Where have all the Jokers gone, to be more exact. If you wanted a Heath Ledger action figure (the one that actually sort of looks like him) before the movie comes out in July … good luck finding one. Especially for its normal $9.99 price (damn).

It’s ridiculous what things will sell for on eBay, and fans are sucking up Heath Ledger action figures—The Dark Knight Movie the Joker “Crime Scene Evidence” Action Figures, to be precise—like victims of the Clown Prince of Crime’s infamous laughing gas suck up precious oxygen before they kill over. Not a pretty death, and not a pretty scene.

The worst part is, people are soaking them up just to resell them for outrageous prices, and many of the people who are buying them will never even take them out of the box. It’s sad. Maybe it’s just me, but these things are meant to be enjoyed, not stared at. Play with them, for Christ’s sake—at least once. I sort of collect action figures. I have a few, I’ll admit it, from various things. And it’s just fun to let Captain Jack Sparrow duke it out with Obi-Wan Kanobi once in awhile, or let Aragorn square off with Han Solo (if I could ever find him again, since I got him when I was a kid, sniff). For now they’re sitting on my shelf, looking cool (sans Han). Besides, I’m not a kid anymore, so their plastic limbs aren’t snapping off anytime soon.

Two other main things about these action figures have been bugging me. First of all, many people are whining about how fans who buy these Heath Ledger action figures are cheapening his death, and are therefore disrespecting him. I can’t help but disagree. If Ledger hadn’t tragically died, Warner Brothers would still be making them and people like me would still be wanting to buy them (if we can ever find any, that is). I don’t want one because Heath Ledger died, I want one because I think Ledger’s going to make a kick ass Joker and I was going to get one anyway. Plus, I’m not somebody who’s trying to make a quick buck selling some hastily-made Ledger tribute shirts.

I for one am siding with Christopher Nolan and Warner Brothers in their decision to go forward with their previously planned Joker viral marketing. I think it’s better to honor the man’s last finished work instead of covering it up. To ignore it or change the subject would be more of an insult than buying an action figure.

However, people are buying these things for their kids. The Dark Knight is not a kids’ movie, so the fact that they even made action figures which are selling in toy stores kind of freaks me out. I’ve talked about this before in my blog and with friends, and I still stand by that opinion. This is a very gritty, very psychotic portrayal of the Joker. There’s no acid-squirting flowers or cheap parlor tricks. It’s a down-to-earth Joker, showing his true insanity. And with him wielding M16s and missile launchers, I don’t understand why someone would let their kids have one—not to mention take their kids to see this movie, which is dark enough (even before it was topped with Ledger’s demise). I can understand if you’re a collector, or you’re old and mature enough to understand and respect what happened to Ledger and what the film is about—but for a kid? I just don’t get it. I know it all comes down to money, and that’s pretty damn low; what’s lower is putting one of these in the hands of a child, with everything you know that’s behind it.

All in all, Heath put so much effort and dedication into his interpretation, and this movie should be seen with pride. When you go to see TDK this summer, don’t be afraid to feel anger or hate toward the Joker. You won’t be disrespecting Ledger by any means; in fact, you’ll be revering him. Apathy is the worst reaction. When an actor receives an honest, deep emotional response from an audience—whether you feel for his character as a good guy or loathe him as a villain—that’s the mark of a good actor. And there is no doubt that’s what Ledger is.

What’s your opinion on the whole Heath Ledger/The Dark Knight marketing and movie controversy? Do you disagree? Agree? Let us know in the comments.

(Article here)

EDIT: Advertising Age recently posted this article addressing the reports about the Mattel-produced Joker action figures that’s worth noting.

A report in the New York Post about Mattel’s Joker action figures “flying off the shelves” at a local Toys “R” Us was pooh-poohed by retail and manufacturing executives as having ignored several key facts. For one thing, there are no known shortages of the Joker figure, they said, and if there were, they would be attributable to summer-movie toy shipments just now arriving at stores, not a lack of overall supply.

And as to the Joker toys allegedly flying off the shelves, Toys “R” Us spokesman Bob Friedland told Ad Age that what’s been ignored is that “the entire line of [’Dark Knight’] action figures is selling equally well.” In other words, consumer demand for the Joker has been equal to that of other “Dark Knight” characters, such as Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent and, no doubt to the great relief of Warner, Batman.