There are reports that a Philippine-made doll in the style of Barbie is selling in the United States like the proverbial hotcakes. Filipino Americans are having a grand ball in collecting the “Gloria dolls.”

The diminutive doll comes in several versions. There is the “Work-out Gloria” doll. Then there are doll versions called the “Shopping Gloria,” the “Swim-suit Gloria,” the “Disco Gloria” (that dances the Lambada), the “Commander-in-Chief Gloria” (which barks orders to generals to go fix the activists), “the Talking Gloria” (that records a conversation with her phone pal, Garci), the “Singing Gloria” (that belts out “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”) and the “Scuba-Diving Gloria.” All of these dolls are retailed at $39.95 each.

Then there is the top of the line, which costs $499.00. What, $499 for a tiny doll? What is so special about this “Soon-to-be-divorced Gloria” doll?

Well, according to Filipino-American marketing experts, the “Soon-to-be-divorced Gloria” doll is expensive because it comes with Mike's car, Mike's house, Mike's boat, Mike's furniture, Mike's computer, Mike’s foreign bank-account passbook and several of Mike's lawyers and cronies. And for an additional $29.95, it comes with a key chain made of Mike's tentacles, oops, testicles (to use an Erap joke). # # #