[lbo-talk] signs of the times

Michael Pollak mpollak at panix.com
Tue Mar 10 17:09:56 PDT 2009


On Tue, 10 Mar 2009, Doug Henwood wrote:


> [from a news list run by Michael Munk - a large portrait of Bernie Madoff
> didn't sell, but...]

On a related note, from the International Toy Fair last month:

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/mini-madoff-turns-heads-at-toy-fair/?scp=2&sq=mini-me&st=cse

The New York Times

February 18, 2009

Invest Another $100 in Madoff (Hammer Included)

By CYRUS SANATI

Victims of the financier Bernard L. Madoff lost billions of dollars in

his self-described Ponzi scheme. For another $99.95 or so (plus

shipping and handling), they can let off some steam.

That is the going price for the Smash-Me Bernie doll, which was

introduced at this year's American International Toy Fair in New York.

The figure, about seven inches tall, features a smiling Mr. Madoff in a

red devil suit with a pitchfork. It comes with a gold "commemorative"

hammer, for the purpose of pulverizing Mr. Madoff in effigy.

While hardly likely to become the next Tickle Me Elmo or Furby, the

doll got a lot of notice at the fair, which ends Wednesday.

The doll is made by Mini-Me ModelWorks, a Phoenix-based company that

takes photos sent in by customers and custom-makes dolls out of a tough

plastic resin. Graeme Warring, the president, said that he was inspired

to make the Bernie Madoff doll after a friend said he lost money

investing in a fund that fed cash to Mr. Madoff.

"I made this friend of mine a Bernie doll with a devil body and I sent

him a hammer and I said `Here, take a whack at this to make you feel

better,' " Mr. Warring said. "He told some of his mates, and before I

knew it I had 50 orders for the thing." At last count the company had

more than 1,000 orders for the doll, Mr. Warring said.

But Mr. Madoff probably won't be the only Wall Street character in the

Mini-Me catalog. The company just received an order for 50 dolls that

look like John Thain, the former Merrill Lynch chief executive. The new

doll features Mr. Thain sitting on a golden toilet, a reference to the

more than $1 million he spent refurbishing his office when he took

over.



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