Figures of interest
It took a few decades, but J.R. Ewing is finally an action figure.
Figures Toy Company is now selling two J.R. figures: “Oil Tycoon,” which comes dressed in a three-piece business suit, and a “Who Shot J.R.?” version that features a replica of the vest Larry Hagman wears in the famous scene where J.R. is gunned down.
Both figures are 12 inches tall and come with cowboy hats. The figures sell for $79.99 apiece or $159 for a set. Figures Toy Company began accepting orders on its website last week and plans to ship the figures in December.
Each figure will be limited to quantities of 750 during the initial production run, so collectors should order them while they can.
“I am an avid ‘Dallas’ fan from when I was a child,” said Anthony Balasco, the company’s founder and chief financial officer. He remembered how Mego Corporation scuttled plans for a line of “Dallas” figures during the show’s heyday and decided Figures Toy Company would finish what Mego started.
To create Hagman’s action figure likeness, the Figures Toy Company sculptor relied on photos of the late actor provided by Warner Bros., the studio that licenses “Dallas” merchandise. “The only challenge was to decide what year/time period to use for J.R. We choose the earlier years when the show was at its most popular ratings,” Balasco said.
Figures Toy Company, which Balasco founded in 1989, also sells figures based on other classic TV shows and entertainers, including “The Dukes of Hazzard,” the 1960s “Batman” series and the rock band KISS. A line of “Gilligan’s Island” figures is in the works too.
There are no plans to make figures based on other “Dallas” characters, but Balasco is open to the idea of giving other Ewings the action figure treatment.
“If the fans want the line to continue, then please let us know by purchasing the J.R. Ewing figures,” Balasco said. “We would love to be able to offer Sue Ellen to go with J.R.”
You heard the man, “Dallas” fans. Place those orders today!
Preston Hagman Speaks
In case you missed it: Preston Hagman, Larry’s son, tells “Entertainment Tonight” he isn’t angry that his father was snubbed during the recent Primetime Emmy tributes: “I think my dad was a trailblazer in the industry to set the stage for other actors. So it’s not anger. It’s definitely disappointment.”
Bringing Up Baby
Dallas Decoder offers belated congratulations to Jordana Brewster and her husband Andrew Form, who recently welcomed their first child, a boy named Julian. Perhaps when he gets a little older, Julian will enjoy playing with a J.R. Ewing action figure?
“Drill Bits,” a roundup of news about TNT’s “Dallas,” is published regularly. Share your comments below.
Dallas Decoder 
[…] case you missed it: The new J.R. Ewing action figure from Figures Toy Company was recently spotted around Manhattan, where he checked out the billboards […]