Candidate dolls - will there be a scarcity?

If you didn't get your candidate doll from Walgreens, you're out of luck now. The battery-operated Obama, Clinton, and McCain dolls have been removed from the shelves.

It's hard to know what anyone was thinking when they chose to manufacture an Obama doll that sings (to the tune of "O'Susannah no less) "The senator from Illinois gets down and funky." Alternatively, the Clinton doll sings, "My name is Hillary, first broad of history." It's safe to say that the messages were, "not approved by the candidates." It worked for awhile, at least in certain locations. The Obama doll quickly sold out in Illinois.

This is a scenario perfect for the collectible market which thrives on publicity and scarcity. The dolls have begun to show up on eBay and will certainly see some kind of appreciation.

The best doll of all, for my money (which I won't be spending) isn't one of the Walgreens dolls. Sarah Pallin was added to the Republican ticket too late to make the Walgreens cast. But there is a Sarah Palin doll and undoubtedly there will be more. This one is - appropriately - a restyled Barbie doll. The vice presidential candidate is depicted embracing a polar bear and wearing a Mattel black and white pinstripe business suit. Check it out on eBay.

If only the doll could wink.