Presidential Paper Dolls Satirize 2016 Election Candidates

Dover Publications
Dover Publications | Dover Publications

Politicians are often compared to puppets—but Dover Publications thought this year’s round of presidential candidates would work better as dolls. The American book publisher is now selling punch-out paper doll books of the potential Democratic and Republican nominees, including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump, a release states.

Each doll/candidate comes with 15 costumes that pay tribute to (or parody) his or her personality. For instance, Donald Trump can don a gown from the Miss Universe pageant he once ran, or you can dress Hillary up in her childhood Girl Scout uniform. As for Bernie, he comes equipped with the outfit he wore during February’s Saturday Night Live skit with Larry David.

The paper doll books are also filled with fun factoids about each presidential hopeful. (Did you know that Mrs. Clinton won a 1997 Grammy award for Best Spoken Word Album?) That way, voters can learn more about their prospective leaders—even as they playfully poke fun at them.

This isn’t the first time Dover Publications has created Collectible Campaign Paper Doll Editions. During the 2008 election the publisher issued 100,000 paper doll books inspired by then-nominees Barack Obama and John McCain. The dolls ended up being so popular that Dover decided to re-create them, this time with the 2016 election's colorful contestants.

The paper doll books cost $11.99 each, and will be available on June 10, 2016 wherever books are sold, as well as on Dover’s website. And if you’re not into dolls, National Journal points out that you can also score loads of other quirky campaign items, including Hillary Clinton-inspired throw pillows and  “Bernie Bear” teddy bears.