The legendary comic duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy—better known to the world as Laurel & Hardy—first appeared as a comedic pair in 1927 with the hilarious classic Duck Soup. From that feature forward, the two made their mark as pair extraordinaire, regaling audiences with comedy classics such as The Music Box, Them Thar Hills, and Tit for Tat, forever cementing their place in film history.
In honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the first time they collaborated together, Wandering Planet Toys has launched a Kickstarter to bring 6-inch, 1:12 scale articulated action figures of Stan & Ollie to life! I spoke with Wandering Planet Toys co-founders Gavin Hignight and Doc Wyatt recently about why they wanted to create Laurel & Hardy action figures, the Kickstarter itself, some of their favorite Laurel & Hardy films, and their favorite part of working on the project so far. Wandering Planet Toys has a record of excellence in crafting top-notch action figures and this project looks to be no different.
FreakSugar: First off, I love the idea of Laurel & Hardy figures, but why did you land on doing toys for this legendary comedic duo?
Gavin Hignight: We came to it for the same reason. We love Laurel & Hardy. One of the things we’ve tried to do with Wandering Planet is celebrate films, TV, books, stars, artists and musicians that we love, who may not have received the action figure collectible toy treatment they deserve. Laurel and Hardy have actually had a long history of interesting collectibles… but they haven’t had collectible action figures, and especially like this… in the modern 1/12 scale that is so popular with collectors right now. But yes, ultimately we made these because we want them! And we hope other Laurel & Hardy fans will want them as well.
FS: What can you tell us about the figures themselves and the backer rewards?
GH: The figures are the most detailed, highly articulated, deluxe figures we’ve made thus far. We’re very proud of the multiple facial expressions they include (portraits as some collectors call them) as well as fun accessories and multiple hands for display and play. With everything we include with the figures, you can really bring Stan and Ollie to life on your bookshelf, toy shelf, desk at work… etc.… Also, we’ve made them available in color or black and white evoking the silver screen from which their legend was born… and I love that. I cannot wait to display the black-and-white editions on my shelf.
Doc Wyatt: We’ve created different rewards, so fans of Laurel & Hardy have many different options when selecting which figures and add-on collectibles they may want. But don’t take my word for it, the best way to see everything we’ve put together is on the Wandering Planet Toys Laurel & Hardy Kickstarter Campaign page.
FS: If you’re doing Laurel & Hardy figures, you have to have some favorite films of theirs. Can you talk about some of those?
GH: If you are a fan of Laurel & Hardy or have never seen them before, here are four films to check out.
Below Zero: Below Zero always rises to the top of my brain whenever people ask me what my favorite Laurel & Hardy film is. It just conveys a mood and tone so well. In the case of Night Owls, it’s the late night, in the case of Below Zero… it’s the cold winter… and being down on your luck. I just love it. I can watch it over and over.
Them Thar Hills and Tit for Tat: Them Thar Hills and Tit for Tat make an amazing short film and short film sequel, which is so uncommon. Stan and Ollie at their best, and the guest stars almost… almost steal the show. Just hilarious. And both films I somehow never saw when I was younger, so it was a real treat to discover and watch them on the big screen a couple years ago thanks to the American Cinematheque.
And finally, Blotto: The table drinking/laughing bit in this movie is one of the funniest moments ever committed to film. For real. It’s that hilarious, you have to see it, it will warm your heart inside and out with laughter, infectious laughter.
DW: Gavin setting me up to talk about two all-time classics:
The Music Box: A straight-forward, simple story about two guys having to get something heavy up a long flight of stairs, turns into insane hijinks in the hands of these comic masters. This short is what won them their Academy Award.
Country Hospital: Hardy’s in the hospital. Laurel comes to visit him. That’s all this short is, but the physical comedy gold that they’re able to spin about this simple idea is masterful.
I’m a classic film fan, but most films of the era absolutely bore my kids to tears because the pacing is so slow for modern audiences, there’s no color, and everything seems so out of date; but I’ve shown my kids Music Box and Country Hospital and they laugh like they’re watching their favorite show.
FS: What has been your favorite part of the process of this entire action figure/Kickstarter endeavor?
GH: For me, seeing these figures take shape, growing from an idea to a physically produced and – may I add – high quality action figure… is such a joy. Doc and I, working with our incredible sculptors, designers and team, get to see the figures come to life. Then, because of how crowdfunding works, we get to celebrate them and our love for Laurel and Hardy with hundreds of other fans. That part is really cool.
DW: For me, my favorite part is the joy in Gavin’s voice when he talks about them.
FS: If you had one final pitch for potential purchasers of the figures, what would it be?
GH: If you are a fan of Laurel & Hardy, don’t sleep on these and regret it. We are a small toy company, independently producing what we feel are great figures. We don’t have a lot of distribution yet, and the numbers these collectibles are produced in are far lower than big companies in this space… translated, our toys become collectible, and sought after by fans, if you have a chance to pre-order yours, do it now during the Kickstarter campaign so you guarantee your figures and you don’t regret passing them up in the future.
DW: I also think they don’t have to be just for current Laurel & Hardy fans. If you’re into action figures, and you check out the sculpts on these and are curious, and that’s what gets you to check out Laurel & Hardy on YouTube, then great. Let’s make some new fans for the boys. Almost every short they ever made is available to watch on YouTube for FREE right now, so there’s never been an easier time in history to get access to their work– even when the films were new, there was less access. In the 1930s there was no home video– you had to find a theater that just happened to be playing them. It wasn’t easy to seek out a particular short. We have way more access than any time in film history, so there’s never been a better time to be a fan.
As of press time, the Kickstarter for Wandering Planet Toys’ Laurel & Hardy action figures has almost double its funding goal with 13 days left in the campaign. Any fan of toys or the Golden Age of Hollywood needs to check out it!
From the official press release about the campaign:
Golden Age Hollywood comedy geniuses Laurel & Hardy made 32 silent shorts, 40 sound shorts, and 23 feature films. They entertained millions of fans for generations on film, on radio, and live on stage.Their multi-decade careers inspired lots of Laurel & Hardy collectables and merchandise, but there have never been 1:12 scale articulated action figures of Stan & Ollie, until now! Wandering Planet Toys is launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first officially licensed 6-inch Laurel & Hardy figures.The campaign is live now and will run until October 17 so that fans can have their figures in time to celebrate the legendary duo’s 100th anniversary.
The 6-inch deluxe fully articulated collectible figures based on Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy will be available in beautiful Full-Color or in crisp, classic Black & White. Both sets will include display stands, 5 pairs of interchangeable hands in different positions, two different facial expression portraits, and Stan and Ollie’s signature bowler hats to maximize fans’ play and display options! Ollie includes a film clap board and Stan even includes a paper bag accessory of “hard boiled eggs and nuts.”
“Stan Laurel, the British vaudevillian from a theatrical family, and Oliver “Babe” Hardy, the class clown from rural Georgia, both landed in early Hollywood with dreams of being in movies and developed notable careers on their own,” said Wandering Planet Co-founder Gavin Hignight. “But when they started working together as a duo in Hal Roach’s short films, their legend was born.”
Audiences around the world recognize Laurel & Hardy for their unique blend of witty dialogue and inventive physical humor. Between their classic 1929 silent film Big Business, the Academy Award-winning short The Music Box, the classic Christmas story Babes in Toyland, the delightfully madcap Sons of the Desert, and many other beloved films – the duo’s hysterical misadventures are as entertaining today as they were when they first premiered. Whenever Ollie exclaims “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into,” fans know they’re in for a good time. “As two of the most influential filmmakers in the history of comedy, Laurel and Hardy deserve to be remembered and honored,” Said Wandering Planet Toys co-founder Doc Wyatt. “We at Wandering Planet hope these figures encourage fans to remember and cherish the classic films that inspired them.”
Wandering Planet Toys is also offering the STUDIO SPECIAL rewards tier, which features color and classic black & white gift-sets plus an exclusive Laurel & Hardy 100th Anniversary Enamel Pin not available anywhere else.
Wandering Planet has previously crowdfunded collectible action figures for the cult classic television show The Prisoner and the first ever officially sanctioned Nancy Drew action figures. To support the campaign, visit Kickstarter, and be sure to follow Wantering Planet Toys on X, Instagram, and Facebook for more updates.