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Overview
This Funko Pop! ‘bobblehead’ figurine represents the character of Lurtz played by Lawrence Makoare in Peter Jackson's 2001 film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Funko Pop! figurines are made by the American company Funko Inc which was established in 1998 to create popular culture collectibles, including 'bobbleheads' (so-called because the head swivels above the body). They depict cartoonish versions of celebrities and well-known characters, and are hugely popular with fans from children to adults.
Nodding head figures date back to at least the 1760s when figures were made from plaster. The modern bobblehead dates to 1960 when American sports stars were made from paper-mâché and ceramic. In the 1990s, new manufacturing processes enabled bobbleheads to be made from plastic instead of ceramic, reducing the expense and difficulty of creating quality figurines.
Lurtz is one of several Funko Pop! figurines based on popular and iconic fictional screen characters played by New Zealand actors. It is an example of how New Zealanders are literally becoming faces of global pop culture characters and icons.
Donor Ben Fagan explains their personal significance: 'The collecting of figurines has always been an important way through which I have viewed the world, and I amassed this collection for my childhood self who would have loved a New Zealand character as a toy.' He found very few such toys in the 1990s when growing up.