After the election, toy company Ty started selling dolls named for first daughters Sasha and Malia. Then they got in trouble because Michelle Obama didn’t want her kids used for profit. Now, we wonder how she’ll feel about Ty using the family dog, Bo. The company introduced a black and white beanie baby dog named Bo two days after the real Bo arrived at the White House. They’re selling out at stores around the country, and a portion of the profits goes to local animal shelters. Some eBay sellers are asking as much as $139.95 for the toy Bo. We suggest you buy a real shelter dog with the money instead. [Huffington Post]

Remember all the crazy talk after the inauguration about Michelle Obama threatening to ban Beyonce from inaugural activities because the singer was making goo-goo eyes at the president? Well, as we expected, that was just talk—Michelle is so above that! She seems to be the type of woman who plays her cards close to her vest, so she probably wouldn’t publicly confront Beyonce, even if she did suspect something was up. Not only that, but Beyonce says the First Lady thanked her before one of the inaugural balls for being a role model to daughters Malia and Sasha. Both First Daughters showed their appreciation for Beyonce when she performed at the “We Are One” concert in January. Beyonce said she was stunned when Michelle pulled her aside.

She told me that she was very happy that her children had an artist like myself and—I don’t even feel right saying this—she said she was happy they had me to look up to.

[The Sun]

Yesterday, President Obama celebrated National Women’s History Month by creating a special panel to focus on women’s issues. The council will seek new opportunities in the workforce, since women still earn only 78 cents for every dollar a man makes. This makes Obama mad, since he loves the ladies…

No, like, he really, really does. Which is more than kind of hot. Here’s a collection of his most toe-curling musings on the women in his life, from 2005 to now…

• Adorable Zooey Deschanel is designing a line of sunglasses with Oliver Peoples! Whee! [Perez Hilton]
• Madonna and Ed Hardy’s head designer, Christian Audigier, will team up on a line — we can expect “tattoo-inspired tee shirts and diamante encrusted bodices.”  So, practical stuff. [Mirror]
• Apparently, when England’s Prime Minister Gordan Brown and his wife visited D.C. recently, they brought Sasha and Malia dresses from TopShop! Our own Catherine is in London right now and we hope she brings us stuff back from TopShop too! [New York Times]

Remember those Malia and Sasha TyGirls dolls that just happened to come out in January and also happened to resemble the first daughters? Well, a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama had said that the dolls were inappropriately using “young private citizens for marketing purposes,” and suddenly Ty has retired the dolls. Really though, they’ve just been renamed Sweet Sydney and Marvelous Mariah in deference to the President’s family. The first lady’s people couldn’t be more pleased: “We appreciate the company’s response to this matter,” said Obama’s spokeswoman. That’s right, you don’t wanna mess with the first mother.

America is obsessed with the First Daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama. It’s not enough that they have inspired the children’s fashion world with trendy J. Crew clothes, or that Ty has created dolls with their names (and likeness). Now, you will start to see more Sasha and Malia look-a-likes on the fashion runway and print ads. Advertisers and talent scouts are scrambling to search for children that resemble the first daughters. Marlene Wallach, president of modeling agency Wilhelmina Kids & Teens, says the Obama girls are tough subjects to match. “It’s a very specific age and a very specific ethnicity, so there aren’t that many girls that would necessarily fit the bill.” However, two girls have found luck looking like Sasha and Malia and getting paid to do so. Wallach booked Ariel Binns (Sasha) and Kylah Williams (Malia) in the Sept 2008 issue of Harper’s Bazaar which featured a look-a-like Obama family—remember, Tyra Banks played Michelle Obama. Ariel told her mother she wants to go to D.C. to meet Sasha. I wonder if Secret Service would be able to tell them apart. I don’t see a resemblance but you be the judge.

Michelle Obama is getting a lot of attention for her keen fashion sense, but it seems that she passed along her style gene to daughters Malia and Sasha. In November, the first lady’s team approached J.Crew about submitting sketches for inaugural events, and the label submitted 20 sketches based on details they received about the first family. “Malia, she likes pleats and pared-down things and is not a huge fan of sparkles, but little Sasha loves bright colors and sparkly things,” said Jenna Lyons, J.Crew’s creative director. It seems that at age 10, Malia’s fashion tastes tend to be on the sophisticated end of the scale, while Sasha, 7,  prefers to dress more playfully. So far, Malia and Sasha have worn two outfits each designed for them by J.Crew, and Michelle Obama has worn one; There were 15 outfits, comprised of about six pieces each, created for the Obama women. Come fall, similar clothes will be introduced into the crewcuts by J.Crew line, but they won’t be exactly the same. “They’ll be versions of them but not the exact coat, in that color, with those buttons,” Lyons said. “Malia and Sasha will not go to school next year and see the girl next to them wearing the same coat.” Heaven forbid anyone else have the same coats as the first daughters! [WSJ]

Ty, the toy company that makes Beanie Babies, recently released dolls named “Sweet Sasha” (left) and “Marvelous Malia” (right) as part of their TyGirlz Collection. The company, based outside of Chicago in Oak Brook, IL, said they chose those names because “they are beautiful names,” rather than because they’re the names of the First Daughters. “There’s nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls,” said spokesperson Tania Lundeen. “It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not.” Clearly— the real Obama girls are way cuter. [AP]

Malia and Sasha Obama know that adding a bow will dress up any outfit. [1/20/2009]

President-elect Barack Obama had the courtesy to nod and even sing along to some of the worst performances at the “We Are One” concert to welcome him to the presidency. Well, he had to, basically. But his daughters Malia and Sasha, who don’t have to pretend to like something that is downright awful, had no problem showing their disapproval. Malia’s eyes glazed over in boredom when John Mellencamp, Will.I.Am, and Sheryl Crow hit the stage separately. Sasha simply fell asleep on her mother’s lap. But when Beyonce, Usher and Kal Penn hit the stage, both First Daughters perked up, and Malia excitedly snapped photos with her camera. Malia and Sasha definitely know what music America enjoys. It’s too bad the concert producers don’t. [New York]

Last night Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic National Convention and gave what I found to be an extremely inspiring speech—I especially appreciated that she didn’t seem to be overly rehearsed and even occasionally stumbled over her words. I’m not down with my politicians or my politicians spouses seeming like robotic newscasters. Anyway, the bulk of Michelle’s speech was about being a wife and mother and her hopes for the country—at the end she brought out daughters Malia and Sascha, who behaved as adorably as you would expect. Politics aside, Michelle’s speech got me thinking about what it means to be a successful professional, partner, and parent, especially when she referenced “Hillary Clinton’s 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling.” it was clear she did appreciate what her husband’s rival did for women, especially given what her hopes must be for her own daughters. With that in mind—and that today marks the 88th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote—what are your hopes for your children, specifically your daughters? A few of mine after the jump and I really hope you’ll chime in with your own in the comments.