United States Burger King Toy

Lord of the rings: Fellowship of the rings from New Line Cinema has eagerly
embraced marketing and promotional partnerships on a global scale, from
reproduction jewelry, action figures, and CCG to gift-with-purchase from
Burger King’s around the world.

The focus of this article is the giveaway toys at Burger Kings in the
US. These were served up with “kid’s meals” at BK from December
2001 until February 2002. You can still find them on Ebay.com individually
and as a set. I myself purchased a set via Ebay and my review is as follows…

The complete set includes 19 pieces, 18 figures, and One Ring centerpiece.
I paid $40 US but it came with an extra piece, it breaks down to about
$2 a piece. That seems fairly acceptable for this kind of item. My guess
is that if there are any left by the release of The Two Towers, and if
BK offers a new set, the old one will begin to fetch a hefty sum.

TIP: As long as they are in stock you can purchase any toy without
the meal. Just ask to speak to the manager.

Each toy is a figure based on a character from the film and stands on
a unique base. Some speak, some light up, and one does both. The voices
used are not those of the actors and some quotes are recognizable from
the film but others not. Each representation is meant to look like that
of the actor as they played their character.

Once you have collected all 18-character figures you can attach them
to the base of the One Ring. Having done so you can then turn the ring
to activate each figure in turn when they are all attached. I found this
very difficult to do though. Figures can be activated independently of
the One Ring. Each has a ring shaped lever at the front, which you can
push to activate the sound or effect.

Sorry these pics aren’t the greatest due to the size and position
of the figures when they are all put together, more photos will be available
in our upcoming newsletter so watch for it.

Arwen: Comes atop Asfaloth. Her torso lights up to highlight her
pendant

Bilbo: Holds aloft the One Ring smiling. He says, “The ring
must go to Frodo”

Boromir: Hold’s his horn and says, “You carry the fate of
us all little one”

Celeborn: He is clad in green and his base lights up underneath
his feet make his legs glow

Elrond: Standing he says “You shall be the fellowship of
the ring”

Frodo: Hold’s the One Ring on chain and says “The power to
yield in the smallest of things”

Galadriel: Stand’s waiving good-bye to the Fellowship. She also
lights up from underneath

Gandalf: Holding his staff he says, “Speak friend and enter”.
The crystal in his staff also flickers

Gimli: Holding his ax he says, “And what are we waiting for?”

Legolas: Drawing an arrow across he bow he says, “The ring
must be destroyed”

Lurtz: In full battle gear with fist raised. His shield lights
up

Merry: Holds a lantern which lights up

One Ring: The One Ring centerpiece lights up when turned, it is
a giant gold ring emerging from a rising flame.

Orc: In a crouching stance, his eyes glow red from his helmet

Pippin: Drawing his sword, he holds a torch which flickers

Sam: Kneeling down he is holding a frying pan over a flame which
flickers

Value Added: Some items are more collectible because of rare errors
in production for instance instead of an opaque Galadriel there are several
completely clear ones. Additionally there are two versions of Elrond,
one with his Elven ears showing and one without. There is a Boromir with
a long garment and one with a shorter garment also sometimes his sleeves
are painted gold and sometimes silver.

Do A Good Deed: Purchase the meal with the toy and give the food
to a homeless person, local shelter, or food donation program.