Malia, Sasha dolls shelved by Ty after Obamas upset
'RETIRED' | White House lawyers trying to limit commercial use of president's image
Malia and Sasha have retired.
No, not the two first kids, Malia and Sasha Obama.
(AP)
Off the job now are the two dolls produced by west suburban-based Ty Inc. that (the company insisted) WERE NOT named after the Obama children, yet that raised the ire of first lady Michelle Obama.
A Ty spokeswoman declined to comment, but the company's Web site featured pictures of the dolls marked with the word "retired.''
The dolls, which debuted in January, were criticized by Michelle Obama and others for using the names of the two Obama children, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10.
A company representative first told reporters that the dolls were inspired by the Obama girls after company founder H. Ty Warner saw the daughters and thought they were "cute.'' The company later backed off that storyline, saying that the monikers of the African-American dolls -- Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia -- were chosen because they "are beautiful names.''
The Obamas weren't buying it, releasing a statement that "we believe it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes.'' Online petitions and some newspaper editorials and columnists urged the company to drop the line, claiming Ty, which also makes Beanie Babies, was exploiting the Obama children.
The 12-inch dolls, which initially sold for $9.99, were being offered for $100 for the pair on auction Web sites even before the company quietly retired the toys.
Meanwhile, White House lawyers are moving to rein in commercial use of President Obama's name and image.
"Our lawyers are working on developing a policy that will protect the presidential image while being careful not to squelch the overwhelming enthusiasm that the public has for the president," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told Bloomberg News.