Fun_People Archive
29 Aug
Those (Wacky) Europeans....

Date: Mon, 29 Aug 94 17:35:31 PDT
To: Fun_People
Subject: Those (Wacky) Europeans.... 

Forwarded-by: <dante@microsoft.com>
Forwarded-by: Stanislav Fritz <stanf@microsoft.com>

=================================
London, England:

The European Union (EU), in February of 1994,
established a $87.1 million quota on "non-human" dolls
imported from China.  British and other customs agents
have taken the responsibility of determining the
"humanity" of Chinese-made dolls.  Dolls which are non-
human are "blacklisted" and not allowed into European
markets.

European fans of the television show "Star Trek" were
shocked to find that Mr. Spock dolls were being
subjected to this quota, especially since he's half-
human.  A British Customs Office official affirms that
"You don't find a human with ears that size."

Captain Kirk dolls have been declared to not be
affected by the quota.

Britain petitioned the EU to drop the quota, but only
managed to get the quota lifted from non-human "Teddy
bear" dolls.

=================================

From: the "Letters to the Editor" section of the Wall
Street Journal, Tuesday, August 23, 1994:

I was saddened to read your Marketplace piece August 2, in
which you report that British Customs is refusing entry for
Spock dolls on the grounds that Spock is "non-human."

Certainly my friend Spock has taken great pride in his
Vulcan heritage.  But to deprive the English people of the
company of such a favorite seems to me a sadly inhuman act.

		Leonard Nimoy, Beverly Hills, California:

© 1994 Peter Langston