Moskovsky Komsomolets: "Presidents Turned into Dolls"
A tin Medvedev is the hottest selling item
A stall in the underpass near the Kremlin is piled high with tin figures portraying ... Putin and Medvedev. 5.4 centimetre-high miniatures sell for 400 roubles apiece. The miniatures represent Lenin, Stalin, Khruschev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin, though, truth be told, the figures bear only a faint resemblance to the national leaders.
"Medvedev is selling well. The President's figurine is the most popular," the vendor told us. "These products are made in St Petersburg; we get two such "tin soldiers" a week. Medvedev is the hottest selling item because it is new; it only appeared in the stall recently. As for Putin, people have long gotten used to him. We have been selling him for over a year. Stalin and Lenin do not sell so well - apparently, their time has come and gone. We are thinking of discontinuing Gorbachev, Khrushchev, and Brezhnev, as there is little demand for these comrades. I hear that the wives of the leaders will be produced soon. As for their children... I don't think that's possible."
You can read on pg. 3 about what figures were made for Barack Obama's inauguration and about developments in the 44th US President's Administration.
