Strange as it may sound, family-friendly restaurant chain Applebee's has a new business venture: selling "Industrial Strength" blow up dolls. (Technically they're called "Lunch Decoys," but if it walks like a duck...)
Yes, you can actually buy a diverse array of Applebee's branded blow up dolls for $6.99 (plus shipping and handling) on Amazon right now. Their purported function is to serve as stand-ins while office workers bail out of the cubicle to try one of Applebee's lunch menu combinations — which also cost $6.99.
The restaurant and ad agency CP+B launched this strange marketing initiative last year, although now the dolls are "20% thicker" and come with customization accessories kits with mustaches and tattoos for an extra dollar.
Applebee's will be rolling out banners, email blasts, and customizable content on BuzzFeed and the Huffington Post to drive more blow up doll sales.