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| Slash Film |
While I wasn't really impressed by the latest adaptation of IT, I did like the look of the newly designed Pennywise as portrayed by Bill Skarsgård not because it was a bad costume, I really like it, but because it didn't resemble the Pennywise my mind conjured up when I read the description in the book.
In the book IT, Stephen King describes Pennywise, at various times as having a "white face" and "funny tuffs of red hair on either side of his bald head" he wears a baggy silk light silver clown suit with big orange pom pom buttons, an electric-blue bow tie and he also wears white large mickey mouse type gloves.
He has a bunch of balloons which as he tells Georgie are "red, and green and yellow and blue"
Georgie sees his eyes looking at him from inside a storm drain which are described as bright yellow eyes and also shiny, later as he shows more of himself while talking to Georgie his eyes are blue.
He is also described (by Georgie) as looking like a "cross between Bozo and Clarabell from Howdy Doody".
In case, like me you weren't around in the 1950's, 1960's or early 1970's and don't understand the references, here's a couple of images of Bozo the Clown and Clarabell from Howdy Doody...
Warning, they are the stuff of nightmares...
Carabell the mute clown was on the Howdy Doody Show from 1954 to 1960 and again, is one of the most terrifying things I've ever, seen, I can't believe children were into this. Just look at this clip from the last episode of the show, when Clarabell finally broke his silence...
This thing now haunts my dreams...
I can see where they were going with the Pennywise makeup the used for Bill Skarsgård's portrayal, the way the bright red lips and "mouth lines" which extend up the cheeks are very reminiscent of Clarabell, and his white face and red hair is not unlike Bozo The Clown's either.
Anyway, enough of this frightening stuff let's get to my new Pennywise figure...
I guess I'll start with the box design, seeing as that's the first thing I saw when I opened the parcel containing him.
I love this cover, it's so atmospheric, there's a hint of menace to the image, with Pennywise shown mostly in shadow, with his grinning face only visible reflected in the balloon he's offering in his outstretched hand.
Of course it also depicts poor little 5 year old Georgie Denbrough, in his rain slicker, who lost his life for want of a balloon.
The box opens like a book and is held in place with a small Velcro dot.
It opens onto an image on the inside of the front cover of the figure, posed against a backdrop which depicts The Well House, also known as 29 Neibolt Street, Derry as it appears in the film and is described in the book - a derelict boarded up building with it's porch sinking into the ground on one side and weeds growing up all around it.
A scary place for local children, ignored by adults - home to Hobos, Tramps, Winos and the creature known as IT himself.
The images on the back of the box are various poses which the figure can be put into for display or play.
The bottom of the box states the package design was the work of Chris Raimo, and I have to say I think he did an awesome job, it's the perfect way to illustrate the figure inside and has the same brooding atmosphere that builds as the story of Derry, Maine and it's resident evil entity enfolds.
Behind the figure's picture window is a removable background which depicts the house at 29 Neibolt Street, and is very similar to the one shown on the inside of the front cover which I mentioned earlier.
The figure itself stands at around 7 inches, and has 19 points of articulation...
The head moves up and down, side to side and 360 degrees, the neck also moves the in same manner.
The shoulders move up and down and also turn 360 degrees, while the triceps only move up and down.
Above the elbows move up, down and 360 degrees, the elbow itself just moves up and down but not to the same extent as the area above does.
The hands move 360 degrees only. His waist can be moved up and down and 360 degrees as well .
Upper thighs move 180 degrees and side to side only . The knees bend backwards in a natural way but can also be twisted around 360 degrees which is anything but natural!
Below the knee bends in the same way. The final point of articulation is the ankle which can move up and down and weirdly also turns 360 degrees.
As you've most likely already noticed, the figure comes with two spare heads, allowing you to change his facial expressions, a spare pair of hands, one is posed in an "ok" gesture, so he can be posed holding the "string" of the balloon he comes with or the scaled paper boat he also comes with.
I love the attention to detail on this figure and his accessories; the little "paper" boat even has "SS Georgie" written on it.
For added posability his balloon has a thin wire "string" so it can be twisted and posed or even looped at the bottom so it can also "stand" up by itself.
It's easy to see that a lot of work and hours were spent designing and sculpting this figure and the others in the range, which is even more noticeable when you read the list of people who worked in these areas, listed on the bottom of the box.
These are listed as follows: "Sculpt - Adrienne Smith
Kyle Windrix
Alex Heinke
Trevor Grove"
"Paint - Geoffrey Trapp
Jon Wardell"
So quite a few talented individuals were involved in sketching the premise, sculpting the individual parts, moulding, forming, smoothing and sanding then colour matching and painting the prototype figures, and eventually the final product that was released for sale.
As much as I love this figure, there was one thing I wasn't so impressed with...
The head with Pennywise's mouth open was shown in the sales photographs as looking identical to the moth design in the film, as shown above.
Unfortunately, the teeth on the head I received really didn't look anything like the promotional image.
I was really disappointed about this because one of the selling points for me was this facial expression, but I guess being so small the two main rows of teeth are not only very hard to mould in a way that shows the definition, it is also very hard to paint them to look like the promotional image.
I gave his teeth a quick once over with my paintbrush to try and give them a bit more definition, it didn't turn out quite as I hoped but it is definitely better than it was before.
Well, I guess that's all I have to say on this little guy for now, so I'll be off!
Take care,
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