As pressure mounted against the makers of dolls named after the Obama girls, the company announced Tuesday that it would strike the names “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha” from its Ty Girlz collection. The decision didn’t come a minute too soon for First Lady Michelle Obama, who argued that the company was merely exploiting her young daughters. Read more here.

The manufacturers of Beanie Babies is hoping to spark a toy craze like the one the dolls ignited in the late-‘90s with their latest offering, “Sweet Sasha” and “Marvelous Malia.” Ty Inc., the manufacturer, says that the big-eyed, brown-skinned huggables have the same names as President Obama’s daughters because they are beautiful – not because they look like his girls. Ty Inc. released the 12-inch plush dolls as part of the company’s “TyGirlz Collection,” introduced in 2007. The Sasha doll has pigtails and wears a white and pink dress with hearts. The Malia doll has a side ponytail and a long-sleeve shirt with capri pants. Tania Lundeen, a spokeswoman for the company, said, “There’s nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls. It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not.” The dolls have “real doll hair” and the suggested retail price is $9.99, Lundeen said. The dolls were introduced in early January and a limited supply has been shipped to retailers. The real-life Sasha and Malia are 7 and 10 years old, respectively.