These are just a few of the things Americans have learned so far about their next first family: Barack loves basketball, and loathes beets; Michelle likes high style, but also buys off the rack from J. Crew and H&M; Malia and Sasha are fans of "Hannah Montana" and the Jonas Brothers.
The president-elect likes tuna melts, a Hawaii confection called shave ice, and the music of Stevie Wonder. The first-lady-to-be is an excellent girlfriend to her female pals. Malia has allergies. The Obama kids are required to make their own beds.
Anything else?
Actually, that is just the start.
Academics who study the presidency say that Americans always have been fascinated by the occupants of the White House, but the Obama family is drawing unparalleled interest.
The interest goes far beyond what the family — and especially, Michelle —will be wearing for the Jan. 20 inaugural festivities.
Expectations are being piled atop expectations for the president-elect, and his approval ratings are high. Once he takes office, there will be plenty of substantive issues on which to judge Obama.
In the meantime, the liberal Web site The Huffington Post wants to know if readers approve, or disapprove, of Obama wearing his White Sox cap backwards.
That same Web site recently ran a paparazzo's photo of a shirtless Obama in Hawaii with the headline: "O!"
Obama and his family have appeared on the covers of magazines ranging from People to Essence. Entire blogs are devoted to debating what breed of dog the family should choose for Malia and Sasha. A blog called Michelle Obama Watch keeps an eye on media coverage of the next first lady.
Barack and Michelle Obama's child-rearing practices — reading to their kids, and requiring them to do chores —have drawn particular interest. According to a Chicago Tribune story, parents and child-rearing experts already are looking to the Obamas as parenting role models.
Academics say that Americans are intrigued by the notion of children growing up in the White House. At ages 7 and 10, respectively, Sasha and Malia will be the youngest children to inhabit the executive residence in decades.
Bruce Gronbeck, director of the University of Iowa Center for Media Studies and Political Culture, said that when the first family has young children, "the family images are so rich."
"We always look at the family, and then you watch and try to figure out how that family is working," Gronbeck said, adding, "The way the household runs is kind of a mini version of how a country runs."
The president and the president's family are "all we've got for monarchy, for public pomp ... not simply political culture, but cultural style," Gronbeck said.
And the arrival of the Obama family in Washington has Americans thinking of Camelot (or "Bam-a-lot," as one New York tabloid has dubbed the incoming administration).
Said Gronbeck: "The echoes of the Kennedys are deafening right now."
Americans are intrigued by youthful exuberance, he said, adding, "In America, we love new beginnings."
And then you throw in the fact that the Obamas will be the first African-American first family, and the "cute kids, and away you go," Gronbeck said.
Cheryl Holland-Jones, executive director of the Crispus Attucks Community Center in Lancaster, said she thinks African-Americans are "elated" that there will be a black family living in the White House. But the fascination with the Obamas transcends race, and she thinks it has something to do with how much is expected of the president-elect and his wife.
"I believe that we think that they may actually understand our needs and they will address them accordingly," Holland-Jones said.
John Orman, professor of politics at Fairfield University in Connecticut, and co-author of the book "Celebrity Politics," said that as people cope with the specters of rising unemployment, a sinking economy and a troubled world, it's probably no surprise that they want to read about the family of the man "who is going to be entrusted with fixing some of these problems."
This "anxiousness in this period before the 20th of January is just truly amazing," Gronbeck said.
And reading about the Obama family is a diversion.
As Karen Vogel, a Manheim Township mom, put it, "It's much more interesting to think about the Obama kids' puppy than your brokerage accounts. ... No one wants to deal with reality. It's like, 'Take us away.' "
Alan Schroeder, associate professor of journalism at Northeastern University and author of the book, "Celebrity-in-Chief: How Show Business Took Over the White House," said the American tendency to treat the White House occupants as entertainment goes back a long way.
"It's such a small, select group of people who actually live as residents of the White House, and they all instantly go down in the history books," Schroeder said. "It's this ongoing, 200-plus-years soap opera. These are just characters who loom very large in the public eye, whether they want to or not."
In 1962, Jackie Kennedy's televised tour of the White House drew 80 million viewers. "We're very aware of this house and its place in American history, and therefore, whoever lives in that house becomes the focus of attention," Schroeder noted.
Add to that the historical status of the Obamas, and the family's telegenic appeal, and "it all comes together like a celebrity firestorm," Orman said.
American elected officials "usually aren't that glamorous or interesting," Schroeder said. "When you have a family that comes along who is as appealing as the Obamas, and they're so different from previous White House occupants, it's only natural for us to be fascinated."
Orman said Americans have a tendency to treat "our celebrities as politicians" — consider how often rock stars are asked for their opinions on serious issues — and "our politicians as celebrities." And Barack Obama "is a global superstar, even bigger than Bono," he said.
But, Schroeder asserted, "When you're a politician, you're famous for a reason — you're not just famous for being famous." This is why, he said, the McCain campaign ad that depicted Barack Obama as a Paris Hilton-type celebrity backfired.
That said, the apparatus of celebrity is the same in either case. "You live in the media spotlight; a lot of attention is given to cosmetic things, and a lot of the same rules apply," Schroeder said.
"Everything that the first family does is viewed through a political prism, and that would extend to the kids and the pets," he said.
In the past, the White House press corps kept a respectful distance from the children living in the White House. It has been easier to write about presidential pets than presidential kids, Schroeder observed — one reason, perhaps, presidential pets get so much coverage, and "take on a cultural significance that goes far beyond the average household animal."
The Obama children will be living in the White House in an era of cell-phone cameras and bloggers and 24/7 cable news channels.
Diane Heisterkamp, a Lancaster psychotherapist, said the Obamas will have to cope with the "whole cult of celebrity." But she said she thinks "those kids are going to be protected from all of the hoopla."
Michelle Obama — who has said her first role will be mom-in-chief — "is going to keep that under control," said Heisterkamp, a self-described "Obama freak," who has been following Barack Obama's political career since his speech to the 2004 Democratic convention. "She has that quiet strength, and she seems to have her priorities in order."
Heisterkamp said she thinks much of the appeal of the Obamas has to do with their emphasis on family. "They talk about doing simple family things together," like taking walks, she said. And they are modeling a dedication to education — Malia and Sasha had to go to school the morning after the election, and the family was expected to move to a Washington hotel today so that the girls could start Monday at their new private school.
In some respects, such as their Ivy League educations, "They're not a typical family, but we want them to be," Heisterkamp said. "We want them to be our friends, because they're so shiny and nice. We know that they would be good friends and neighbors and would probably care about our kids."
Heisterkamp said she thinks the Obamas "seem much more relatable" than first families who came to the White House from lives of extraordinary privilege.
Holland-Jones of the Crispus Attucks center said that because the Obamas are "coming out of a normal life," there is "this thought that they might not only understand but actually implement what is needed for the common person."
Karen Vogel, who hails from a decidedly middle-class Ohio family, said she sees Barack Obama as "someone who's truly going to look out for the average Joe."
She and the other women interviewed said they also found Michelle Obama's style — a mix of haute couture and mall fashion —appealing.
Vogel said she's been thinking she should follow Michelle Obama's lead "and get a few more dresses in my wardrobe." But, she added, with a laugh, "I don't think my figure will fit into those sheath dresses that she wears."
Holland-Jones said she and her sister were talking recently about how Michelle "can be all dressed up and beautiful, and people want to wear what she's wearing ... but then she can be like this regular mom."
"Of course, she's 6 feet tall and gorgeous — she could have a sack on her and look good," Heisterkamp observed wryly.
Todd Mealy, history teacher and head football coach at Penn Manor High School and volunteer for the Obama-Biden campaign, said he thinks young people are drawn to Barack and Michelle Obama because they're young and charismatic, and they can be witty and self-deprecating.
"It seems like you can have a normal conversation with them," said Mealy, who met both Obamas during the campaign.
The president-elect grasps the cultural references of young people, Mealy said. Obama listens to the music of Jay-Z. He plays a lot of basketball. He's appeared on "Monday Night Football." He "shows up on the network" young people watch — ESPN — and his interest in sports seems authentic, Mealy said.
Heisterkamp said she thinks the Obama family represents "something we all need in this country right now, which is hope and optimism. ... They represent the American family, and that feels safe."
Vogel said she hopes Americans haven't set up the president-elect "with all of our hopes, for him to solve everything."
Bruce Gronbeck of the University of Iowa said that when the new administration takes charge, reality will set in, but this is "phase one." People are taking in "an amazing range of fragments of information" to build their own picture of the president-elect and to assess the state of the union.
The ancient Romans read the auspices, Gronbeck noted, but "we don't look at dead birds any more. We look at all of these little pieces of information to say, 'We're going to be all right.'"
Suzanne Cassidy is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is scassidy@lnpnews.com.
