You know, I have always had a dislike for the collectible business. Most children of the 70's and 80's probably do, as we were generally left crying because our Transformers or Star Wars collections were incomplete. My own bitterness arises from not being able to get a figure of April O'Neill, the redheaded reporter and best friend of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That was the first time I learned that adults collected these things -- and not to play with, but to sell for ridiculously high prices. And I learned it courtesy of my dad, who knew guys hoarding April O'Neill figures, and who wouldn't cough one up to a fellow cop for his young, geeky daughter.
So, this story from the New York Post reporting Heath Ledger's Joker figure selling out everywhere makes me sad and angry. It's not that kids are being denied a Joker figure (I really do not think young children should be anywhere near The Dark Knight, and I'm pretty liberal about kids watching dark movies), but that Ledger's death is being shamelessly exploited on eBay. Because you know as well as I that those figures wouldn't be flying from the shelves if Ledger hadn't passed away earlier this year. I have no doubt it would be popular, but no one would be buying 30 of them. They wouldn't be going for $55.00 a pop. (Actually, it looks like that's some hyperbole, as a brief glance suggests it's more in the range of $30-$40, but it's still the principle of the thing. Sell enough and you've turned a tidy profit.)
So, this story from the New York Post reporting Heath Ledger's Joker figure selling out everywhere makes me sad and angry. It's not that kids are being denied a Joker figure (I really do not think young children should be anywhere near The Dark Knight, and I'm pretty liberal about kids watching dark movies), but that Ledger's death is being shamelessly exploited on eBay. Because you know as well as I that those figures wouldn't be flying from the shelves if Ledger hadn't passed away earlier this year. I have no doubt it would be popular, but no one would be buying 30 of them. They wouldn't be going for $55.00 a pop. (Actually, it looks like that's some hyperbole, as a brief glance suggests it's more in the range of $30-$40, but it's still the principle of the thing. Sell enough and you've turned a tidy profit.)
Ledger's untimely death is the kind of thing that collectors cackle with glee over. You know that ten minutes after the news hit, there were men and women saying "Sweet, all that Dark Knight stuff is going to be really valuable!" How lucky for them his final film was one that actually produced collectibles and not, say, Brokeback Mountain or I'm Not There. At the same time that Warner Bros is treading oh-so-lightly on all things marketing in order to stave off screams of exploitation, eBay is doing brisk business.
Now, before you flame me, I don't mean all collectors are bad. There are geeks who collect because they love, and there are those who collect purely and utterly for profit. Nor do I deny there is a happy medium between the two -- everyone hopes their still-sealed Chewbacca pays for retirement. I have friends who lovingly buy two of everything, one to save in packaging and one to rip open and mess with. Even I, who sniff at their obsessiveness, broke down and bought a NECA "convention exclusive King Leonidas" last year in San Diego. (Not long after, I laughed at myself and opened it. Weeks later, I damaged him, thus proving why my future children can't count on my geekdom to provide a college fund.) But there's a line of nastiness, and it usually consists of using an untimely death to make a small fortune. It is reprehensible and cheap, because somewhere out there, individuals are finding pleasure in Ledger's death. I don't care who it is, how they died, or when -- no one should ever find a reason for joy in a death. Especially when that reason is financial gain. If the thought makes me a goody-goody Pollyanna, so be it.
It's a small thing and it shouldn't bother me, but it does. Ledger's family approved the figure, and I think they were right to do so. Like most anticipating the film, I have been very vocal in believing that all should proceed as if Ledger was still alive. Don't dwell on the fact that he isn't. But I can still wish for world to act with a little class once and awhile. What I hope is that Mattel produces enough to completely drive down the value -- thus making a fool of anyone who paid an obscene price, and anyone who's got 30 of them to unload. Not only is it a fitting plan for the Joker, but it's a good dose of karma.
1. Excellent point. It saddens me to take the fun out of collecting just to make a quick buck.
(As for your Leonidas example, I too can't keep the figures or anything like that in their packages... what's the fun in that? I've got my slowly growing Batman rogues gallery on top of my entertainment center because I think it makes a fun decoration and -- sometimes -- conversation starter)
But I remember seeing Batman Begins figures all over the place around here until just the last few weeks and one or two here and there even now. Of course, you can't have a Joker-driven movie without Joker merchandise, and I agree, I hope Mattel doesn't limit the numbers made. If the Scarecrow or Ra's al Ghul can be all over the place figure-wise, why not the Joker?
Collectors looking to make a quick buck always disturbed me because it really takes the fun as a hobby. As a young boy, I wanted to complete my set and it always seemed to be extremely difficult. But I wasn't trying to collect to sell them off someday, but just for fun.
Heck, I've still got my figures from the first two Keaton Batman films. They're not in the greatest of shape and they may be missing a cape or two, but hey, I had fun with them when I was a kid.
Why should these "collectors" keep the same thing away from kids now? (And I'll agree, TDK is probably going to be way too dark for kids. But I know I'd still be clamoring for a Joker figure if I was still young enough to play with them.)
Posted at 12:26PM on May 8th 2008 by Thomas Corhern