Mom-in-Chief Michelle Obama spoke and Beanie Babies maker Ty finally listened. The toy maker just renamed the dolls that bear an uncanny resemblance to First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama.
Last month First Lady Michelle Obama went public saying that she felt it was “inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes.” But, at the time, Ty reps maintained that the dolls were not exact replicas of the Obama girls and had no plans to pull them from shelves.
Now, in the spirit of compromise (or threats from loyal customers), Ty has decided to change the dolls’ names. The dark-haired stuffed toys shall henceforth be called “Marvelous Mariah” and “Sweet Sydney,” according to the toy company. In addition (call it a peace offering, of sorts), Ty reps also announced that sales from the $10 dolls will be donated to charity.
Oh, and one more thing… despite the fact that Ty reps vehemently denied the dolls were representative of 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha, in a statement announcing the new names earlier this week, those same reps said the moniker change was made in deference to the First Family.
Now that they have the Secret Service tracking their every move, the Obamas never have to wonder where their daughters are at any given moment. However, such is not the case for the rest of us. Thankfully, Google is there to help.
The company recently upgraded its mobile maps and the new software now gives parents the ability to track their kids more effectively than ever.
The revamped system, dubbed “Latitude,” was just released yesterday. It enables people with cellphones and other wireless devices to automatically share their whereabouts with family and friends. Google geniuses say the program expands upon a tool introduced in 2007 to allow cellphone users to check their own location on a Google map with the press of a button.
The only catch: It’s up to each user to decide who can monitor his/her location, which may prove problematic for parents whose kids don’t want them to know where they are… ever.