The economy got you gripped in its clutches? Feeling stressed out by the endless news of layoffs, buyouts and bankruptcies?
A San Francisco creative agency has just the fix: Squeeze-the-Banker dolls.
Deemed the ultimate stress-buster for troubled times, the squeezable dolls come in likenesses of three familiar Wall Street names: Alan, Ben and Henry. As in, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, current Chairman Ben Bernanke and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Give 'em a squeeze and feel their pain. Just like so many of us when looking at our year-end financial statements.
The stress-ball dolls were dreamed up a month ago by the partners at Creative Feed, a digital ad agency with offices in New York and San Francisco.
Partner Arthur Ceria said the dolls are an antidote for Americans who have seen their 401(k) shrink "to a 41(k)."
"You can only laugh and rebuild," he said. "That's what we've all gotta do."
Billed as "cheaper than a psychologist or Prozac," the squeezable dolls are priced at $8.99 each, or 3 for $24.
Since online sales started in mid-December at a Web site, www.squeezethebanker.com, Ceria said, they've sold about 1,000. Squeeze-the-Banker dolls carry a disclaimer: They're "intended as corporate gifts and not recommended for use by small children."
And there's a feel-good feature to their purchase: Five percent of all profits go to Modest Needs, a nonprofit charitable group that helps low-income workers with financial emergencies, like car repairs or medical bills.
Meanwhile, the Web site is taking suggestions for future characters. Ceria said the nominees are top secret but a leading contender is Bernard Madoff, the alleged mastermind of Wall Street's $50 billion global Ponzi scheme.
We assume that'd be a Squeeze the Bilker.
Call The Bee's Claudia Buck, (916) 321-1968.