State Farm announced on Tuesday it is recalling 800,000 promotional teddy bears due to a choking hazard. The State Farm “Good Neigh Bears” were handed out by agents from 2005 to 2007.

In a separate statement, the company said its new commercials would no longer show the traditional cupped hands as the company’s logo but instead would show the “good hands” performing the Heimlich maneuver on a young child.

State Farm said it was cooperating with the recall of the toys by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission which sprung into action four years after the toys were distributed. The quick response by the Safety Commission shattered the previous record of timely action by a government agency by almost 10 years. Until now, the existing record was held by the SEC in the Bernie Madoff case.

The insurance company’s problems may not be over, however. In response to the “Good Neigh Bear” promotion, state insurance officials were said to be thinking of bringing charges against the company for absolutely horrific use of a pun in a promotional endeavor.

State Farm, in response to the latest criticism, has decided to scrap it’s latest marketing effort which offered clients a coupon book to their local prostitutes with every insurance purchase.

A list of participants in the “Good Nabe Whore” program is expected to made available to agents at the next State Farm convention.

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Like a gay neighbor, State Farm is there…

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Image: oceanyamaha on Flickr

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Post from: EveryJoe

Like A Good Neighbor…