Sunday, May 8, 2005

Action Figurism

Star Wars Lando Calrissian Action Figure Photos With echoes of events in Disney/Pixar's Toy Story, Delfin Vigil shares his fun story at SFGate.com regarding the liberation of Star Wars figures from certain doom at the hands of neighborhood bullies and cleaning-frenzied parents planet-wide.

For those of you not familiar with the brave tale of General Calrissian, I present a brief synopsis for you here. "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," one-time gambler and previous Administrator of Bespin's Cloud City, hero Lando Calrissian participated in a plan to rescue his old buddy Han Solo from Tatooine's vile gangster, Jabba the Hutt. Under Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker's plan, Lando, disguised as a Skiff Guard, infiltrated Jabba's palace and crew and began to gain the Hutt's trust. Because of Skywalker's cunning strategy and Lando's ingenious shroud, Calrissian was able to help save the Carbonite-frozen Solo from becoming Sarlaac food.

No doubt, the valiant rescue in George Lucas's Star Wars: Return of the Jedi inspired Delfin to take action and rescue not only Lando, but other members of the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. Mr. Vigil comments on the sad events in action figure history:

"What followed was the first of many acts of racism and sexism I witnessed as a child committed against Star Wars toys. I call it action figurism. While I believe it's safe to say action figures of all colors and genders lost their plastic lives to mutilation via matches, firecrackers, hammers and microwave ovens, I noticed that a Lando or Princess Leia were often the first to go."


With more amusing anecdotes that I'm sure many of us can relate to, Vigil's quest to stop 'action figurism' is well documented. Hurry over to read his story before it's too late...many Bothans died to bring us this information.

A warning to mothers everywhere: The preceeding is a story of greed, envy, corruption, tragedy, compassion, and ultimately, redemption. Don't let your children have to go through such tragic events. Take note and 'save the toys' before it's too late. Happy Mother's Day!

Photos courtesy of Colacola.se.