Well this certainly falls into the weird news section. Longtime Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner is suing Hasbro toy company for making and selling a toy hamster with her exact name -- after Hasbro was warned earlier this year to discontinue selling it.
Six-time Emmy Award winning journalist Harris Faulkner (Outnumbered, Fox Report Weekend) wasn’t too happy to find out her unique name was used for a plastic rodent (albeit a cute one) for Hasbro’s popular “Littlest Pet Shop” toy line. Faulkner alleges that her likeness was also used in designing the toy in terms of its complexion, eye shape and eye makeup, according to the suit.
Faulkner also objected to her professional identity being trademarked by Hasbro in selling the toy. Her lawyers stated that using the journalist’s name to “endorse products of any kind” would be a “violation of her contractual obligations to her employer” and “would directly harm her professional credibility.”
Deadline reported that Faulkner’s lawyers had given Hasbro warning back in January to remove the toy from their line, which had been introduced last year. Since those requests were apparently ignored, the journalist decided to file a $5 million suit against the toy company.
So far, Hasbro has not responded or commented to the media on the issue.
The toy was available for purchase from Hasbro’s online store up until very recently, according to Yahoo! News. The toy appears to have been removed from Hasbro’s website but no word yet whether it will be pulled from stores.
