyone, except private citizens.

People will be banned or blocked for doing so.

[KamaAina]

54. If they had just chosen the names because they're "beautiful names",

the Malia doll would be Hawaiian (or at least local, with mu'umu'u, surfbaord, rubbah slippahs, etc.). The name "Malia" is the Hawaiian rendition of "Mary". It is a popular name for girls here in her Dad's homeland, whether or not they are native Hawaiian; even our local Ann Coulter clone (except that she appears to be a natural blonde :P ) is named Malia Zimmerman!

For that matter, the Sasha doll would be Russian. Then we'd get to hear from our dear friends at PETA about her fur collar...

[TheKentuckian]

56. I agree with Michelle

but it is odd that our non-necessity economy is increasingly Obama driven. The only way to get people to spend money is to associate The President with it somehow.

[jillan]

57. I'm glad Michelle spoke out.

The dolls aren't even that cute.



They are capitalizing on the kids...not cool.

[gardenista]

58. Michelle Obama is right. Of course.

She is such a wonderful role model. Her example will be so meaningful to so many women all around the world.

[Vinca]

62. Agreed and I'm not a real fan of the President Obama chia pet, either.nt

[City Lights]

63. I agree with the First Lady.

:thumbsdown: idea.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

66. And all this time I thought Phil Gramm was the model for Cabbage Patch Dolls....

:rofl:

And David Gregory looks like a Grinch.....


:rofl:


Yes it is inappropriate.

[bigwillq]

67. I agree (nt)

[Gormy Cuss]

68. There were Amy Carter and Caroline Kennedy paper dolls that were very popular.

There was also an Amy Carter doll with a peanut case. I don't know if there were any for Chelsea.

Michelle Obama may find it inappropriate but there is a history of marketers profiting off the likeness of young children of presidents. In this case the company is being cagey by saying the dolls have nothing to do with the Obama children but only a ninny would believe that they chose those names without regard to the coincidence.

[FedUpWithIt All]

71. The names were obviously chosen because of the girls. Names, not likenesses, in this case

The names Malia and Sasha are probably soon to be two of the most popular little girls names in this country. Ty has the right to name their dolls any name they choose. If the dolls deliberately made to resemble the girls in appearance i would say that they were crossing the line. Using highly regarded and recognizable names, not out of line IMO.

Why are the names highly recognizable?

Malia and Sasha Enjoy Scavenger Hunt, Movies
A Few Disney Stars Stop by to Surprise the First Daughters


In their wildest dreams, Malia and Sasha Obama never could have imagined what was in store for them on their first night in the White House.

While their parents danced the night away at 10 different inaugural balls across Washington , the Obama girls had some fun of their own, gallivanting around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with a few of their closest friends.

Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, had requested two of their favorite movies -- Disney's "High School Musical 3" and "Bolt" -- for their first night as presidential daughters.

In keeping with tradition, the White House staff had planned even more for the first daughters.

The staff had spent the day organizing a late-night scavenger hunt for the girls that would teach them in the ins and outs of their new digs.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Inauguration/story?id=6698562&page=1

It is a two page report on the girls' first night at the WH.

[Gormy Cuss]

84. There's going to be a noticeable trend in naming babies Sasha and Malia

just as there will be boys named Barack or Obama. This too is an old pattern.

Michelle Obama may object but this sort of thing is as old as the hills.

[DainBramaged]

72. Ty lied, they are exploiting the kids, you are fooling yourselves if you think otherwise

I didn't see dolls or action figures of the drunken B* twins, I wonder why? Oh yeah, Republicans, they'll cut your legs off at the knees. And no dolls of Caribou Barbie's wretched kids either.

[FedUpWithIt All]

74. There were paper dolls of the bush girls. In fact they were in two editions because of GHWB.

http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/GEORGE-BUSH-FAMILY-12-PAPER-DOLLS-TOM-TIERNEY-MIB-90_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ250344866421

Palin was not elected to a National office and i personally think it is time to let her retire but since she has been brought up...her kids were NOT off limits to many here and the justification to ATTACK them was the fact that their mother exposed them to us in her campaign.


The Obama girls are not being attacked, the dolls are not any more a physical representation of Malia and Sasha than they are of nearly half the kids in this nation. The names, even in this combination are free for public use.

[DainBramaged]

76. GEORGE BUSH & FAMILY 12 PAPER DOLLS

Give me a break, nice tap dance. Defending the Reich, an art form on DU now.

The way DU treats subjects like this offends me. And I thought we were against all of this 'Capitalism' crap, until I realized how many here shop at Walmart, own Foreign cars, and defend the policies of a failed administration (and shit like this).


The Obama girls are being EXPLOITED, and I hope that Commerce begins investigating the content of the TY products, where they are made, and if child labor is involved, and every shipment is checked for toxic content, and winds up sitting in port for months in the hot Summer sun.

[FedUpWithIt All]

79. Who is tap dancing. These dolls are the exact replications of the 7 and 10 yr old Malia and Sasha?

It would seem that the bodies are modeled after teens (which the girls are not) and use generic faces.


I hate hypocrisy from ANYONE.

Nice attempt at deflection by accusing me of being a "reich" defender. That will stop dissenting opinion. :eyes:



If there is concern about limiting invasions of the girls' privacy perhaps people's energy would be better served stopping these, far more invasive, offenses.

Sasha And Malia: Trendsetters In Making
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/23/earlyshow/main4749418.shtml

Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama Ignite a Fashion Frenzy
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481886,00.html

Malia And Sasha Obama Know What They Like, Fashion-Wise

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-malia-and-sasha-obama-know-what-they-like-fashion-wise/

Our Week: Malia and Sasha Obama
According to Hugo Rifkind
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5576398.ece

Malia & Sasha Insanely Adorable, Disagree on Sparkles
http://cityfile.com/dailyfile/4034

Otherwise all the fury is simply faux-outrage and hypocrisy.

[DainBramaged]

80. You SURE DID your homework trying to convince me this is OK

FAIL.


I don't agree, and I think your efforts are simply wasted, but if you can convince one of the sheep here to agree, your work is done.

[FedUpWithIt All]

81. You have a nice day. n/t

[DainBramaged]

82. Nothing personal

:hi:

[FedUpWithIt All]

83. Indeed

:hi:

[geiger]

75. too bad.

They are going to be out there, and there's nothing any of us can do about it.

They are going to be the thing. And, really, we all need to lighten up, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

The girls also, give them some credit, they are going to get used to this type of "thing."

And this is positive, let others enjoy. Spread The Joy!

[Crunchy Frog]

77. It's stalkerish and creepy. n/t

[Renew Deal]

78. She's right. It's inappropriate

[mr1956]

85. Privacy is no longer an option

The Obamas are going to have to get used to this since the whole world seems to be interested in the entire family's every move.

Mrs. Obama seems to be speaking as a mother trying to keep her girls grounded as they grow up in the fish bowl. At least newspaper articles and TV fluff pieces only last for a news cycle or two.

I agree it's inappropriate but not illegal and that the company saw a way to cash in on all things Obama. As citizens our power lies in not buying their product; if they don't sell the company will quickly pull them off the shelf;