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CNN Live At Daybreak

12-Inch Version of President That Speaks

Aired December 10, 2002 - 05:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You may or may not think that President Bush is a living doll, but just in time for the holidays there now exists a 12 inch version of him that speaks.
Our Jeanne Moos got an earful.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will not yield. I will not rest. I will not relent.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And you will not believe what they've done to the president. Dolled him up...

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: God bless America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, gosh.

MOOS: And put words in his mouth, his own.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will renew America's purpose.

MOOS (on camera): Have you seen the talking Bush doll?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS (voice-over): Push a button on his back and he'll deliver one of 17 sound bites.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Freedom itself was attacked by faceless cowards.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's our man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love this.

MOOS (on camera): It's a talking president's doll. Here he comes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only place I want to see him is out of office.

MOOS (voice-over): But at this office...

JOHN WARNOCK, FOUNDER, TALKINGPRESIDENTS.COM: Talkingpresidents, can you hold please?

MOOS: Orders are pouring in after some media mentions. They sold 10,000 dolls, mostly through the Talkingpresidents Web site.

WARNOCK: I like toys that talk. We like Bush. So we thought it would be the great first person to do.

MOOS: A staunch Republican, California contractor John Warnock dreamed up the idea along with his father-in-law.

JIM WESSLING, TALKINGPRESIDENTS.COM: Amazed and amused and we need additional help. We need additional phone lines.

MOOS: They sell for 30 bucks apiece plus shipping. Already, "Saturday Night Live" has picked up on the talking doll.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, it's only one phrase. It just takes him 17 tries to get it right.

MOOS: Among the 17 sound bites taken from real speeches, there are three Bushisms.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think we need to be subliminable...

MOOS: Ranging from subliminable to...

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And you're working hard to put food on your family.

MOOS: Families with food on them, countries held hostile rather than hostage.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hostile or hold our allies hostile.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, he's not going to actually let the doll take his place for certain during the press conference is he?

MOOS: This Democrat found the doll tasteless.

(on camera): Well, you think this is tasteless, wait till you see this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, let me see. What? Oh.

MOOS (voice-over): The Saddam Hussein doll is put out by a completely different outfit, Herobuilders.com. Two versions of Saddam are sold as villains.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just says "kill 'em all."

MOOS: Actually, the Saddam doll doesn't talk. As a form of fashion ridicule, it can be accessorized with a leather outfit that includes a riding crop.

VOICE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ: Back, you infidel.

MOOS: Folks who buy the talking president doll tend to be Bush supporters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was an honor to meet you in New York.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I come from Texas.

MOOS (on camera): What did he say?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know you come from Texas.

MOOS (voice-over): The makers say they didn't ask for the president's permission, but they are sending some dolls to the White House, which had no comment. More talking presidents are planned and when it's Bill Clinton's turn, there's one line the doll makers say is certain...

VOICE OF PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did not have sexual relations with that...

MOOS: And though President Bush's batteries ran out.

(on camera): I think he's died.

(voice-over): The Bush administration hopes time is really running out for this guy.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 10, 2002 - 05:50   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You may or may not think that President Bush is a living doll, but just in time for the holidays there now exists a 12 inch version of him that speaks.
Our Jeanne Moos got an earful.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will not yield. I will not rest. I will not relent.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And you will not believe what they've done to the president. Dolled him up...

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: God bless America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, gosh.

MOOS: And put words in his mouth, his own.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will renew America's purpose.

MOOS (on camera): Have you seen the talking Bush doll?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS (voice-over): Push a button on his back and he'll deliver one of 17 sound bites.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Freedom itself was attacked by faceless cowards.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's our man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love this.

MOOS (on camera): It's a talking president's doll. Here he comes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only place I want to see him is out of office.

MOOS (voice-over): But at this office...

JOHN WARNOCK, FOUNDER, TALKINGPRESIDENTS.COM: Talkingpresidents, can you hold please?

MOOS: Orders are pouring in after some media mentions. They sold 10,000 dolls, mostly through the Talkingpresidents Web site.

WARNOCK: I like toys that talk. We like Bush. So we thought it would be the great first person to do.

MOOS: A staunch Republican, California contractor John Warnock dreamed up the idea along with his father-in-law.

JIM WESSLING, TALKINGPRESIDENTS.COM: Amazed and amused and we need additional help. We need additional phone lines.

MOOS: They sell for 30 bucks apiece plus shipping. Already, "Saturday Night Live" has picked up on the talking doll.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, it's only one phrase. It just takes him 17 tries to get it right.

MOOS: Among the 17 sound bites taken from real speeches, there are three Bushisms.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think we need to be subliminable...

MOOS: Ranging from subliminable to...

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And you're working hard to put food on your family.

MOOS: Families with food on them, countries held hostile rather than hostage.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hostile or hold our allies hostile.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, he's not going to actually let the doll take his place for certain during the press conference is he?

MOOS: This Democrat found the doll tasteless.

(on camera): Well, you think this is tasteless, wait till you see this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, let me see. What? Oh.

MOOS (voice-over): The Saddam Hussein doll is put out by a completely different outfit, Herobuilders.com. Two versions of Saddam are sold as villains.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just says "kill 'em all."

MOOS: Actually, the Saddam doll doesn't talk. As a form of fashion ridicule, it can be accessorized with a leather outfit that includes a riding crop.

VOICE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ: Back, you infidel.

MOOS: Folks who buy the talking president doll tend to be Bush supporters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was an honor to meet you in New York.

VOICE OF GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I come from Texas.

MOOS (on camera): What did he say?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know you come from Texas.

MOOS (voice-over): The makers say they didn't ask for the president's permission, but they are sending some dolls to the White House, which had no comment. More talking presidents are planned and when it's Bill Clinton's turn, there's one line the doll makers say is certain...

VOICE OF PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did not have sexual relations with that...

MOOS: And though President Bush's batteries ran out.

(on camera): I think he's died.

(voice-over): The Bush administration hopes time is really running out for this guy.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com