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Ebola plush toys are in demand (but herpes toys are cute, too)

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You've got Ebola. That's cute. Said no one ever.

Unless they're talking about this plush toy that's "selling like hot cakes" at a Connecticut company called Giant Microbes Inc., which sells more than 150 different designs of cute, cuddly replicas of microscopic images. Bird flu? HIV? Herpes? Diarrhea? The site's got them all.

Agony never looked so adorable.

Say hello to herpes.

( / giantmicrobes.com)

Meet diarrhea.

( / giantmicrobes.com)

Now greet Norovirus.

( / giantmicrobes.com)

Let's not forget about Lyme disease!

( / giantmicrobes.com)

The Ebola toy kind of looks like a curly brown worm with a big eye or maybe a cuter version of the original "Alien" alien. Demand for -- and skepticism about -- it is soaring with the world's interest; the disease has now killed between 5,000 and 15,000 people during an outbreak centered in Africa but spilling worldwide amid growing efforts to contain it.

As the tagline on the Giant Microbes site says: "Since its discovery in 1976, Ebola has become the T. Rex of microbes."

All the attention is putting the company under a microscope.

Laura Sullivan, the company's vice president of operations, declined to share specific sales figures with CBS News, but she said: "They're selling like hot cakes. We're out of stock again."

In another interview with the Toronto Star, Sullivan said: "Microbes have a huge impact on our lives. People want to learn about them and understand them. With Ebola and everything that is going on, people are interested about learning more and this product provides a way for people to learn about it.”

The plush toy (or a putty version) costs $9.95. A gigantic version sells for $29.95. They're currently unavailable on Amazon, and the company's site notes that new orders won't ship until Nov. 15.

Under that notice, copy reads: "Learn all about this fearsome front-page disease. Great teaching tool for students of all ages. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Ebola crisis organizations."

Is Ebola something you'd buy? How about bed bugs, mad cow disease, chickenpox, swine flu or Salmonella? Their breast and prostate cancer cells can be cured by turning them inside out.

'Tough to get'

Buyers lined up....But questions did, too.Some journalists are having fun with the story.Other journalists are not.Still others are getting competitive about it.What do you think about Ebola plush toys? Are they a ....Or are they cute, educational and/or funny?

There were 23 Ebola reviews on the company's website Thursday morning, showing some of the reasons people might buy one.

Kathleen G.: It's quite a hit at work!

Jennifer L.: I have several of them in my office at work (hospital pathologist) and people enjoy playing with them. They are a real hit, and great conversation starters!

Jessica S.: I gave Ebola to two others already;)

Kristen S.: The perfect prop for my halloween costume

Can you describe Ebola plush toys in one word?

Cute 15% (17)

Educational 11% (13)

Funny 30% (34)

Tasteless 12% (14)

Disgusting 16% (18)

Exploitive 8% (9)

I'll add one (or more) words below. 8% (9)

114 total votes.

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