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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - To bomb or not to bomb, that's the question. No, not from the U.S. military, but one that GourmetMike's is asking to tempt customers to buy its cheekily named new hot sauce: The Bomb Saddam Mad Blast Habanero Hot Sauce.

Gulf War II may be winding down. But there's a new battle that's raging on the home front among companies trying to make a quick profit by selling quirky merchandise inspired by the U.S. military, Iraq's "most-wanted" guys, and Saddam Hussein.

Industry watchers said it's the successful turn of the war that's enticing consumers to buy these kinds of "souvenirs."

From left: Sgt. Murphy, Captain Carl, Sailor Seymore, Sgt. Scruffy.

"Some companies are rushing to take advantage of the situation and consumers may want to buy these war products as souvenirs," said Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Consulting Group. "But as more time passes, the novelty factor of such products is also likely to diminish."

So among the companies striking while the time is right is Gemmy Industries, a privately held Irving, Texas-based toymaker. It debuted its dancing military hamsters about four weeks ago and is already scrambling to meet the demand for these plush rodents.

They come as a set of four -- representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines -- and are dressed in the appropriate garb of their unit. In true military spirit, each "dancing" hamster also sings a song specific to its branch of the armed forces.

"Military toys like G.I. Joe action figures and these hamsters have seen an uptick in sales that first really started after the war with Afghanistan," said Jim Silver, with industry monthly Toy Book. "But sales of these kinds of toys have certainly accelerated since then." The HERO Beanie Baby.

Said Jason McCann, vice president of marketing for Gemmy Industries, "Since we launched the military set about four weeks ago, the sales have been unbelievable. We're now air freighting the toys from China to meet the demand. The initial shipment was for 200,000. We've ordered another 200,000."

Fans of the Beanie Baby world welcomed a new addition, HERO Beanie Baby, which debuted nationwide Monday courtesy of Oak Brook, Ill.-based owner Ty. HERO Beanie Baby is a brown bear with a camouflage body and an American flag embroidered on one arm.

Ty said it was donating all profits from the sales of the HERO Beanie Baby to the U.S. Armed Forces.

Memories of Sahaf Herobuilders.com, a Danbury, Conn.-based company just released a 12-inch tall talking action figure of Iraq's former information minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, to add to its collection of dolls that include a "Babbling Osama," "Saddam Insane," and "President G.W," who comes dressed in a military camouflage uniform.

The doll says, "There are no American infidels in Baghdad, never. Our initial assessment is that they will all die. I am not scared and neither should you be. They're not even within 100 miles of Baghdad."

The Bomb Saddam Mad Blast Habanero Hot Sauce. The company made the "Iraqi Dis-information Minister Action Figure Doll" of al-Sahaf, who disappeared from Baghdad after U.S. troops entered the Iraqi capital. Until then al-Sahaf was the most visible spokesman of the Saddam regime.

The Iraqi 'Most-Wanted' deck of playing cards isn't just for the military any more. Several companies are now selling reproductions of the now-famous cards emblazoned with Iraq's most-wanted leaders. For example, people can buy the 55-card deck for $5.95 on the web site http://www.greatusaflags.com/. If you don't want the cards, there's also an "Iraqi Most-Wanted" Poster carrying all the same faces.

Meanwhile, Mike Mitchell, owner of Salt Lake City-based GourmetMike's Enterprises, said the Bomb Saddam Mad Blast Habanero Hot Sauce, which retails for $7.50 on the company's Web site www.gourmetmikes.com, has turned into somewhat of a rage with customers. The bottle comes with a black beret that fits over the cap.

"We launched the sauce about two months ago and recent sales are up 50 percent," said Mitchell. "Basically we wanted to have something that could let people see a little bit of humor amid all the seriousness."

Added Mitchell, "We also have a Bomb Laden and a Hot and Proud patriotic sauce. The Bomb Laden bottle has a turban on the cap and the Hot and Proud has an American flag on top."

And finally, how about Iraqi Road ice cream to soothe the burn of the hot sauce. The Star Spangled Ice Cream Co., a Baltimore-based producer of gourmet ice cream, sells the Star Spangled Pack, four quarts of its "patriotic flavors" -- "I hate the French Vanilla," "Iraqi Road," "Smaller Government," and "Nutty Environmentalist." The company advertises itself as a conservative alternative to Ben & Jerry's.

Copyright © 2003. CNN Money.