Reagan doll on the way
2004-05-18 07:54
Los Angeles - Bedridden former US president Ronald Reagan, once known for his snappy soundbites, will soon be speaking publicly again - via a talking doll made in his likeness, manufacturers said on Monday.
Reagan, now an ailing 93-year-old, is the latest political figure to get his own "mini-me," part of a line-up of dolls that includes President George W Bush and his father, former president George Bush, being produced by a California toy manufacturer.
The newest doll made by the firm Talking Presidents spouts favourite Reagan quotes, including "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall" and "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny," using the former leader's own voice.
"The Reagan action figure is pre-selling at above expected levels," said John Warnock, creator of Talking Presidents. "Reagan is one the favourite presidents he has broad appeal to most Americans."
Talking Presidents has been granted exclusive rights by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation to make and market a doll in ex-president Reagan's likeness that uses his recorded speaking voice, Warnock said.
The smiling, battery-operated 30 centimetres action figure speaks 11 phrases using recordings of Reagan's own voice.
Other quotes uttered by the mini president include: "I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience" and "They try to keep track of them but federal grants are like rabbits. They multiply like crazy and when they're out you can't catch them."
The United States' 40th president has not been seen in public since he announced he suffered from Alzheimer's disease in 1994 and his daughter Patty said recently that he could no longer talk or feed himself.
Other political figures that have been immortalised by Talking Presidents since its launch in 2002 include former presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, as well as Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
- SAPA