I could not resist, just had to post these…
The other day, having gone to an oriental bazaar with the firm intention of tracking down a riveted mail shirt and some other old bits of rusty metal and junk, we paused in a shop to buy drinks. (It was 45 degrees Celsius in the shade, I thought I would surely cook on the hoof) And look what I found!
Tutti Frutti Lord of the Rings Bubble Gum with Super Toys! Complete with the film logo and an inspired selection of artwork, from Alan Lee’s depiction of Numenor through a lot of my work to film imagery, including the Gandalf in his cart I did for Peter Jackson.
Needless to say, I bought a whole bag (sudden, inexplicable craving for bubble gum, no doubt) and even tried to buy the display box, but alas it wasn’t for sale. It only had film photos on it, nothing of mine, or it would’ve been the most lucrative sale of the day for the shopkeeper.
Inside each package, there is a collectible sticker (from the film), a cardboard box (collect all 24 and win a prize!) and a toy. In Gandalf’s box there was a little pink and yellow plastic car (I mean, think of all those leagues he has to cover in Middle-Earth) and in Legolas’ box there was (what else?) a plastic hair clasp. Oh yes, there was some bubble gum too.
I have to say I’m very impressed too with the photoshop job done on the Mûmak image to fit those pesky peripheral hobbits in the picture. I must have a graphic artist fan somewhere in Turkey…
Of course, it’s a compound copyright violation, but pursuing the guilty parties is a hobby reserved for corporations. As for me, I was delighted, I’ve never been on tutti frutti bubble gum packets before, much less illegal ones.
I never did find that mail shirt, by the way.
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And speaking of mail shirts…
We’ll be away in the Middle Ages for a few days, so I’ll tell you all about it when we get back!
