Daddy Is A Doll

I know private enterprise is king in the US but, personally, I find this a bit tacky. A toy company in Connecticut, named Herobuilders, has started making special Action Man figures modeled on photos of soldiers, along with a voice message for their families.

Each doll is custom made. Interested buyers are asked to furnish a photograph of dad. The toy company then produces a12-in doll that look just like daddy, wears his uniform and has a recorded message from him. Each doll sells for around $400; but you can get additional copies for $40. Herobuilders say they have had "hundreds of inquiries" since they launched them a few weeks ago. Apparently families are ordering up to 10 at a time. Herobuilders has also produced figures of Saddam Hussein with his head in a noose, Osama bin Laden, George Bush and a talking Tony Blair. Talk about carving a niche market for your product.

Not surprisingly, Herobuilders is touting their latest toy with some sanctimonious babble. Owner Eric Vicale declared at the launch, "servicemen serving in Iraq and Afghanistan go through hell - the least I can do is give them this way of leaving their presence behind with their children. The little ones really miss their father. This is one way of keeping him with them." Yeah, I’m sure his motives are entirely altruistic and, I suppose, if you expect folks to pay $400 for a doll, it doesn’t hurt to lay on the scmaltz.

I suppose it is one way of keeping in touch, but I think it cheapens the memory of the absent loved one. And what if, God forbid, dad gets killed in action. Is this how he would like to be remembered – in the guise of a tacky doll? Like I said, to me, it reeks of poor taste. Enterprise is fine, but how about displaying a little decorum?