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Australia parliament gift shop withdraws 'Barrack' mug

BBC Published Jun 8, 2010 Reviewed Jul 2, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors
Citation-ready fact
The Parliament House gift shop withdrew 200 mugs intended to mark US President Barack Obama's visit due to a spelling error.
200 mugs · mugs intended to mark US President Barack Obama's visit2 mugs · mugs sold before error was spotted10 AUD · price per mug8.2 USD · price per mug in USD5.6 GBP · price per mug in GBP
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Citation-ready fact
US President Barack Obama cancelled his visit to Australia to deal with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
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Citation-ready fact
US President Barack Obama cancelled an earlier visit to Australia earlier in the year to focus on his healthcare reform bill.
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Parliamentary Services Secretary Alan Thompson stated staff had learned a 'valuable lesson' from the mug error.
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Parliamentary Services Secretary Alan Thompson said the mugs would have made an excellent keepsake had Obama arrived and the spelling been correct.
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US President Barack Obama postponed his visit to Australia twice.
2 times · US President Barack Obama's postponements of visits to Australia
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Parliamentary Services Secretary Alan Thompson said new mugs would be ordered with more attention to detail if Mr Obama scheduled a fresh visit.
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A gift shop at Australia's Parliament House has withdrawn 200 mugs intended to mark US President Barack Obama's visit because of a spelling glitch.

The A$10 ($8.2, £5.6) mugs welcomed "Barrack Obama" - a mistake attributed to an official who ordered them.

Two were sold before the error was spotted but the rest have since been scrapped.

They would not have been needed anyway - Mr Obama has cancelled his visit to deal with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

It is the second time the US president has delayed a planned trip to Australia.

He cancelled one earlier this year to focus on his healthcare reform bill.

The black and white mugs featured a smiling picture of Mr Obama beneath his misspelt name in large, bold type.

Parliamentary services secretary Alan Thompson told AFP news agency that his staff had learned a "valuable lesson".

If Mr Obama scheduled a fresh visit, new mugs would be ordered with more attention to detail, he said.

"It did seem a good idea at the time and I think it would have made an excellent keepsake had he arrived and had the spelling been correct," he said.

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