US First Lady Unhappy About Malia, Sasha Dolls

  25 January 2009

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, who has described herself as the "mom-in-chief," is not happy about two new dolls on the market.

Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha are the names of the dolls manufactured by Ty - the company that made billions from the Beanie Babies. 

Malia and Sasha are also the names of the Obama daughters.

The first lady's press secretary, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, said in a statement Saturday it is "inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes."

Ty spokeswoman Tania Lundeen told a Chicago newspaper, the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday the dolls were inspired by the first family's daughters. 

Later, she told the Associated Press the names of the $10, brown-skinned dolls were chosen because "they are beautiful names," and not because of any resemblance to the Obama children.

Public fascination with the Obama girls has been intense.  Thousands of people have tried to order the J. Crew coats the youngsters wore to their father's inauguration, and a number of Internet sites are devoted to photographs of the siblings.

 

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