Pope Bobblehead Ad Given the Bounce

This was sent on one of my yahoo groups this morning.

Pope Bobblehead Ad Given the Bounce

By Lena H. Sun
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 9, 2008; B03

It seemed like a great marketing campaign: a Pope Benedict XVI bobblehead riding Metro. The Church was not amused. It was the clothes.

"Our concern is that this was a bad bobblehead," said Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington. "You had unauthorized merchandise, and you had a misdressed pope."

The bobblehead in the Metro video wears a red skull cap, known as a zucchetto, and a red cape. "Popes don't wear red skull caps," and they don't wear red capes, only white ones, Gibbs said.

Metro yanked the YouTube video yesterday after the archdiocese complained. The video was meant to encourage people to take Metro to the papal Mass next week at Nationals Park, Metro officials said.

"We think there's a better way to encourage people to take Metro," Gibbs said. "This is the Holy Father, and I think a lot of people would not be comfortable with a bobblehead ad."

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Bad zucchetto aside, I thought the ad was cute. Is it just me?