Ariel’s washing machine had the label “Slutpoint” and unfortunately Hotpoint felt this was too near the mark for them. Rumours started in November 2003 that Ariel was in danger of being banned, and in December 2003 Ariel faded away, the victim of a legal wrangle that could so easily have cost her makers a lot of money.

This quickly lead to what now seems to be common practice among a number of collectors. People mass bought Ariel hoping to cash in on her inevitable increase in value at a later date. There has been speculation that one day she could reach the same staggering prices as Henry another victim of copyright issues. The news spread very quickly and Ariel even had the honour of a news story in the Daily Star.