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Talking Dubya doll latest toy fad
By: Alyson Ward / Knight Ridder Newspapers
Issue date: 1/13/03
American consumers, be proud. Our insatiable appetite for the absurd, the useless and the briefly hilarious has been rewarded once again. Hats off to the latest fad in silly gifts: the George W. Bush talking action figure.
That's right, a Dubya doll. A mouthy presidential Mini-Me. A 12-inch plastic president that likes to flap its jaws.
Unless you've been living under a rock -- and with all the holiday stress, who could blame you? -- you've heard about these dolls. They're the hottest thing since Big Mouth Billy Bass, and nobody can get their hands on one. Only a lucky 12,000 got them for Christmas; the rest are back-ordered till the spring thaw.
The chatty doll's concept is gag-gift brilliance: Press a button on George W.'s back to hear one of 17 "powerful and patriotic phrases," as the company's Web site calls them. They're audio clips from the president himself, and they range from the serious ("Terrorism in this nation will not stand") to the, um, accidental ("You're working hard to put food on your family").
Fun, huh? Yeah, we thought you'd like that. Consumers across the country are tripping over themselves to shell out $29.99 for these dolls, created by a tiny business in California.
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