By Mail Foreign Service

An action figure we can believe in: This Barack Obama toy has become the unlikely Christmas hit among kids, say American retailers This Barack Obama action figure has become the unlikely Christmas toy hit among kids, say American retailers.

The cartoon-like toy, which stands six-inches tall, is giving the likes of the popular Tickle Me Elmo doll a run for its money.

And some New York stores report selling out of the likeness of the President-elect in the run up to Xmas.

An action figure we can believe in: This Barack Obama toy has become the unlikely Christmas hit among kids, say American retailers

Tickle Me Elmo was a runaway hit among children - until the launch of the Obama doll

"They are literally flying off the shelves," said one worker at the Scholastic Store in Manhattan's SoHo area.

"The kids see Obama, and they just want to grab him."

Store manager Denys Ramos said they have sold more than 200 of the $12.95 figurines, which features the future White House resident with oversized ears and fingers, since the beginning of the month.

Tickle Me Elmo was a runaway hit among children And it has proved significantly more popular than a doll of Obama's defeated Presidential rival, Senator John McCain.