Photo Gallery The Mini-Obama
German dollmaker Marcel Offermann garnered much media attention with his dolls of famous people such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Pope Benedict XVI, the Dalai Lama and Lady Diana. Now he is paying tribute to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama with a new doll.
The Barack Obama doll is available in a limited edition of 999 and costs 139 ($216). The 36-centimeter (14-inch doll) wears a black suit, complete with Stars and Stripes lapel pin, a white shirt and Obama's trademark sky-blue tie.
Offermann admits that the physical resemblance to Obama could have been closer. "The doll works more on a symbolic level," he said. "It's a symbiosis of the clothing and the fact it's a black doll."
Offermann, who admits he is a "personal fan" of Obama, explains that he wanted to make the doll out of his respect for Barack Obama. "I find it sensational that a colored or black person is this close to becoming US president," he said.
Offermann attacted much media attention with his Angela Merkel doll back in 2005. But his Pope Benedict XVI doll was the most popular model, selling out in just two-and-a-half weeks.
