the Dark Crystal:
Jen & Kira
In the early 1980's the art of special effects had many more limits than today, and you couldn't go in and truly create an entire new world with no human characters short of animation. Jim Henson managed to do it without the high technology of computers but by using puppets and marionettes in 1982's The Dark Crystal. Henson is well known as the creator of the Muppets (who are getting the polystone bust treatment from Sideshow Toy and action figure treatment from Palisades Toys) and based the look of the film on the art of Brian Froud.
The Dark Crystal is the simplest of tales at its heart - that of good versus evil. The Skeksis rule the world Thra but fear a prophecy that tells of their own downfall by a race of beings they thought extinct - the Gelflings. Legend tells that when the three suns are in conjunction a Gelfling with restore a shard to the Dark Crystal and this will end the reign of the Skeksis. While knowledge of this legend might lead many to simply cement the shard hole closed and preventing the crystal from being restored, the Skeksis were known for being mean and not smart.
Sideshow Toy has chosen the two Gelflings (Jen and Kira) as the basis for action figures from The Dark Crystal. Sideshow has limited the run on each figure to 7500. Jen and Kira's portraits were sculpted by Mat Falls. One of the additions to these two figures from other Sideshow products is an adjustable stand for each figure (and both are labeled with the character's name). The stand has a Dark Crystal logo on it and is adjustable to varying heights to help display the figure.
 Jen is a Gelfling that was raised by Mystics and thought he was the last of the Gelflings. This made it easier to dedicate his life to fulfilling the prophecy and restore the crystal when he figured he'd never have a girlfriend. Along his quest he meets Kira and knows there is a chance to save the Gelflings and defeat the Skeksis. The down side of meeting Kira is if she says she wouldn't go out with him if he were the last Gelfling on Thra, she really means it.
Jen's action figure is based on the male 12" body that Sideshow has developed. The modified body has double jointed knees and elbows, bicep and thigh twists, ball-jointed hips and shoulders, and waist and chest articulation. The hands, feet and head are new to this figure and the wrists and feet twist. The neck joint allows the head to both twist and tilt to open up many possible poses. Jen comes with a flute and a shard of the Dark Crystal, rooted hair (which is a mix of black and blue) and has a cloth outfit. The outfit uses several materials and has embroidered designs and lots of beadwork to dress it out. The back of the costume is laced up and tied, and there is a belt with a pouch for keeping the shard.
Kira is a Gelfling that was raised by the Pod People and she has a great affinity for nature. She's a member of Greenpeace and likes to travel with Fizzgig - a furry companion. She meets Jen and aids him on his quest using her strength and beliefs to defeat the Skeksis. She also uses Fizzgig, because he's a lot tougher than he looks. How he keeps his fur clean though is a mystery even to the Pod People.
Kira the action figure comes with one accessory - Fizzgig. Fizzgig is sculpted plastic with faux fur attached to give him that wind-blown look He isn't articulated (nor is the character articulate) but he can be held by Kira. The Kira figure is based on the female 12" body that Sideshow has developed. The modified body has double jointed knees and elbows, bicep and thigh twists, ball-jointed hips and shoulders, and waist and chest articulation. The hands, feet and head are new to this figure and the wrists and feet twist. The neck joint allows the head to both twist and tilt so Kira can look around. Her costume is cloth and there are a variety of materials, embroidery and beadwork. Parts of the costume are sheer and the large cloak has the pattern of a leaf embroidered on the back, and the cloak can easily wrap entirely around the figure. She has very long rooted and partially braided hair that has a yellow color with a green tint.
Pictures of Jen
Pictures of Kira
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