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TheSockObama - RIP
The sales site has been replaced with this:
An Apology
We are very apologetic to all who were upset by our toy idea.
We will not be proceeding with the manufacturing of this toy.
Thank you.
Very respectable of them.
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Comments (28)
Wow - thanks - great new! Kudos to all who participated in barraging these folks with expressions of Email outrage. It worked!
June 15, 2008 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
duh - Great News! - I mean : : :
A small victory, but satisfying!
June 15, 2008 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just think what you can do when the conservative tv stations start running those "documentaries" about Obama like they did about Kerry. Go get them, man!
June 15, 2008 10:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's nice to see that when people get justifiably angry and complain about something, it actually can produce good results.
BTW I was perusing HuffPo earlier today and saw they too noticed the SockObama.
June 15, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Check out this thoughtful statement (below) from the contracted manufacturer (via plunderbund.com). A tip of the hat to this gentleman! I suspect that his company's pullout led to the seller's shutdown.
A Statement
My name is Rob Bishop, I am the owner of Binkley Toys Inc. and this is my website.
My company, Binkley Toys Inc. has not manufactured the SockObama in production. (more then one toy)
My company was involved in prototyping the SockObama doll as a “work for hire” manufacturer.
Before the publics reaction to The SockObama doll myself and my staff did not make the racist connection that has been made. Our job day in and day out is to make safe, high quality and fun toys. The idea of making a nostalgic sock monkey brought back fond memories of toys from the past.
After the publics reaction I personally was very surprised at that connection (yes, you can accuse me of being naive) but when viewing the toy again, I could see how people could make that connection. That is sad really but that is the way the world works.
An Update
The update is, that myself and Binkley Toys Inc. will not be proceeding with manufacturing the SockObama toy. As I wrote to several people over email, my company is not just about ‘dollars’ and Binkley Toys Inc. prides itself on it’s social responsibility. Again, we have not manufactured any quantity in production of this toy idea.
An Apology
Through the past couple of days I was hoping to find the ‘mistake’ my company made and I believe the only mistake would have been to keep going. There was no ill will, or negative intent in helping to design this toy. To proceed in to manufacturing this toy and to cause harm would have been the
error. I personally apologize to anyone who found this toy idea offensive and I am sorry I did not make the negative connection myself.
A THANK YOU
Thank you to everyone who emailed well thought out messages stating in a logical manner your displeasure with this toy. I tried to respond to each and everyone of you personally. Thank you for not sending vulgar messages on a first attempt to contact me. To those who decided that my company was guilty before your inquiry, well I wish you strength in your life.
Thanks.
Rob Bishop
Binkley Toys Inc.
June 15, 2008 5:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr Bishop also responded promptly to all of my emails on this topic. His last response, subsequent to their decision to pull out of the project, was a general email to those who wrote reasoned, rational responses and thanked me for being polite.
Hello;
Thanks for the polite email. I appreciate that. And thank you for the opportunity to reply.
Please view this page for my statement.
http://www.customplushtoys.com/sock.shtml
Rob Bishop
It just goes to show the power that the comsumer has to help to be a driver for manufacturing decisions.
June 15, 2008 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome! Wow, business self-regulating itself - acting in a principled manner. Making me proud of my country.
June 15, 2008 7:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good job, people. Makes me hopeful about the Fall.
June 15, 2008 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Damn, I feel sorry for David, Elizabeth and Rob, those are good people. Now stop being so paranoid! Not everything is racist and partisan propaganda. It was just a toy, they did not mean to offend... That said, it of course did offend plenty of people, so you did absolutely the right thing sending that mail.
I personally thought it was a very cute and not at all evil toy, and I wanted to buy one until you guys ruined it ;)
I also believe that presidential toys are a great idea and that we should be able to buy them, so I sent them an email asking them to continue making those toys, just make it all look a little less partisan, i.e. they should also offer monkey Bush and rhino McCain. And perhaps monster Hillary :)
June 15, 2008 10:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Whatever happened to their prototype for a SockMcCain?
Right, maybe they didn't have one :(
June 15, 2008 11:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
In a reply to you, and to JumpyJack, the family that started this whole mess did indeed claim (according to one poster here, anyway), that they were going to use an Idaho potato as their prototype for McCain (with a little bit of white hair on it's top) and a bottom-heavy little plump squirrel as their new Squirrelly Hillary doll.
June 15, 2008 11:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
You mean they weren't going to make McCain into a monkey?
Why not?
June 15, 2008 11:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because Bush already took it?
June 15, 2008 11:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because McCain would have been one very sad monkey - so sad in fact that a lot of monkeys would feel offended.
Among animals I think he best resembles a rhino (not just on the outside), but among all living things Idaho potato is also a very fine match.
Squirrel Hillary? Hmm, I find that hard to imagine. Bottom-heavy? How incredibly sexist!
June 15, 2008 11:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I too have had a very prompt and respectable correspondence with Mr. Bishop. He and his crew are to be commended. If only the right wing idiots could be this intelligent.
June 16, 2008 12:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to suggest as a replacement, that they make a teddy bear named Bearack Obama, and maybe pledge $1 of every sale to recovery efforts from the Midwest flooding.
June 16, 2008 12:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's actually a very excellent suggestion.
June 16, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
WOW--I am so heartened by this! Since I originally wrote e-mails protesting the sock-doll, I'm absolutely going to send kind e-mails thanking these people for seeing the downside to the idea, and changing their path.
Hooray!
June 16, 2008 6:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think the folks who were going to manufacture this 'toy' deserve credit for responding to the backlash.
June 16, 2008 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Racist or not, I thought the sock monkey was way cooler than the Phineas T. Bluster puppet with strings attached, apparently managed by someone named flub a dub.
June 16, 2008 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why is it sexist to make a toy Hillary doll with a big butt but not make fun of Barack's big ears?
If a political cartoonist drew a caricature of Hillary with heavy thighs, that would be sexist, but every single cartoon of Obama has big ears. Are political cartoonists expected to draw Clinton with slender thighs or from the waste up in order to avoid criticism?
Please explain.
June 16, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
The issue was not the ears. It was that fact that depicting a black person as a monkey is a traditional racist technique that portrays blacks as sub-human.
June 16, 2008 1:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not about the size of things, it's about what feels offensive to a particular group (e.g. try drawing your girlfriend with a fat ass). You can't be sexist towards men (you can try, but none will feel insulted) and you can't be racist towards white people. But, for example, portraying Hillary as a stupid blonde, that would have been sexist as well, as would have been racist (not sexist) if you portrayed Obama as a bushman (i.e. native inhabitant of Africa).
What you're referring to (big ears) is merely a caricature, which is to exaggerate a person's own visual characteristics. That's a common drawing technique and is not considered offensive.
June 16, 2008 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
People can't help their big ears, but people can presumably lose a few pounds off their butts.
BTW - political cartoons did show Hillary being bottom heavy. I think big eared or bottom heavy human dolls would be OK, but a monkey or a pig doll would not be OK. I can't even think of an appropriate animal doll for McCain - how lame is that? Any dog would be too cute.
Here's an idea - do dog dolls of both Obama and McCain. They always say people look like their dogs. How about a scotty for McCain and a greyhound for Obama?
June 16, 2008 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Everyone should write to both of these companies and let them know that their responsible integrity is appreciated.
June 16, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wrote to Rob Bishop at Binkley Toys today and expressed sincere thanks and appreciation, and let him know that he is being spoken of with admiration around the web.
June 16, 2008 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm so glad I helped. And I'm so glad they shut it down. Democratic protest does work. =)
June 16, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
What's this then?
http://www.thesockobama.com/
July 28, 2008 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
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