The Magnetic Pull of Che

My Che-loving bud, Jen, and I met up again this week. This time in honor of my birthday.

She produced a brightly-wrapped present tied with a spring-green ribbon and when I opened it, I found -- surprise surprise -- a Che-themed gift.

The "Create-A-Commie" is one of those faces printed on a flat, magnetic panel enclosed in a thin plastic box that you're supposed to decorate with magnetic "hair." The makers of this particular toy encourage you to give your skills a go at recreating the face of a famous communist.

Out of all the commies named -- Gorby, Castro, Lenin, Marx, Brezhnev and Trotsky -- Che is the only one given the distinction of a definitive article.

We, of course, noticed this right away. He is not just any Che. He is "the" Che. As if there were any other.

And yet, in looking over the complete packaging, I couldn't help but notice that one very significant commie was left off the list: Mao.

Considering the toy was "Made in China" I can't help but wonder whether this was simply an oversight or a conscious decision.