Brief History: Archie McPhee is a retail store in Seattle, Washington that offers a wide variety of pop culture knickknacks for kids and adults. With over 10,000 products it is impossible to name them all, not to mention you probably wouldn't believe me until you seen them for yourself. They have been in operation since 1983.
Product: Jane Austen Action Figure.Description: This 5 1/4" tall action figure is made of hard vinyl and comes with a mini Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice novel, a writing desk and a removable quill pen.
Packaging: The action figure comes securely packaged in a double layer of clear sturdy plastic with cardboard backing. The cardboard backing is printed with Jane Austen facts and quotes from her popular novels.
Price: Each figure sells for $8.95 US.
Shipping: McPhee delivers within the U.S. only. Reasonable charges begin at $4.95.
Comments: I came across this action figure last year and thought it would be a great "cute" gift for any Austen fan and have wanted one for some time but the item obviously didn't warrant spending $30 plus to have it delivered to Canada. Some months passed and it was still in my mind so I finally asked a dear American friend to order two for me, have them delivered to her and then send them to me with some other things she was sending. I ordered two because one was for my bookshelf and the other was to be used as a prize in a writing group I belong to. Being the good friend that she is, she gifted them to me.
Satisfaction: Despite the round-about way I attained these action figures I'm glad I finally have them. These figures definitely do not fall under the "usable toy" category in which someone could actually play with them. Before I had the rigid packaging open I had broken the Pride and Prejudice book from Jane Austen's hand. Once out I tried to remove the "removable quill" from her other hand and almost broke that to. I still haven't taken it out. I haven't tried to move the arms more than a few millimetres for fear of separating them from her body. Luckily, I didn't plan on playing with her. I just wanted her for an inspirational ornament for my bookshelf and that function seems to be working out beautifully. My only wish is that the desk actually came with legs like some of the other action figure sets. At the moment it sits propped at her feet. If you're a Jane Austen fan I don't think your book collection is complete until you have this action figure standing guard over her works. Just don't let the kids play with it.
The Jane Austen Action Figure can be found at the Archie McPhee website.
M. E. Wood lives in Eastern Ontario, Canada. If you are going to find this eclectic reader and writer anywhere it is probably at her computer. For more information visit her official website.
