The 12-inch dolls, named "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia," are part of the company's "TyGirlsz" collection and appear to be teenagers, with breasts and "bronze" skin. "There's nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls," said spokeswoman Tania Lundeen. "It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not." Ty, the company behind the Beanie Baby craze, shipped the Malia and Sasha dolls to retailers early this month in limited supply, of course. [Newser]

The style bible asked several children's wear designers to imagine inauguration ensembles for the First Daughters. The styles range between colorful skirts and classic, full-skirted dresses — there's even a black velvet pinafore of sorts — but all of the sketches (except for the Bonnie Young evening gowns) seem rather old-fashioned.

(At left, a design by Lucy Sykes; center, a dress by Olive Juice; right, coats by Best & Co.)

Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, are modern young ladies, not porcelain dolls. Yes, they should look classic, yes, they should look appropriate. But isn't there something antiquated or passé about a little girl in a dress with a Sound Of Music bow at the waist? Clearly, velour pants with "Juicy" emblazoned across the ass would not be appropriate. But. If their father is running on a platform of change, couldn't that be represented in Sasha and Malia's style?

Inauguration '09: And for the Girls..., Obama Girls Influence Style [WWD]
Earlier: The Politics Of Style: An Obama-Inspired Shopping Spree At J. Crew
Imagine: A Project Runway Inauguration Dress For Michelle Obama

Entering the White House at the age of 12, Chelsea Victoria Clinton (Secret Service codename: Energy), was a bright, strong-minded little girl who just happened to be the daughter of the President. This, apparently, gave jerks across the country the notion that she was fair game for cruel jokes. Comedians, late-night hosts, and yes, even certain Senators from Arizona who just lost the election, took shots at Chelsea's awkward adolescent appearance, as if she were the only person on earth who didn't look like Christy Turlington at the age of 12. In keeping with his classy record, Rush Limbaugh referred to her as the "White House Dog."

Chelsea braved the criticism and began to take a more public role, accompanying her mother, Hillary, on various diplomatic trips during her time as a student at the private Sidwell Friends School, where she excelled in her studies. The fishbowl scrutiny only got worse for Chelsea when the Lewinsky scandal broke and details of her father's sordid affair were splashed upon the front pages of every paper in the world, and yet still, she maintained a sense of grace and composure and continued to concentrate on her education, going on to obtain a Bachelor's degree in history from Stanford and later a Master's degree in International Relations from Oxford University.

This is not to say that Chelsea did not suffer and struggle in private; but what we can say is this: Chelsea Clinton, through all of the painful mockery, all of the embarrassment, all of the scrutiny, grew up to be an accomplished woman with an impressive record. Yes, she had the best opportunities around, but she took them and took them as far as she could, working hard to escape the shadow of her parents and the shadow of the White House to become her own person.

One hopes that the Obama girls won't have to go through what Chelsea went through; and that this time around, we won't allow it to. No child should be mocked, regardless of what his or her parents do for a living. Luckily, Sasha and Malia's parents are already taking steps to ensure that their time in the White House will be a happy one: a new puppy is on the way, and the President and First Lady-Elect have already started looking for schools. ""I'm a mother first," Michelle Obama says, "And I'm going to be at parent-teacher conferences, and ... I'm going to be at the things that they want me to attend. I'm not going to miss a ballet recital."

So good luck, First Daughters. You have an interesting four years ahead. There will be ups and there will be downs, and we as a country will most likely see them all. But remember, there's always someone you can call for advice on living in the White House. Her codename is Energy, and she's a pretty amazing lady.

Obama's Girls About To Go Into The Fishbowl [CNN]
16 Candles For Chelsea [Washington Post]

As is Julie Nixon Eisenhower, who loved her dad but, when it came time to running his Library and looking after his legacy, decided it was a job best left to an independent body open to hard criticism and serious scrutiny than a small family controlled body of deluded loyalists. Julie has been giving money to Obama.

Patti Davis, the most famous dissenting political daughter, likes to actively advise candidates against trying to "live up" to her dad's legacy, but in her craziness/being named "Patti", Patti sort of made it look bad to be the "daughter who publicly dissents." Maybe Jenna can make it look cool again.