Fox News anchor sues Hasbro over 'demeaning' portrayal as a rodent

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

An anchor for Fox News is suing Hasbro for more than $5 million over a toy hamster that shares her name — and possibly even her resemblance.

Harris Faulkner sued Hasbro this week over its plastic Harris Faulkner hamster, sold as part of the Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based company's popular Littlest Pet Shop line. She says the toy wrongfully appropriates her name and persona, harms her professional credibility as a journalist and is an insult.

"Hasbro's portrayal of Faulkner as a rodent is demeaning and insulting," says the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in New Jersey.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c9950203857e42c8b245d9a0cb22714f/fox-news-anchor-sues-hasbro-over-toy-hamster-her-name

[Gidney N Cloyd]

1. Skip the "professional credibility" stuff and she could have a good case.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

12. She did

win six Emmy awards. If that counts ...

[Gidney N Cloyd]

49. I'm suggesting she surrendered her professional credibility when she joined Faux News.

O'Reilly's won a few awards, too.

[randys1]

2. If you are on fox you are a troll by definition, not sure about hamster though

[Go Vols]

3. I can't tell which is which.

:/

[pinboy3niner]

5. I'm with you

The resemblance is uncanny.

[ryan_cats]

6. Funny, if she was on MSNBC, people would say, that's racist.

Funny, if she was on MSNBC, people would say, that's racist (the doll, not the post I'm responding to). I guess it counts as to whose ox gets gored.

[LanternWaste]

20. I like to pretend I know what people would say too.

I like to pretend I know what people would say too.

[ryan_cats]

23. I read what you wrote

I read what you wrote, what you did not write is a denial.

If this was Rachel Maddow, do you honestly think people would laugh at it or would they get righteously indignant?

[LanternWaste]

32. You've implied an additional qualifier which was absent from your original premise.

You've implied an additional qualifier which was absent from your original premise. There is a large difference between "this would happen" and "I think this would happen."

Regardless, my powers of prophecy are much less than yours, regardless of whether you believe an irrelevant denial is there or not.

[ryan_cats]

38. Technically, it is another more obvious example.

Technically, it is another more obvious example that reinforces my original premise and yet not one denial that what I said would happen, would happen.

Care to know tomorrow's lottery numbers?

[OriginalGeek]

41. this is weird

this is weird

i got confused reading that subthread.

[Bucky]

52. I knew you were going to say that

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

22. How is that racist?

What race is that hamster?



Hamsters are multi-coloured, so exactly what race is a hamster, and how is it racist to compare someone to a hamster?

[ryan_cats]

24. Who's a cute hamster?

Are you honestly saying that if it was someone you perceive as on your side, you would be fine with comparing a black woman with a hamster or any other small animal? Nice case of myopia you've got there, zoom in on the hamster and forget the human.

As I wrote before, it depends on whose ox is being gored. Next time I'll include a 'trigger warning' if there is any cognitive dissonance involved.

[Nye Bevan]

31. It's so small surely this is merely a "microaggression" (nt)

[ryan_cats]

33. That's a paddlin.

I hope they don't hide your insensitive post...

Clearly posting about microaggresion is a microaggresion.

Off to the Fema camps.

[cwydro]

35. I agree with you. There would be instant outrage here

if it were one of our favorites.

Anyone on Fox is fair game. Just like everyone loved to make fun of the Santorum kids (forget which one), but heaven forbid that any of our pols' kids can be fodder.

I do hate hypocrisy.

[ryan_cats]

40. While I agree 100% with what you wrote...

While I agree 100% with what you wrote, I find myself mesmerized by that animated cat gif and unable to look away.

No one else will respond to you unless they also agree as no one can defend against it as a 5 second google search would reveal.

[cwydro]

42. Lol, not sure I understand the google search reference, but

I'm posting with a number of distractions in the background at this moment.

I got that cat gif years ago on another site, a music site.

[ryan_cats]

44. The google reference means

The google reference means it would take all of 5 seconds to find the exact outrage on this site that you speak of.

[cwydro]

46. Oh gotcha! Yes.

I need to stop multi-tasking because I'm terrible at it.

[ryan_cats]

47. It's the cat. N/T.

[trumad]

55. Oh fuck Fox...

She looks like a fucking hamster.

[ryan_cats]

58. Very eloquent defense of the double standard.

Very eloquent defense of the double standard.

[LostOne4Ever]

43. Yes I would be fine with it

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal] People have been using anthropomorphised animal to represent humans for forever, and there is no racial stereotype tied to hamsters, mice, etc at all.

Examples:

The Big Lebowski cast as ponies


Robin Quivers and Howard Stern as bird on the Cartoon Animanics.


Bing Crosby as a Rooster on a couple of OLDDDDDD Looney Tunes cartoons:



No one ever had a problem with any of these things. I didn't hear anyone scream racism about representing Robin as a robin.

To be racist there would have to be some racial stereotype associated with the animal. [/font]

[Gidney N Cloyd]

50. Looney Toons also parodied both the Honeymooners and Jack Benny Show's actors as mice.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

53. Yes I'm honestly saying it.

Even if it was Amy Schumer as the 'dumpy' one.

The point is that all sorts of people have been portrayed as animals over the years, not just black people, as other posters have pointed out to you.

If this woman was portrayed as some sort of monkey, you'd have a point.

As a hamster, you're just looking to be outraged.

[ryan_cats]

57. I have a point and you either don't or most likely won't see it.

I have a point and you either don't or most likely won't see it. Give it a day or two and the howling brigade will move predictably to another manufactured outrage.

[SummerSnow]

29. that is a multicultural hamster. :)

[Hassin Bin Sober]

63. Oh bullshit.

A) you need to get your sarcasm detector fixed. Because no one on this planet would think she , n any way, resembles that doll.

B) how is it racist to sarcastically say she resembles a cute little doll? If it was a monkey or some other traditional racial stereotype I doubt anyone would touch, even sarcastically, this nonsense with a ten foot pole. And rightly so.

C) what nonsense claim would you make if it were Rachael Maddow suing? Homophobia? Why not? It makes about as much sense as your silly claim.

Get off your non existent high horse. This is a Fox News windbag with more money than sense and probably access to Bill O'lielly's team of frivolous lawsuit filers.

[ryan_cats]

64. Thank you for proving my point

Thank you for proving my point- see below:

This is a Fox News windbag with more money than sense and probably access to Bill O'lielly's team of frivolous lawsuit filers.

I vaguely recall writing that if it was MSNBC people would whine but since it's just a Fox windbag, all is forgiven by you.

You are not really good at this are you?

[tblue37]

15. Nah, the hamster is cute, its demeanor not unpleasant. nt

[deutsey]

21. I have no idea who she is and see zero resemblance between the two n/t

[TexasProgresive]

26. I think the hamster is adorable

but then, I like kitty gifs.

[Eleanors38]

27. It's the blue eyes. Yeah, now I see.

[steve2470]

4. Streisand effect here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

[cyberswede]

7. "bigstory.ap.org"

This is a Big Story? Really, AP?

(that said, while a hamster might be a rodent, it's not an icky rodent, like a rat).

[Scootaloo]

8. In all fairness, Hasbro probably had no clue

The toy is probably an "unnamed" character that appeared in an episode or two, who got a fan name, and hasbro simply applied that name when making the toy. They adopt fan names for characters with My Little Pony figures, too.

The suit will be settled in Faulkner's favor, pretty certainly.

get your hamsters while they're there, folks

[hifiguy]

37. I don't think more than two or three background ponies

would eve have names were it not for those of us in the brony community.

[petronius]

39. You'd think they'd at least assign an intern to spend 5-10 minutes

figuring out where the name came from (and, for names of real people, at least reach out to them in advance). Hasbro seems to have dropped the ball here--they're lucky not to have an Albert Fish or somesuch in the Little Pet Shop...

[lpbk2713]

9. I guess I would have to know what a Harris Faulkner is in the first place.

If I never heard of her how can there be any damage
from my, and maybe millions of others, perspective?
It's just a name they gave to a plastic toy AFAIC.

[tblue37]

17. Her lawsuit is probably to attain two goals:

1) to maybe get some money from Hasbro, and
2) to attempt to raise her national profile, since most people do not know who she is. Now those of us who didn't, do.

[Vogon_Glory]

10. But When Do We See The O'Reilly-Beast And The HannityThingy? N/t

[Journeyman]

11. Someone shelf life at Fox News must be close to expiring. . .

[Captain Stern]

13. In related news....

A group of hamsters has also filed a lawsuit against Hasbro, claiming that one of Hasbro's toys links them to a Fox News Actor. They're only suing for $1 because real hamsters don't really understand the whole money thing. However, their attorneys are requesting that 8 Billion Dollars be added to the lawsuit for "reasonable expenses".

[rusty fender]

25. LOLOLOL! +1000

[yellowcanine]

14. I believe this falls under parody of a celebrity so she will likely lose.

Actually I think the hamster is kind of cute.

If Harris Faulkner had her own line of toys, whatever, she might have a case. But since she doesn't I don't think she has a case.

[Renew Deal]

16. Frivolous lawsuit

[jberryhill]

19. I think Puffball Petrovski has a better case here

[lame54]

18. harms her professional credibility as a journalist...

she should sue Fox News

[SummerSnow]

28. Just being on Fox news harms your professional credibility as a journalist , heck with the hamster.

[Nye Bevan]

30. As someone who has never known the horror of having a toy rodent named after me,

I am certainly not going to judge this person.

[11 Bravo]

34. Who will provide pro bono representation for rodents?

For my money, they're the aggrieved parties.

[hifiguy]

36. The hamster has more journalistic credibility

than anyone on Fauxsnooze.

[Rex]

45. Wow did she even look at the toy!? It is as cute as it can be!

However I have no doubt someone told here she could make money off this issue so she went for it.

[Snobblevitch]

48. My question is: Why did Hasbro name a toy Harris Faulkner?

She should win a judgment against Hasbro, not because the toy affects her journalistic credibility, but because they are making money off her name without her permission. I can see a resemblance between the toy and the photo of Falkner.

[Orrex]

56. I imagine that kids are lining up to buy Fox News host commemorative hamsters

Pretty silly of Hasbro to fail in its due dilligence here IMO.

[Snobblevitch]

60. I wonder if someone in the design department was just having some fun and nobody caught on?

[WestCoastLib]

65. According to Whitepages.com there are 9 Harris Faulkner's in the US

Can they all sue?

[Snobblevitch]

66. I doubt it.

They would need to be a public figure and then the toy would need to at least resemble them a little.

[tymorial]

51. Ahh Hasbro

I walked by the Hasbro Headquarters everyday on the way to school. My elementary school is right next to it. My parents still live in the same house 5 blocks away. Ah memories.

[hobbit709]

54. If you're on Fox News and portrayed as a rodent that would be about 3 steps UP.

A Fox News anchor in my book wouldn't rate any higher than an arthropod.

[Quantess]

61. I'm with you.

They did a nice rendition of her as a hamster.

[MrScorpio]

59. Who the fuck is Harris Faulkner?

[joeybee12]

62. Comparing anyone at Fox Noise to a rodent is demeaning and inuslting...

to the rodent.