Toymaker wants Bernie Madoff doll to crack you up
Like many other toys at the 2009 Toy Fair, the Bernie Madoff doll offers something extra. And just like swindler Madoff, it's gonna cost you. The $99, red-suited, pitchfork-wielding figure comes with a golden hammer.
You see, you're not just buying Bernie, but also the fun of smashing him to smithereens.
The maker hopes its "Smash-Me Bernie" doll - available online at minimemodelworks.com - could become a "Tickle Me Elmo" for grownups who haven't lost all their money in a Ponzi scheme.
"A lot of people have been asking about it," Graeme Warring of ModelWorks said Sunday at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. ModelWorks can even create a custom figure based on your own photograph through its My Mini-Me line. Customization and computer interactivity are big themes this year as toymakers try to offer more value, from stuffed animals you design and print at home to dolls with USB plugs that interact with virtual worlds.





















