Teletubbies

December 22, 1998
Web posted at: 10:05 p.m. EST (0305 GMT)

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- With Christmas just days away, Los Angeles police have seized more than 130,000 counterfeit children's toys, including thousands of the wildly popular Teletubby dolls that were being sold for just a few dollars.

The Los Angeles Police Financial Crimes division made the bust Monday and arrested three people in connection with the operation.

"They're not going to get away with selling the Teletubby goods openly without the risk of being arrested," said Bill Ellis, a private investigator hired by companies to search for counterfeiters of toys.

The items were seized from six locations in Los Angeles' downtown toy district. Police confiscated 130,532 stuffed dolls, key chains, baseball caps and other items from stalls and small shops.

The Teletubbies seized were made in China and were selling for as low as $4. They regularly sell for about $16.

According to police, the seized items were worth millions of dollars in losses to the companies that own the toys' trademarks.

Individuals face fines of $5,000 to $15,000 and up to three years in state prison for selling counterfeit merchandise; corporations face fines of $200,000 to $300,000 for selling counterfeit items.