"It is not, nor has it ever been our objective to hurt, dismay or anger anyone," that letter said in part.

Jeanetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake branch of the NAACP, credited public outcry with halting the production of the monkey, which she had last week called "pure racism at its extreme."

"People in general found it to be very offensive," Williams said. "Bringing it to the forefront made people aware these kinds of things are going on."

Misty Fowler, chairwoman of Utah for Obama, said she was pleased with the decision to pull the product and issue an apology.

"I really think this has been a useless distraction from the real issues. I also think Utahns are much more affected by Obama's economic policy than some ill-conceived idea for a toy," Fowler said. "I'm glad that this has come to an end."

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Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com