I’ve always liked marionettes. Now I have my very own. I’d never seen these particular ones before. And where else would I find them but at a thrift store? Four of them were tangled together. I didn’t realize at first that one was missing; I had to Google some images. They didn’t have stickers, so I took them to the counter and asked for a price check. They returned with a verdict of $2.99 each. Sold!
I knew I’d be getting the fifth figure one at some point. That “some point” became that very night. Never before have I longed for a boy band. Now I needed them like an adoring teenage fan, desiring to own all five members of *NSYNC by Living Toyz. The original four bought in person were Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, and Lance Bass. I began the hunt for Chris Kirkpatrick. Of course I checked eBay and lo and behold there was Kirkpatrick - no box, technically loose, but still in the original plastic tray - $9.00. Sold!
I must have spent thirty minutes untangling Fatone, Timberlake, Chasez, and Bass. I had to restring the handles several times. If you ever want to question both your sanity and your life choices, fiddle with puppet strings for thirty minutes. I now know more about the art of marionette than your average person. Well, these toy ones anyway. And now that they’re theatre-ready, how the heck am I supposed to display five 10” marionettes?!
I definitely want them to hang. I like the fact that they’re marionettes and I want to see them in all their suspended glory. Meanwhile, I have zero space in my apartment. Good news is, I have a shelf in my closet that holds a few figures, and above that shelf is a horizontal rod from which hangs a few of NECA’s Planet of the Apes figures, as well as Disney’s Tarzan. And now the chimps share the closet rod with these human heartthrobs.
After collecting this little group I did some more Googling. I discovered the video for *NSYNC’s song “It’s Gonna Be Me” from their No Strings Attached album. In it, our heroes portray marionettes on the shelf at a toy store. These are the figures based on that video and album. I’m not making efforts to track down marionettes, but I’m excited to own these ones. And while I wouldn’t call myself an *NSYNC fan, when it comes to collecting figures in the likeness of athletes, actors, and singers - it’s gonna be me.
from DeviantArt
Sal Rodriguez pounds the pavement in Los Angeles as an actor, comedian, and writer. He began collecting figures upon discovering UFC and WWE figures by Jakks Pacific. He lives with his two cats - Fluff Daddy and Little Mister, and over 2,000 action figures. Subscribe to his YouTube channel, and look for him in the recent commercial for AutoZone as Bernie the wrestler.
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