Now-Rare Malia, Sasha Dolls Go for $3K

Toys off market after First Lady's complaint

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 17, 2009 12:53 PM CST

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Now-Rare Malia, Sasha Dolls Go for $3K — In this Jan. 20, 2009, file photo, First Lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by daughters Sasha and Malia, gestures during the inaugural parade in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Now off the market, Ty’s “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha” dolls are going for $3,000 a pop on eBay, the New York Daily News reports. “"I've been selling Beanie Babies all my life and this escapes all reason,” says seller Richard Lee. The toys were yanked from shelves after Michelle Obama slammed Ty for using "young, private citizens for marketing purposes.”

Lee has already sold several pairs of dolls in the $1,000 range, but “I wouldn't be surprised if I got $5,000 for a set—it's just that hot,” he says. Quite the profit, as he picked up six pairs for $19.98 each. “The demand for these dolls is just insanity times insanity times insanity,” noted another man while unsuccessfully searching stores for the dolls yesterday.
(More Malia Obama stories.)

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