Plush First Dog in Pink Purse

The only thing better than a cuddly Portuguese Water Dog plush stuffed animal with an uncanny resemblance to the Obama’s First Dog Bo, would be a Bo lookalike with his own carrier. Emblazoned with an outline of the White House and the title The First Dog, the pink plush purse can tote plush stuffed Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog, or anything else a girl needs in her pocketbook. Surface-washable. Polyester fiber interior with lock washer eyes. Imported. Ages 3 and up.  8"l. x 3"w. x 4.5"h.

Museum Provenance

Pets have been residents of the White House since the 1800s. President Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) gave his grandchildren a pet goat, named His Whiskers. William Howard Taft’s cow, Pauline, lived at the White House and provided milk to the First Family from 1903-1913. A picture of First Lady Grace Coolidge holding one of her pet raccoons can be viewed in the American History Museum’s virtual exhibit, The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden. The current First Dog Bo, is a Portuguese Water Dog, a breed of working dog that does not shed.

Every Smithsonian purchase will arrive with a museum provenance card explaining how it is adapted from or inspired by an object or objects in our collection.