Longboat Key Resident Creates Punching Politicians

Politicians can be both metaphorical puppets and punching bags, so why not combine the two for fun?

That's what Longboat Key resident Lynn Armstrong Coffin did as she had her Gov. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama punching puppets for sale at the Romney rally Thrusday at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

They're called Punching Politicians and can be found at PunchingPoliticians.com.

Coffin, a designer, said her and a business partner had the idea one day last year in her Longboat Key studio to start the company.

"We had an old prototype from about 40 years ago, and a light bulb went off and we said, you know, it would be really funny to put a politician's head on this character," Coffin told Patch.

And that they did.

The company is based in Orlando and offers all the candidates featured in this year's presidential primary races. Most of the product is made in the United States and some supplies come from overseas, she said.

"We could not find anyone in the states to produce certain parts, but mainly they're assembled here in Orlando," Coffin said.

They're $20 for a puppet or a $10 for a head, plus the puppets come with a stand to display them, she said.