WASHINGTON — They cashed out retirement funds to build their business during the 2008 presidential campaign. Now, they have 3,000 jack-in- the-boxes with smiling Barack Obama puppets inside — all sitting in a California warehouse, waiting to be sprung open for $29.95 apiece.
For Barack-in-the-Box creator Heather Courtney and her husband, David Manzo, the Obamamania that drove sales so fast they could barely keep up during the inauguration is over now. Sales have slowed to a “sporadic drizzle,” the 36-year-old artist said, in part because the president is just not as popular.
“The sort of rock-star-making-history thing had its peak,” Courtney said. “It seemed like people said, ‘That’s all done now; let’s get down to business.’ ”
The president’s face still sells, though, according to souvenir-shop owners in Washington and online retailers. The “Inaugural Superstore,” where 80 percent of the merchandise is Obama-related, was supposed to be a temporary fixture in D.C. but stayed open indefinitely because sales remained strong.
