Beanie Babies modeled after Obamas’ dog Bo are selling like hotcakes

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Last month, toy company Ty announced its plans to market a Beanie Baby in the image of the new Obama family dog, Bo. And the Bo dolls appear to be popular enough that they’re hard to keep in stock. The Associated Press reports:

Less than a dozen ‘Bo’ Beanie Babies were sent to the educational toy shop Learning Express in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles, and he sold out quickly, owner Aalap Shah said Wednesday.

‘We were fortunate enough to receive a small shipment of ‘Bo,’ ‘ Shah said. ‘He sold out within a few hours. He was very popular. We can’t wait to get some more in.’

Capitalizing on the first family’s popularity seems to come naturally to Ty, which came under fire early this year when it introduced two dolls, ‘Marvelous Malia’ and ‘Sweet Sasha,’ apparently modeled after the president’s daughters. (A Ty spokesperson said the company had chosen the names simply because ‘they are beautiful names,’ but the dolls were quickly rebranded. You can see ‘Marvelous Mariah’ and ‘Sweet Sydney’ above -- and clearly they bear no resemblance to the Obama girls. Cough, cough.)

Beanie Bo’s suggested retail price is $4.99, although the dolls are often selling for considerably more on eBay. One online auctioner even offers the holy trinity of Obama-themed Ty memoribilia: original TyGirlz Malia and Sasha dolls (authenticated!) and Beanie Bo. Asking price? $2,299.95.

Yeah, we’ll get right on that.

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-- Lindsay Barnett