Monkey ad apparently portraying Obama pulled
A television ad featuring a monkey that appears to portray Sen. Barack Obama has been pulled by a Japanese cell phone company.
The ad shows a crowd cheering as a well-dressed monkey speaks at a podium.
The people are waving signs that say "Change." The monkey encourages users to change providers.
The company that aired the ad, eMobile Ltd., said it had no idea of any racial undertones and insisted the ad was an acknowledgement of Obama's popularity.
Eric Gan, president of eMobile, said their company's mascot is a monkey -- an animal revered in Japan -- and has been used in previous ads.
But bloggers immediately voiced their disapproval of the ad and accused the company of being racist.
Gan said the company was unaware of how the ad might be interpreted.