First published at WashingtonTimes.com
There's a new viral email going around with a plea: "Don't buy the Obama dolls!"
Unlike the negative Obama emails from the campaign, these are being sent around by supporters.
The note is keying off the Beanie Baby dust-up from last month, when Ty Inc. had "Marvelous Malia" and "Sweet Sasha" dolls in honor of the First Daughters.
It uses real outrage that some felt about the dolls, but omits one big fact - Ty "retired" the dolls after First Lady Michelle Obama said she found them inappropriate.
They were renamed "Marvelous Mariah and Sweet Sydney."
The email features, from what I can tell from my research, a fake quote from the CEO that "we live in a capitalistic society."
Though there's a lot dedicated to viral Obama emails on Snopes, there aren't yet any mentions of this email there.
Here's the note, which includes some of the bad grammar I'm used to seeing in viral emails:
LEAVE THE SASHA AND MALIA DOLLS ON THE STORE SHELF. DON ' BUY THEM.
They don't want to pass his bills but they want to make money off his
children. And I'm willing to bet that the CEO didn't vote for Obama!
Pres. Obama called for a "new era of responsibility" in his inaugural
address, and a company that makes toys has shown just how irresponsible it can be.
The company has made 2 dolls and named them Malia and Sasha.
The CEO of the company first said they were not named for the Obama
children, they were just given popular names.
(How many children has he met named Malia?).
However, in a televised interview, he smugly said "we live in a capitalistic society."
Is he saying anything goes if it brings in money?
Mrs. Obama is not happy about the dolls, as no mother would be. There is nothing the White House can do about the company putting the dolls on the market, but there is something we can do: DON'T BUY THE DOLLS.
The Obama children should not be used as objects for a company's
profit. Please send this letter to everyone you know. We, The People,
can see that no profit is made.
LEAVE THE SASHA AND MALIA DOLLS ON THE STORE SHELF. DON'T BUY THEM.
The speculation about the CEO's November vote only appears in some versions of the email.
— Christina Bellantoni, White House correspondent,
The Washington Times
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