Summary
Alternate name: Dog Chew
Cardboard caricature of Kevin Rudd, that fits over 'Droolia' a stuffed dog-toy caricature of Julia Gillard. This cardboard 'Super Kevin' is a prototype made by the donor.
Australia's 26th Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd is the second Labor leader to twice hold the position. Rudd famously led the Labor Party to victory in 2007 winning a 23 seat majority over the Liberal Party. During the lead up to the election and in the first year of becoming Prime Minister, Rudd's popularity was at fever pitch, but growing dissatisfaction amongst the Labor Party and public saw his popularity as measured in the opinion polls wane. Rudd was deposed from office by Julia Gillard in June 2010 in an internal Labor Party leadership spill. He initially took a seat on the backbench, before becoming Minister for Foreign Affairs in September 2010. As Julia Gillard's leadership dipped in the opinion polls in 2012 and early 2013 there were several leadership spills promoted by supporters of Kevin Rudd. On 26 June 2013, Kevin Rudd took back the leadership with 57 votes to and 45 votes against. As a federal election was scheduled to be held in 2013, Rudd immediately started campaigning for re-election, naming 7 September 2013 as election day. At the election he was beaten by Tony Abbott and the Coalition party with 88 seats to 57.
The owner of Aussie Dogs who had already produced stuffed dog-toys of Julia Gillard ('Droolia') and leader of the opposition Tony Abbott (Boney) designed a three dimensional Kevin Rudd toy but he was unsure if it would sell. He designed the cardboard cut-out to attach to the 'Droolia' toy via the nose. Aussie Dogs plans to sell 'Super Kevin' with remaining 'Droolia' toys still in stock.
Physical Description
Soft textile figure of Julia Gillard wearing blue suit and blue high heels with large head, bright red hair, long nose, large hips and protruding bottom. A cardboard attachment is a image of Kevin Rudd wearing a green and gold super heroes outfit with "2nd ROUND" written on the chest. He has a large head and connects to the Julia toy via the nose.
More Information
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Joseph Parsons - Aussie Dog Products, 19 Aug 2013
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Person Depicted
Kevin M. Rudd - Australian Labor Party, Victoria, Australia, 2013
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Person Named
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Commissioned By
Aussie Dog Products, Ferntree Gully, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2013
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Inscriptions
On chest of cardboard attachment: 2nd / ROUND On tag, one side: ALL NEW STUFFING / MATERIAL : POLYESTER. / WIPE CLEAN ONLY. / DO NOT IMMERSE IN WATER. / SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES On tag, other side: Designed in Australia / Manufactured in China / www.aussiedog.com.au
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Classification
Politics & public protest, Parliamentary politics, Souvenirs
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
110 mm (Width), 140 mm (Depth), 320 mm (Height)
Dimensions of the Julia dog toy only: W: 110mm; H: 295mm; D: 140mm
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References
Manufacturer: [Link 1] News regarding Julia Gillard dog toy: [Link 2] [Link 3] [Link 4] [Link 5] [Link 6] [Link 7]
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Keywords