All dolled up

"Lost" action figures spin fantasy from ordinary mortals

In today's celebrity culture, you know you've made it when a doll -- excuse me, action figure -- is made in your likeness, to be sold to adoring fans everywhere.

What they're saying Thanks to voice chip technology -- and a couple of AAA batteries -- you can hear each character's action figure say (sort of) the following memorable lines: Jack » "If we can't live together, we're going to die alone." » "Everybody wants me to be a leader, until I make a decision they don't like." » "There's something that you need to know. ... We're going to have a Locke problem, and I have to know that you've got my back." Kate » "Jack!" (thunderclap and rain) » (Frightened) "One ... two ... three ... four ... five." » "If you're thinking about going for the cockpit, I'm going with you." » "I only made out with him because torturing him didn't work." Charlie » (Singing) "You all everybody ... You all everybody." » "Guys ... where are we?" » "You don't know me? I'm a bloody rock god!" Locke » "I've looked into the eye of this island, and what I saw ... was beautiful." » "Don't ever tell me what I can't do! Ever!!" » "Do you want to know a secret?" Hurley » "Dude, I'm starving. I'm nowhere near that hungry." » "You got some ... Arzt ... on you." » "Stop! Wait! The numbers are bad!" » "Welcome to the first, and hopefully last, Island Open." Shannon » "What's a four-letter word for 'I don't care'?" » "The plane had a black box, idiot. I'll eat on the rescue boat." » "You want my information? Name: Shannon Rutherford. Age: 20. Address: Craphole Island."

Todd McFarlane's McFarlane Toys has built a formidable reputation on its accurate and detailed scale figures of movie, music and sports stars, most of them in colorful costume or uniform.

But when McFarlane was approached by the producers of "Lost" after its phenomenal first season to make action figures of the ensemble cast, he was faced with a challenge. Namely, how to transform human beings in everyday garb into dramatic figures that would grab the imagination -- and discretionary income -- of fans of the mystery drama.

With the Dec. 1 release of the first series of "Lost" Season 1 action figures, the line is off to a strong start. Not only are there appealing 6-inch figures of Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Locke (Terry O'Quinn), Charlie (Dominic Monaghan), Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and Shannon (Maggie Grace), but each figure comes with its own custom base containing select dialogue clips.

An additional selling point: full-scale replica props specifically associated with each character. For example, the Jack figure includes a mug shot of Kate; Kate has a toy airplane. And wait, there's more! Each series will also include a separate mini-diorama that depicts a crucial scene from "Lost." With this first series, it's the scene where Jack, Locke, Kate and Hurley discover the hatch -- and, yes, the open hatch does light up (batteries not included).

Calling from his headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., McFarlane said he did similar figures when "The X-Files" was in its heyday. "I always look into the pop culture around us, trying to get the pulse of the public and head in that direction."

As with "The X-Files," he said, " 'Lost' obviously has a sci-fi element and is a suspense, plus it's closer to the demographic of those who would buy action figures."

Waiting until now to release the figures was important in their marketing, McFarlane said. "When a show is in its first season, if the characters are licensed then -- from my perspective, at least -- a studio jumps the gun at times, because merchandise comes out before the show finds its fan base."

At this point, the show has an audience and is primed. "They already know the characters, and you know what you're making when the demand is out there."

The show's co-creators, J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, are fans of McFarlane's previous comic book and toy-company work, so it was no surprise that the two parties got together after the first season.

"We wanted to make cool figures, but I initially thought, 'Whoof! It's tough to work with humans who are usually just in shirt and pants,' " McFarlane said. "We had to sex this thing up. ... So we adjusted on the fly, making it a figure with a base and printed background, showing a moment in the character's life on the island. And in order to go even more forward, we would add the sound bite from that dramatic moment, plus a couple of other overview quotes."

JUST AS Season 2 filming was beginning on Oahu, McFarlane flew here and set up a portable head scanner in his hotel room. The actors' facial features were captured in an instant wire frame for the sculpted figures.

"I explained to them that their faces were being scanned like a bar code. In the two to three passes on their faces, I asked them to give me different, animated looks each time -- like sad, melancholy, happy and raging, screaming mad. Some actors said that some of those looks were not part of their character, but I told them, 'Well, that may change in future seasons, and I don't want to come back then, so let's go through all of them now.' "

Body doubles were hired to act out chosen scenes to secure proportion and movement dynamics. The costume department helped with wardrobe that needed to be scanned as well.

McFarlane admits it's easier to work with faces that have their own amount of character. "With Locke and Hurley, I like guys with, like, wrinkles and bags. ... The other characters, you know, beauty is beauty, however you make it.

"We put together a vast amount of information to get all of this right. I admit I'm overly anal about this, like scanning things like boots and belts, and getting the right props for the figures."

WHEN THE toy line debuted at Toys R Us in Times Square in New York, McFarlane was joined by Garcia and executive producer Bryan Burk.

"It was all fairly surreal," Burk said from the writers' offices in Los Angeles. "That store is close to being an amusement park, complete with a Ferris wheel. ...

"When we all looked at the action figures for the first time, it was incredible to see how detailed the artistry was. Jorge was kind of dumbfounded. It just showed that when McFarlane got into the action-figure business, it totally changed for the better."

This kind of merchandising was something the producers only dreamed about when "Lost" first aired, Burk said. "We had just shot the pilot episode on Oahu, and we were pinching ourselves, thinking that we were amazingly blessed and lucky to do something that we thought, as a series, wouldn't get on the air. And that would be too bad, because if it did, wouldn't it be great to have things like action figures and video games and spinoff novels? After talking about all these possibilities, now they're actually here."

He said he knew things had come full circle when Abrams put the hatch diorama on display in his office -- the same office where Abrams had introduced the idea that the island should have a hatch.

SO WHAT'S NEXT? McFarlane said he plans to release two series of action figures next year. He wouldn't confirm details, but the next bunch is expected to include Sayid, Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), Sun (Yunjin Kim), Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway in all his bare-chested, beefcake glory).

"We just go where Todd tells us to go," said Burk. "He knows what works in his world."

"Bryan and I have talked about this," said McFarlane, "but wouldn't it be great to sort of pull back the camera and do a diorama of a portion of the island? It would be big enough to see the beach and the downed plane, and the path that goes to the cave, the place where Sayid found the French lady and where the raft was built. It would be a 3D map. I'm open to the possibility.

"We'll continue to put the product out so long as people continue to buy them. I hope to do 20 lines of 'Lost,' including any character of consequence, so fans can get the entire cast."