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| Elly May Barbie |
In case you missed it, Mattel came out with a special edition "Elly May" Barbie Doll, last December. This, of course is the same Elly May of the Beverly Hillbillies, an extremely popular TV sitcom of the 1960's. The magic of reruns has (I guess) made this a viable project for the toy company. The Beverly Hillbillies ran for 9 seasons on CBS.
Meanwhile, Donna Douglas, who played Elly May on the show, claims the company is "engaging in the unauthorized use of [her] name, likeness, image and attributes" as Elly May.
The suit alleges a photo of Douglas in character is used on the packaging and the promotional blurbs mention the TV show. A spokesman for Mattel says they "licensed the rights to 'Beverly Hilbillies' for this product through the appropriate channels."
Donna Douglas is asking for at least $75,000. I saw the doll advertised on the Internet for $69.95.
I say that Mattel should open its checkbook and make this one go away.
Meanwhile, Donna Douglas, who played Elly May on the show, claims the company is "engaging in the unauthorized use of [her] name, likeness, image and attributes" as Elly May.
The suit alleges a photo of Douglas in character is used on the packaging and the promotional blurbs mention the TV show. A spokesman for Mattel says they "licensed the rights to 'Beverly Hilbillies' for this product through the appropriate channels."
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| Donna Douglas as Elly May |
I say that Mattel should open its checkbook and make this one go away.
