What’s fuzzy, pink, and just plain cuddly? The Influenza A H1N1 virus, of course… or at least, the stuffed toy crafted in the pathogen’s likeness. You can get your very own swine flu toy made by GIANTmicrobes online or, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta.
The stuffed toy has been designed to represent a “cuddlier” version of an H1N1 microbe, complete with a pig-like nose and eyes… [doll company GIANTmicrobes] describes its toys as “great learning tools, as well as amusing gifts for anyone with a sense of humour.” Each purchase comes with an information leaflet with details of the relevant infection.
If a stuffed replica of just one pathogen isn’t enough for you, don’t despair: The company makes a variety of other dolls, from the snakelike Ebola virus to the bean-shaped, Black Death-causing Yersinia pestis bacteria.
There’s something strange about asking for smallpox or the swine flu as a gift…but that won’t stop this blogger, whose birthday is (ahem) coming up next week.
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Image courtesy of GIANTmicrobes
September 1st, 2009 at 2:33 pm
[...] Continue reading here: Fuzzy, Cuddly Swine Flu: The Next Big Holiday Toy? | Discoblog … [...]
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:58 am
I’ve been collecting these for a few years now. They really are cute!
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 am
It seems that fears over the new swine flu vaccine are continuing to rise as we get closer to the beginning of the swine flu vaccination programme. Will you have a swine flu vaccine if offered?
You can vote here http://www.swineflubritain.co.uk/#/vaccine/4535175275” rel=”nofollow”>Swine Flu Vaccine
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:41 am
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September 2nd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
[...] it just us, or has the swine flu gotten a lot cuter this week? First there was the stuffed H1N1 virus doll, and now the U.S. government has enlisted in the fight against swine flu none other than Elmo the [...]
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:15 pm
[...] No matter how cute and pink we can make it seem. Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!) [...]
September 24th, 2009 at 10:34 am
[...] Content: Discoblog: Fuzzy, Cuddly Swine Flu: The Next Big Holiday Toy? Discoblog: Want to Up Your Chances of Dying From Swine Flu? Be Obese Discoblog: To Halt Swine Flu, [...]