Disney proves that it never too early to start thinking about merchandise. And, in the case of the upcoming Tim Burton-directed film, Frankenweenie, I am inclined to agree with them. After seeing the trailer on iTunes a few weeks ago (miraculous application that), I was simply dying (no pun intended) to have a Sparky of my very own. I was perusing Entertainment Earth the other day and, lo and behold, not only was a Sparky plush (US$19.99) available for pre-order but two sets of collectible action figures were listed as well. All three of these toys are set to ship in October, presumably with the opening of the film.

Now, admittedly, the image of the Sparky "plush" is, so far, a cardboard representation of the character. Not terribly snuggly. However, I am definitely interested in how the final product will turn out. I am also curious to see if additional toys will be made specifically for Disney Stores later on or if these toys will be for all retailers including Disney. As for the action figures, two different varieties are on pre-order at present. First is the Action Figure Collector Pack (US$49.99) , which contains 9 different figures of characters from the film, including before-death and afterlife Sparky. While the figures are very detailed, I am not sure if justifies the nearly US$50 price tag. The other figure collection, called the Collectible 2-Pack Half Case (US$77.99) has the same things as the previous set as well as a few duplicates. 

What do you think of this merchandise development?

Sparky plush [ Pre-order at Entertainment Earth ]

Action Figure Collector Pack [ Pre-order at Entertainment Earth ]

Collectible 2-Pack Half Case [ Pre-order at Entertainment Earth ]