tell you what... if I'm gonna be this obsessed, I oughta have TOYS

[nakymaton]

I joked about this on the NY Brunch thread, but was too much of a chicken newbie to post a whole new thread at the time.

But... well, a few people here know that my favorite hobby is being obsessed with things. A book, a movie, a piece of music. Usually not more than one at a time. Anyway, right now I'm working through this BBM obsession (and in all seriousness, Phillip, really, I'm also trying to make sense of why this particular movie through me for a loop and what it means and what to do with it).

Anyway, this obsession's got a lot going for it. Message boards. Conversations in movie quotes. Get-togethers from NYC to Wyoming. Bumper stickers. T-shirts. Fan fiction.

But you know what those other obsessions had that this one doesn't have?

TOYS.

I want poseable Jack and Ennis action figures. With removable shirts. And cans of beans. And hard-to-pack soup. And panicking mules. And buckets and coffee pots and harmonicas and tents that don't look right. And I want the Ennis action figure to come with shirt-tucking action, and the Jack action figure to go "Woooo-heeee!" when I push a button on his back (and then grab Ennis's face and try to kiss him).

And I figure I can't be the only one.

But I've thought of other toys, too. Like how about a pair of Aguirre's binoculars... that show exactly what he was looking at but we couldn't see. Or a coffee pot drum. Or... hmmm. I'm running out of ideas.

Anyone else getting a collecting urge, but too poor to buy props off of E-bay?

[Meryl]

Anyone else getting a collecting urge, but too poor to buy props off of E-bay?

Seriously, I would buy those action figures in a second (though they'd have to be good likenesses of the actors).  Some of my LOTR figures are perfect little works of art.  Back when we were doing the Brokeback Cult I was hoping they'd make some so we could have a little "nativity scene." 

If they would just produce the dolls, we could raid other toy sources to fill out their kit and wardrobes.  Somebody on YouTube did a little movie with their Star Wars figures dressed up like Jack and Ennis (the Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor roles), complete with tent, sheep and campfire and folksy music.  The guys got it on in a big way, too (lack of genitals be damned!).  One of YouTube's finest moments.    I wonder if it's still there.  I don't think I kept the link.

So far all I have is Jenny's two-hat silver necklace, a bandanna and little sheep, elk and bull figures from the brunch.  I also bought a little brass cowboy boot at an antique store, rationalizing that if we ever do a BetterMost awards ceremony, it would make a perfect statuette. 

[David]

Toys?   How about an anatomically correct action figure?

Do a web search for the "Billy Doll".   He was created just for the Gay market!  And he comes in many outfits.  But NO COWBOY though!    I suppose you could make your own?

Here is the description from one web page I found:

  Billy is a superior quality adult doll, with special attention given to realism. He is
13 inches / 32 cm tall, weighing 11.3oz / 320 grams. He is made from five precision molded body parts, so he can be moved and posed in many positions.

And I remember seeing these forsale at a local.....ah, um, adult store.  <Blush>
Let me tell ya!   This doll is HUNG!   he he he!

Here are a few of the types.









I'm sure someone creative could make a Jack and Ennis out of them!   

[Ellemeno]

Mel, I would love that too.  I remember a previous thread (here?  IMDb?) where some people expressed being very offended by this idea, I think that it besmirched the sanctity of BBM for them, but I love it.

[Kelda]

why do we need action figures when we have the cutesy lego figures that hug each other.. !?

can't remember the link but love those little lego men and their little picture board story!!

[MaineWriter]

why do we need action figures when we have the cutesy lego figures that hug each other.. !?

can't remember the link but love those little lego men and their little picture board story!!

Your wish is my command....

http://destinationdaniel.smugmug.com/gallery/1213678/1/56772264

Leslie

[Jeff Wrangler]

If the folks who brought us Billy and his friend (or friends--I forget how many there were, but I distinctly remember a hot Hispanic one at our local GLBT bookstore) have any marketing sense at all, they'll bring us Ennis and Jack--or at least two cowboys who look suspiciously like Ennis and Jack. 

Those Lego things are cute, but I want a really good statuette/figurine/whatever of "The Dozy Embrace," and I WANT IT NOW! 

[Meryl]

Those Lego things are cute, but I want a really good statuette/figurine/whatever of "The Dozy Embrace," and I WANT IT NOW!

Me, too! 

David, I've seen a Billy doll, and yes, he is hung!  In a pinch, he could fill in for Our Boys, but he's really too pumped up for that slim, rangy cowboy look.  Maybe Heath or Jake will do an action flick that spawns action figures that we can adapt.  Til then, I guess I'll stick with beans. 

I guess it's the cultural stigma that's kept toy manufacturers from producing these figures (who wants the Christian fundamentalists boycotting them and making a big fuss--they've got their hands full just with Harry Potter), but it could also be that Brokeback is basically a romance/drama, and I can't think of any figures made from movies like that (except maybe "Gone with the Wind" or something).  So it may be up to a small company to come out with some figures and art work aimed at a niche market.  To those who feel BBM is besmirched by such things, I say "cover your eyes!"  Affection takes many forms.   

[Jeff Wrangler]

So it may be up to a small company to come out with some figures and art work aimed at a niche market.  To those who feel BBM is besmirched by such things, I say "cover your eyes!"  Affection takes many forms.   

That's more or less what I had in mind, Meryl. I regularly get catalogues with reproductions of famous statues and other works of art--the Toscano catalogue is the only one I can think of at the moment. I guess some people might consider those reproductions cheesy. I don't. They seem well done, and they aren't inexpensive, either. Anyway, that's the sort of thing I had in mind for a statue of "The Dozy Embrace." I don't think a well-done piece of art, with figures that actually look like Heath and Jake, would in any way "besmirch" BBM, but to each his own. And there must be a niche market for something like that. This is at least the third time I've participated in a discussion on this subject!

[Meryl]

I don't think a well-done piece of art, with figures that actually look like Heath and Jake, would in any way "besmirch" BBM, but to each his own.

I agree, Jeff.  Lord of the Rings fans were blessed with a huge array of figures to choose from, varying from horrible to good.  Here's one that I thought was well done, though.  If the "Dozy Embrace" was of a similar quality, it would be nice to have: 
 
http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=9305&type=&category=lotr3