Clinton Chew Toys And Trump Condoms: Phoenix Retailers Make Money By Making Light Of Presidential Candidates

Published: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 - 5:05am
Updated: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 - 12:57pm
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(Photo by Christina Estes - KJZZ)
The Secret Village in Phoenix sells dog toys that poke fun at presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

As the race for president heats up, some Valley businesses are cashing in — and we’re not talking your typical campaign buttons. 

Maybe you can’t tear into the candidates, but now your dog can.

At The Secret Village in Phoenix, owner Bonnie Reyes is selling Trump and Clinton dog toys for $24.99 each.  

“You can see its crazy, famous hair of Trump,” Reyes said. “And, Hillary with the bright colored outfit.” 

The Clinton toy features campaign buttons that read “pro-whatever” and “anti-whatever” while Trump’s tie proclaims that New York loves him. 

On Trump’s back is a button that reads “Push to inflate head” while Clinton has an on-off switch for smiling. 

“The dogs might not even have a chance with these,” Bonnie Reyes laughed.

That’s because Reyes said, people seem more interested in buying for themselves.

So, which one is more popular? 

“There’s a lot of support for Trump here, so I’ve gotten more phone calls for the Trump doll than the Hillary doll,” she said.

At Frances, a locally-owned boutique at Camelback Road and Central Avenue, Sandy Conte describes some of the items she purchased for the store.

“The Hillary cup has been very popular,” she said. “It’s like your way of having your coffee in the morning and supporting your girl.” 

While Clinton’s cup is suitable for a regular-sized coffee, Trump’s is espresso-sized.

“It’s kinda like a little jab to give him the smaller little cup,” Conte laughed. “On the bottom it’s stamped, proudly made in Mexico by Mexicans.”  

Conte thinks the pottery company probably leans left politically, but also said Trump might be easier to poke fun at. Especially over his frequent use of the word “huge” — as two shoppers who didn’t want to give their names discovered. 

One woman picked up a bright red item with Trump’s photo and said, “Look, the Donald Trump says, “I’m huge” which is funny.”

Then, after a closer look she said, “Oh, no, you know what it is? It’s a condom! Now that’s clever.” 

But, neither is willing to spend five bucks on it – or any other political products. 

“Nope, don’t like either one of them,” they said.

Conte said that common reaction led local T-shirt maker Hello, to create a red white and blue image with the word "bored" in bold letters.  

“They’re right down the middle,” Conte laughed.

Back at The Secret Village, Reyes makes no secret of her views. 

“I’m a supporter of who’s going to do what’s right for America,” she said. “And for me it seems like Trump is the one that’s leaning that way.” 

She’s counting on Trump and Clinton to generate more sales in the coming months.

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