It’s been another crazy week in politics and retail.
President-elect Trump suddenly became a brand ambassador for the ugliest boots ever created (sorry, L.L. Bean, that’s just like our opinion, man) while first daughter Malia Obama brought back the ’90s choker necklace fad. Meanwhile, Disney made an Emma Watson doll that looks a whole lot more like Justin Bieber in a yellow dress.
This, and more, in this week’s Retail Therapy.
Alexa has eerily good hearing
Remember last week when we learned an Amazon Alexa device “accidently” ordered four pounds of cookies and a $170 dollhouse to a 6-year-old girl’s home? Well, that apparently sparked a chain reaction of dollhouse-buying in California.
News of the incident was reported on California television channel CW-6, and Alexas across the San Diego area tuned in to listen — a little too closely.
Quartz reported that hordes of “smart” Alexa devices mistakenly took TV anchor Jim Patton’s commentary on the news as a command to order dollhouses themselves. “I love the little girl saying, ‘Alexa ordered me a dollhouse,’” Patton said during the segment. Viewers flooded the station with complaints and apparently didn’t find it too funny. But we did — and relax, Amazon offers free returns.
Here’s the little girl who sparked the whole incident. Meanwhile, Alexa is hiding in a corner somewhere.
Oops! It turns out @amazon‘s Alexa mistook the 6 y.o.’s conversation about cookies and a dollhouse for an order. https://t.co/PHpOW6oaCA pic.twitter.com/I1A5mYRgvx
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 3, 2017
Beauty and the Biebs
Beauty and the Beast is easily remembered as one of the best Disney movies among millennials who grew up watching the animated film, but Gen Z and Gen Alpha will soon get a chance to see a live action version, which comes out in March… although Disney’s marketing of new dolls inspired by the movie may make it difficult for consumers to figure out which one is the beauty and which one is the beast.
The new Belle dolls, which are supposed to resemble lead actress Emma Watson (who most famously played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films), bear a striking resemblance to pop star Justin Bieber.
“I knew that Disney Store’s live action dolls are never 100% accurate to the actors, but this one was atrocious!” Colorado photographer William Herrington told BuzzFeed News. “Her face was shiny and covered in freckles (that looked more like a skin disease) and her head looked like it was being ripped open and torn where the hair was rooted into the head.”
Yikes. It’s safe to say that Twitter users had a lot to say about the botched job.
when you order an emma watson doll online but a justin bieber doll in a yellow dress & a wig arrives instead pic.twitter.com/PUQUBXyufT
— rebekka (@dolanschistad) January 7, 2017
The New Belle Doll Looks Like She’s Waiting For Her Order At Starbucks But The Next Drink That Arrives Is For Susan. pic.twitter.com/IRLHFCsYfA
— Nathaniel Gill (@DamnImFierce) January 7, 2017
they thought they made a nice emma as belle doll but instead they made a justin bieber doll pic.twitter.com/lbApA05pu0
— maryam (@seIinaivy) January 7, 2017
The internet erupts with Malia chokers
President Barack Obama flew to Chicago on Tuesday to give one final mic-dropping speech. He was joined by Michelle and his eldest daughter Malia, who sported her signature accessory — the black choker necklace. The recent high school graduate has become quite the style icon among young women, who are scouring the internet to find replicas of the look. A quick Google search of “Malia choker” will supply a surprising number of results.
I’m so grateful for Obama’s hope inducing farewell speech AND Malia’s choker. pic.twitter.com/tcbhLX2JVT
— Allie Goertz (@AllieGoertz) January 11, 2017
The resurfaced look that was popular in the ’90s has also been brought back by the likes of the Kardashian sisters, Gigi Hadid and other celebrities. But that hasn’t stopped brands from using the first daughter’s name to market the accessories.
From apparel and accessories retailer Francesca’s to sellers on artsy craftsy online marketplace Etsy, Racked reports the internet exploded with “Malia” chokers overnight after one of her last public appearances as first daughter.
A “Malia” Obama named choker necklace.
Another “Malia” choker necklace.
There’s always money in the banana stand
Actually, there are only bananas in Amazon’s banana stand — and they’re all free.
E-commerce genius and apparent banana aficionado Jeff Bezos first dreamed up the stand in 2015. Since then, employees and passersby on the street have made a point to visit the Seattle-based banana stand for their daily dose of potassium.
But people don’t simply pick up their own bananas — Amazon’s banana stand is staffed by professional “banistas” and gives out about 5,000 bananas a day. The company released a video promoting the success of one of Bezos’ more ridiculous ideas.
