Retirement of Sasha and Malia Dolls Means One Less Issue for Obama Lawyers
Screen shot of Amazon.com page selling Marvelous Malia doll.
Updated: The toy maker that sells Beanie Babies has retired two dolls that raised the ire of first lady Michelle Obama, leaving one less issue for the president’s lawyers to tackle.
While Ty will no longer be profiting from the dolls, “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha,” they are still hot items, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. They originally sold for $9.99 each but were fetching as much as $100 on auction websites even before they were retired.
A Ty spokesman at first said the toys were created to resemble the president’s daughters but later said the names were chosen simply because they are beautiful.
Ty issued a statement today saying the dolls would be renamed “Marvelous Mariah” and “Sweet Sydney,” the Associated Press reports. Profits from the sale of the original dolls will be donated to charity.
White House lawyers will be seeking to control the use of President Obama’s image, according to Bloomberg News. “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 the wire service.
Intellectual property lawyer Jonathan Band of Washington, D.C., told Bloomberg the First Amendment may be applied broadly to protect many uses of Obama’s likeness. The legal issues will involve federal copyright laws and state laws giving individuals the right to control commercial exploitation of their likeness, he said.
The wire service has several examples of ads and memorabilia that borrow from the popularity of the president and his wife. They include:
• Barack Obama’s likeness on T-shirts, coffee mugs and calendars.
• A J. Crew Internet ad that notes Michelle Obama wore its clothes for a TV appearance.
• TV ads that feature clips from Obama speeches.
Updated to include information from a Ty statement issued Tuesday.