Want a Military Hamster ? *BichonFriseOwner

Military 'hamsters' show their might Gemmy Industries' quick thinking, followed by success in Iraq, lands a golden egg for the toymaker. April 18, 2003: 11:20 AM EDT By Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money Staff Writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The U.S. military may not blush at the compliment, but kids and adults are already big fans of toymaker Gemmy Industries' latest addition to its hamster family: the dancing military hamsters.

They come as a set of four -- representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines -- and are dressed in the appropriate garb of their unit. In true military spirit, each "dancing" hamster also sings the song specific to its branch of the armed forces.

Here's a quick introduction: Sgt. Murphy from the Marines, singing the "Marine Corps Hymn." Sailor Seymore from the Navy, singing "Anchors Aweigh." Sgt. Scruffy from the Army, singing "Caissons Go Rolling Along," and Captain "Ace" Carl from the Air Force. Captain Carl's song is the "Air Force Theme."

The toy hamsters do their best to march along to the tunes, but it's more a cute waddle than the crisp march of a "real" soldier.

From left: Sgt. Murphy, Captain Carl, Sailor Seymore, Sgt. Scruffy. The military-inspired plush hamsters are an extension of the company's successful hamster line launched in 2001. Gemmy has about 75 different variations of the toy, everything from Karaoke Kim who sings "I Will Survive," to Phat Daddy Mac 11 performing "Rapper's Delight."

"There's a debate going on about whether the hamsters are the next Beanie Baby craze," said Jason McCann, vice president of marketing for privately-held Irving, Texas-based Gemmy.

Ty Inc., the firm behind Beanie Babies, launched the plush toys in 1993 and ignited something of a cult following worldwide, turning both kids and adults into collectors. The company has produced more than 365 different Beanie Babies since then. Some of the retired Beanie Babies can fetch over $1,000 on eBay (EBAY: up $1.79 to $90.20, Research, Estimates).

Said McCann, "We've already retired about 20 themes, like the Kung-Fu Hamster and Gigolo Jo. On eBay, they're selling for over $100."

That's a healthy profit, considering that the hamsters retail for about $10. The major discount chains Wal-Mart (WMT: up $0.87 to $55.41, Research, Estimates), Target (TGT: up $0.61 to $32.30, Research, Estimates) and Kmart sell Gemmy's dancing hamsters, but the military group is available only at Walgreen's (WAG: up $0.30 to $30.73, Research, Estimates), KayBee Toys and on the Internet, including the company's Web site.

"Since we launched the military set about four weeks ago, the sales have been unbelievable," said McCann, who added that Gemmy was now air freighting the toys from China to meet the demand. "The initial shipment was for 200,000. We've ordered another 200,000."

"We're getting many e-mails from people saying 'Thank you' to us and that they're sending them to their members of their family who are with the armed forces in the Middle East. One said, 'I just purchased a Sgt. Murphy for my boyfriend who is in the Marines. I just love it.' "

According to McCann, the company had the military hamsters in the pipeline six to seven months ago before the war talk accelerated. But he did admit that the concept may have been developed in anticipation of an actual war with Iraq.

Whatever's the case, industry watchers said the timing couldn't have been better for these little guys.

"Military toys like G.I. Joe action figures and these hamsters have seen an uptick in sales that first really started after the war with Afghanistan," said Jim Silver, with industry monthly Toy Book. "But sales of these kinds of toys have certainly accelerated since then."

Added Silver,"The Kungfu hamster did become a craze when it was first launched. However, it's too soon to say if the military hamsters will go the same route." 'hamsters' show their might Gemmy Industries' quick thinking, followed by success in Iraq, lands a golden egg for the toymaker. April 18, 2003: 11:20 AM EDT By Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money Staff Writer

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http://money.cnn.com/2003/04/18/news/companies/gemmy/

I'm gonna look for one of these myself. Would you have any interest in this ? Feedback is welcome. Thank you!

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