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Saturday, December 10, 2005

Latke Larry In Da’ House (But Don’t You Dare Bring Him To Mine)

You’d think people would have learned their lesson with that ubiqutous big-mouthed fish, but no, singing tsotchkes that serve no purpose other than to amuse someone once then annoy them forever continue to be produced:

Say “shalom” to Latke Larry, an admittedly cute little fellow who carries a frying pan and bleats out a homage to Chanukah’s favorite food.

Conceived as a fundraiser for Chabad charity Friendship Circle, the action figure is voiced by everyone’s favorite cranky Jewish icon, Jerry Stiller. According to Larry’s Web site, Stiller volunteered his services after his friend, actor Jon Voigt asked him to do it.

“Voigt, a longtime supporter of Chabad, had encountered Rabbi [Areyeh] Kaltmann at events over the years. Stiller said he was intrigued.”

Latke Larry retails for $17.95, plus shipping & handling, and all proceeds go to help children with special needs. The tzedakah aspect forgives the outright silliness of the song; as Stupid.com puts it: “To call this toy ridiculous would be an act of kindness.”

In any case, it’s not the worst Chanukah toy on the market.

(…Wait a minute…Jon Voight goes to Chabad???)

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