WigWag: A Trump troll doll, Elvis running for Congress, a cloned pair of dogs and more

Full frontal, rear-ended

At WiGWag, we’ve long known “Trump” and “troll” go together. Still, our eyes ache from the sight of the Donald Trump troll doll, created by former Walt Disney sculptor Chuck Williams  using crowd-funded cash from Kickstarter. In just over a week, Williams raised more than $56,000 to bring the doll to market. Trump troll is angry, naked, orange, crowned with a shocking yellow hairpiece and grips a mini smartphone in its right hand. There’s also a claim the doll is anatomically correct — for trolls or Trump, we’re not sure.

Elvis on the ballot

Elvis Presley is running for Congress. Elvis D. Presley, who impersonates Elvis A. Presley in shows, is on the ballot in Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District. He’s running as a Libertarian for the seat held for four terms by Republican Rick Crawford. Presley also has campaigned for the state legislature, land commissioner and governor in Arkansas. On Facebook, he posted, “Elvis may have left the building, but Elvis D. Presley is running for the HOUSE!”

Sliced off

Papa John’s is no longer the official pizza of the NFL, and the pizza chain’s right-wing founder John Schnatter has been replaced as CEO. Schnatter sparked a backlash against the company after complaining that the kneeling protests of NFL players were costing the company customers. North American sales dropped nearly 4 percent during the last three months of 2017 — known to sports enthusiasts as football season.

Change of heart

Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, annulled the honorary degree it awarded Donald Trump in 1988. Nearly 83 percent of faculty members agreed Trump is unworthy of the honor “based on a long history of numerous documented statements that are antithetical to our core values and beneath the standard for Lehigh’s honorary degrees holders.” 

Alexa, tell another WiGWag

A British man says a TV commercial featuring the voice of Amazon’s Alexa and a pitch for Purina pet products prompted his Echo Dot to order cat food. The man canceled the order and filed a complaint with the British Advertising Standards Authority alleging the Amazon ad was socially irresponsible. The BASA said the commercial didn’t violate any rules and Amazon issued a statement saying purchases made through its smart speakers must be confirmed by customers before they are processed. Plus, returns are free.

Dumped on Denali

Climbers on Denali may have to start packing out more poop. A glacier in which much it has been dumped over the past decade probably is not decomposing the human waste. A researcher calculated that 36,000 climbers between 1951 and 2012 deposited 152,000–215,000 pounds of feces onto Kahiltna Glacier. A proposed rule change would allow climbers to drop waste in one crevasse at high elevation and carry out everything else.

Sore losers

The top reason that applicants are rejected as participants on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette is that they have genital herpes. That’s according to Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, by Los Angeles Times staff writer Amy Kaufman. According to the CDC, one in six Americans ages 14 to 49 are infected with the virus.

Separation anxiety

Barbra Streisand’s beloved dog, Samantha, died last fall, but the adorable Coton de Tulear left part of herself behind. Streisand told Variety that her two new pups, Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett, were cloned from cells that came from Samantha’s mouth and stomach. 

Sally Field plays matchmaker 

When Sally Field learned that her gay son, filmmaker Sam Greisman, had a crush on medal-winning figure skater Aaron Rippon, the Oscar-winning actress tweeted, “Sam… he’s insanely pretty. Find a way.” Then Greisman tweeted, “Just some really helpful advice from my mom on how to deal with my Olympic crush.” Playing matchmaker, Field retweeted Greisman’s tweet — directly to Rippon. Greisman was embarrassed and tweeted Rippon an apology. But that wasn’t necessary: “Sam, your mom — I admire her. And I’m sure one day we’re going to meet! So thanks, mom,” he tweeted back.

You don’t know who I am?

During a recent E News interview, Oprah Winfrey revealed that she visited a Starbucks where the barista not only failed to recognize her, but also asked how to spell her name. Just imagine.

Insecure

The chief White House calligrapher now has a higher security clearance than Jared Kushner. That means Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who serves as his senior adviser, will have less access to sensitive information than Pat Blair, who designs and executes official documents. Maybe she could ink him a clue?

Peace, love and a tutu

A middle-aged man wearing a pink tutu slid onto the ice at Pyeongchang after the men’s 1,000-meter speed skating medal ceremony. Beside the tutu, he had a pouch over his crotch and the message “PEACE + LOVE” drawn across his chest. He took a hard fall, then arose from the ice to spread his goodwill. The crowd cheered, but security officers led him away. No score was posted for his performance.

Trump.Dating fails to make dating great again

Remember the Trump dating site we mentioned last issue? It turns out that one of the models used for the website's home page is a convicted sex offender. Barrett Riddleberger was shown on the home page of Trump.Dating with his wife Jodi wearing "make America great again" hats. A local news source unveiled that Riddleberger was convicted of "indecent liberty with a chid" in 1995. The image was then taken down from the Trump.Dating website and replaced with a photograph of a different couple. The couple are known for their involvement in Republican party politics and helping to set up the Conservatives for Gilford County political action committee.