Hello dolly! 'Tanning lady' joins plastic hall of fame

Being made into an action figure is a rather perverse form of flattery. More often than not the dolly renditions of real people are more unsettling than they are celebratory.

The merchandising of movies means that Hollywood stars have to put up with their figurine selves fairly often. But it is even odder when people who are notorious for other things - their political standing, criminal behaviour or more bizarre reasons - are plasticised, packaged up and played with by small children.

The latest entrant to the plastic hall of fame is Patricia Krentcil. The 44-year-old from New Jersey became a figure of international outrage after she allegedly took her five-year-old daughter to a tanning salon. She faces charges of endangerment after the child's teacher noticed severe burns on her body. But Krentcil claims her daughter suffered bad sunburn while playing in the garden and she is currently out on $2,500 bail after pleading innocence.

But now fans of pop culture can purchase their very own Patricia Krentcil dolly for $29.95 (pictured above).  The 9 inch plastic doll has blonde hair and a bright orange tan. She will join the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Osama bin Laden and Bernard Madoff on the toy shelf.

Click here or on "View Gallery" for more examples from the plastic hall of fame