Angry doll marketer threatens t market Schwarzenegger urinal

Angry doll marketer threatens to market Schwarzenegger urinal cakes

<<<Arnie da Bobblehead doll...

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - An angry businessman who was sued by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for marketing bobblehead dolls in his likeness said he would now market "Arnie" urinal cakes.

Washington lobbyist John Edgell was one of the defendants sued by the movie star politician for marketing a nodding bobblehead doll of Schwarzenegger brandishing an assault rifle.

Earlier this month, the doll's manufacturers settled the lawsuit and agreed to disarm the mini-Terminator, but furious Edgell -- who had a deal with the doll makers to produce a line of presidential dolls -- vowed he would not give up his battle.

He announced plans instead to launch fresh Schwarzenegger products this month, including "a new line of Schwarzenegger urinal cakes and urinal screens often found in men's restrooms," he said in a statement.

Schwarzenegger's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment on how the governor would react to his image being relegated to the bottom of a urinal.

Also included in the Arnie product line-up, according to Edgell, will be a Schwarzenegger "Girlie-Man" bobblehead doll, featuring the imposing governor and former Mr Universe bodybuilder wearing "a pink dress, lipstick and eye makeup."

Schwarzenegger last month caused a political stir in California when he mocked state legislators for being "girly-men" for opposing his proposal for the state's budget.

The slogan for Edgell's new product line will be: "Poking fun at politicians is a serious business. Support satire. Support free speech," he said.

Edgell is furious at the settlement struck between the governor and the manufacturers of the gun-toting bobblehead.

He maintains that the deal deprived a cancer charity of the proceeds from the sales in favour of directing the money from the replacement dolls to Schwarzenegger's own charity.

He claims that portraying political figures in a satirical way is a right protected under the US constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.

Schwarzenegger, who is fiercely protective of his image, maintained that unauthorised use of his image to sell commercial products violated his own rights.