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The Underground Fangirl Economy
Apr. 26th, 2012 07:40 pmSideshow Collectibles announced a new line of Star Wars figurines today, called Star Wars Mythos:
http://www.sideshowtoy.com/experience/entertainment/main-attractions/star-wars-page/star-wars-mythos/
It's a neat idea. But I tweeted to Sideshow that I'd like to see more Star Wars heroines and not just in a bikini. Sideshow puts out a good product and it's one of the few licensees around that will include all of the movies in its Star Wars line. But it's strong points are in armored characters, villains, and a few of the heroes, while it's few attempts at Leia and Padmé managed to avoid making them "pretty" (okay, its Aayla Secura was nicely done but it's a character with a lot of sex appeal to fanboys).
Recently I saw the Bella and Edward "Breaking Dawn" Barbie sets at Target, each in their wedding gear. Mattel had done a very nice Aragorn and Arwen wedding set some years back. But Star Wars collectors who have pined for a Han and Leia set or an Anakin and Padmé set remain empty-handed.
Mattel is going to put out a very nice-looking Katniss Barbie doll in the wake of the success of "The Hunger Games." Nobody has put out a 12" doll of any significant female Star Wars character in YEARS. And the ones they have put out over the past 10 years have emphasized action babe over everything else. The last time anyone did a mass market line similar to what Mattel has done was Hasbro's Portrait Collection in the late '90s. That was a terrific line. I bought 'em all. But because toy stores didn't know enough to stock the girly stuff in the girly toy aisle, because Lucasfilm and Hasbro insisted on uniform packaging that doesn't necessarily attract female collectors/young girls, and because of rising costs, Hasbro abandoned the line after the TPM rush.
Robert Tonner has done beautiful dolls for Twilight, Harry Potter, LOTR, and Pirates of the Caribbean. They are going to do a Hunger Games line. Tonner did do a couple of very expensive dolls for TPM as an exclusive for FAO Schwartz. But it hasn't done any Star Wars ever since. WTF is up with that?
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rkc_erika has a petition to get a new license for Tonner:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/MoreSTARWARSDolls
In the meantime fangirls are doing it for themselves. For years people have taken Tonner dolls and other high quality dolls, repainted them, and reinvented them for unserved collectors, often to awesome results:
http://starwarsshrine.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/padme-amidala-natalie-portman-robert-tonner-16-repaintreroot-custom-doll/
Check out this fantastic bust...the artist had included in the design several other Star Wars images:
http://starwarsshrine.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/amazing-ooak-queen-amidala-bust-by-laurie-leigh-available-on-ebay/
Now that is something that's different and shows some inspiration. By the way, it sold for $500 on eBay.
$500 that could have gone in official coffers. Your loss, guys.
http://www.sideshowtoy.com/experience/entertainment/main-attractions/star-wars-page/star-wars-mythos/
It's a neat idea. But I tweeted to Sideshow that I'd like to see more Star Wars heroines and not just in a bikini. Sideshow puts out a good product and it's one of the few licensees around that will include all of the movies in its Star Wars line. But it's strong points are in armored characters, villains, and a few of the heroes, while it's few attempts at Leia and Padmé managed to avoid making them "pretty" (okay, its Aayla Secura was nicely done but it's a character with a lot of sex appeal to fanboys).
Recently I saw the Bella and Edward "Breaking Dawn" Barbie sets at Target, each in their wedding gear. Mattel had done a very nice Aragorn and Arwen wedding set some years back. But Star Wars collectors who have pined for a Han and Leia set or an Anakin and Padmé set remain empty-handed.
Mattel is going to put out a very nice-looking Katniss Barbie doll in the wake of the success of "The Hunger Games." Nobody has put out a 12" doll of any significant female Star Wars character in YEARS. And the ones they have put out over the past 10 years have emphasized action babe over everything else. The last time anyone did a mass market line similar to what Mattel has done was Hasbro's Portrait Collection in the late '90s. That was a terrific line. I bought 'em all. But because toy stores didn't know enough to stock the girly stuff in the girly toy aisle, because Lucasfilm and Hasbro insisted on uniform packaging that doesn't necessarily attract female collectors/young girls, and because of rising costs, Hasbro abandoned the line after the TPM rush.
Robert Tonner has done beautiful dolls for Twilight, Harry Potter, LOTR, and Pirates of the Caribbean. They are going to do a Hunger Games line. Tonner did do a couple of very expensive dolls for TPM as an exclusive for FAO Schwartz. But it hasn't done any Star Wars ever since. WTF is up with that?
rkc_erika has a petition to get a new license for Tonner:http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/MoreSTARWARSDolls
In the meantime fangirls are doing it for themselves. For years people have taken Tonner dolls and other high quality dolls, repainted them, and reinvented them for unserved collectors, often to awesome results:
http://starwarsshrine.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/padme-amidala-natalie-portman-robert-tonner-16-repaintreroot-custom-doll/
Check out this fantastic bust...the artist had included in the design several other Star Wars images:
http://starwarsshrine.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/amazing-ooak-queen-amidala-bust-by-laurie-leigh-available-on-ebay/
Now that is something that's different and shows some inspiration. By the way, it sold for $500 on eBay.
$500 that could have gone in official coffers. Your loss, guys.
