Hallmark Gandalf the Gray Ornament 2005

Back in the day when I was seeing LOTR before my eyes, I just had to have everything - stupid huh? But so works the mind of a collector. Since coming down out of the clouds I've made attempts to get rid of the excess but I look back at what fueled this collecting frenzy and it was easy. Since reading The Hobbit for the first time back in '71 (or '72?) I was hooked. After reading the Lord of  The Rings Trilogy right afterward I would make annual pilgrimages to Middle Earth for many years to come, having read all four books again about four/five years ago.

The various cartoons which came out in the '70s just fueled the fires but they were rather weak, wispy visions of what LOTR could have, should have been. Peter Jackson's seminal trilogy (2001-2003) was the icing on the cake. Yes, there were flaws, but even with flaws it was awesome. When Play Along Toys came out with their Armies of Middle Earth series of toys and playset's (which were licensed tie-ins to the movies) man-oh-man I was caught hook, line, and sinker!! It wasn't much of a stretch for the collecting bug to branch outward to other things and so we have today's LOTR offering, a beautifully sculpted Ian McKellen as Gandalf The Gray from Hallmark in 2005. Hallmark's Gandalf stand 4 3/4" (12.06cm) H and has a small ring sticking out of his cap. This is an ornament after all so it was designed to be hung up, but taking out the the little ring would just leave a small, barely noticeable hole in his hat. Anywho, I left him as is. There will more LOTR paraphernalia featured here in the months ahead so - Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

PEZ 2011 Lord of The Rings Dispenser Set - Wal-Mart Exclusive

A couple of weeks after finding the 2011 PEZ Lord of The Rings Dispenser set (featured last week here on Toys & Stuff), I found this set at a local Wal-Mart store! It's essentially the same set, but they've taken the Bilbo dispenser out and replaced it with an 'Eye of Sauron' dispenser. Neat! Enjoy the photos while I enjoy the candy :-)

PEZ 2011 Lord of The Rings Dispenser Set

Saturday's on Toys & Stuff have mostly been reserved for Science Fiction & Fantasy and largely featuring Lord of The Rings Toys - mostly because there's so many toys to feature and it's a personal favorite of mine. Today Toys & Stuff brings you a nifty LOTR PEZ dispenser set. The sets are limited edition (what isn't now days, right?) and  include; Bilbo, Frodo, Samwise, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gollum. Earlier in the year I vaguely remember reading about the set but had thought it was going to be a Hobbit movie tie-in. Nope! These sets are brand new for 2011 and are licensed tie-ins to Peter Jackson's "Lord of The Rings" trilogy. Now this strikes me as a little bit strange - that new product would be offered 9 years after the release of the last movie! It might be a ploy to keep the franchise in the public's eye prior to the release of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" in 2012. But it's all good, it's a tasty way to remember the films! I haven't yet de-boxed my set for further photography but that's okay, for now - Enjoy!

Toy Biz Electronic Sound & Action Treebeard, the Talking Ent

Today on Toys & Stuff we bring you a really cool Lord of The Rings toy - Treebeard the Talking Ent from Toy Biz. Released in 2002 this Treebeard speaks 8 different phrases when a button on his 'head' is pressed. The right arm has a lever behind it which, when depressed, causes his arm to raise. The 'fingers' on each hand also have some mobility allowing one to pose a Toy Biz Merry or Pippin in Treebeard's hand. I don't have any other LOTR figures from Toy Biz and so can't photograph a proper setting of the trio. and the Play Along toys figures are way too small to look right along with this figure. Treebeard stands 17 1/4" (43.8cm) high. I've noticed a lot of sellers list the figure at 15" high, BUT what they don't realize when measuring Treebeard while still in the box, is that in the package there is a 'topper' to Treebeard's head which raises his overall height! The toy makers' lavished a lot of detail on Treebeard and the bark, branch, and foliage detail on this toy is amazing and it's an absolutely terrific addition to any LOTR collection. Enjoy!