I last left you with this image as we were about to take Mr. Blackton's coffin out of the crate. After a lengthy excavation process we're ready to finally take a peek at our new friend!

There he is! Mr. Blackton is lying there just as he arrived. I can't imagine it being that comfy since he's apparently pushed his pillow aside in his movement! Let's get you back and settled again properly. Though, what's this tag on your toe?

It reads: "Funeral Director's Remarks: Here lies Thaddeus Blackton: husband, accuser, farmer and not-quite-dead person. He is made out of the finest Puritan silicone flesh, metal wire skeleton and delicately painted skin. Handle him with care and respect; zombies are not toys for careless children or hungry pets. Mr. Blackton is most comfortable resting in peace in his coffin. Before rising from the dead, his home for the last 300 years was a cool, dark cemetery in the town of Blithe Hollow, so his decomposition will hasten under direct sunlight or near a fiery hearth. As he decays further, his skin may become moist or sticky and leave eternal marks on anything he touches. This is normal for zombies and should not be cause for embarrassment or distress."

The back of the toe tag reads: "To ward off accusations of witchcraft or unscrupulous bloggery, we beseech you to mention this zombie gift when using digital media to discuss ParaNorman."

What's this? Oh! He happens to be holding a note as well! Let's see what this has to say, shall we?

It reads: "Dear Rio, If you're reading this (and the evidence suggests you are), then you're succeeded in exhuming one of the undead stars of our new film, ParaNorman. And while some my find the gift of a painstakingly handcrafted zombie doll with poseable limbs buried in dirt to be a little 'weird,' we suspect it's right up your alley.

This is because we have a hunch you were once, like our hero Norman, what some people like to call a 'weird kid.' And weird kids have a way of becoming really interesting grown-ups. Maybe they develop a deep, almost-crazy love for all kinds of toys, from Pokemon figurines to poseable Lokis to pretty much every kind of MLP toy known to exist. Maybe they share their deep, almost-crazy love for toys with the world and help us all remember the joy that a simple object of play can bring to kids and adults alike. And, who knows, maybe they bring a few toys of their own into the world. Which is all to say that we think you're a shining example of why weird wins. And in the end, that's that the movies we make (Coraline was our first) -

- are all about: weird kids trying to find their place in the world. You'll notice that your newly unearthed friend is sharing his grave with a selection of actual one-of-a-kind props from ParaNorman that we've chosen for you. So when you see the film, you'll see something that's yours in it. We think this is fitting, because there's a lot of you - and us, and weird kids past, present and future - in Norman's story.

The movie will be in theaters August 17. But in the meantime we hope you will visit weirdwins.com to meet some of the weird and wonderful artists and craftspeople who have brought ParaNorman to life. And we'd be suitably thrilled if you added your voice to the conversation by using the hashtag #weirdwins anywhere you share your zombie.

In any case, the former Thaddeus Blackton is very pleased to make your acquaintance. As are we.

Sincerely, The ParaNorman Team"

You may be wondering what that amazing letter was written on. Well, it's one of the freaking awesome ParaNorman posters that have been seen around! The art style is incredible and right up my alley. I'm also not going to lie; the fact that they have clearly read my articles and know what I do made me squeal like an insane fangirl. I wouldn't be surprised if they could hear me all the way in Oregon! I'm honored! Though I feel badly for them having to see my craziness over the Hot Toys' Loki figure.

Oh right! The ParaNorman Team mentioned that there were other one-of-a-kind gifts buried in with Mr. Blackton! We better get those unearthed. We have the first one here, which was wrapped in a burlap sack with twine.

Inside was a handmade fire hydrant! I hope there aren't any little dogs nearby that get any ideas..

I found another small burlap sack buried down within the dirt as well!

Inside were a couple letters and a tiny photo! They must have been held by the characters, because they're definitely small enough to fit into their hands.

Here you can see all of the goods I found buried with Thaddeus. The glass bottle from the beginning, the fire hydrant, the shovel, two envelopes, a lucky photo and a rock. I don't think the rock has anything to do with this, but I found it in there and I'm keeping it regardless!

Now, back to Thaddeus Blackton himself! The first thing I immediately noticed was the ornate detailing on his coffin lid. Now that I've gotten cleaned off by blasting it with compressed air, you can see each and every handmade detail. The lid did actually have a couple small nails holding it shut too, so the putty knife came into play again to gently get it popped open.

The back of the coffin does actually have the ParaNorman logo carved into it. It also has that mine is #12 of 49, just in case it gets separated from its larger crate, which I appreciate.

Taking a closer look at Mr. Blackton himself, you can see all of the fine details even in just his face. Each and every tooth was carefully molded, as well as his eyes and skin markings. The paint is incredible, especially around the eyes where it really brings him to life. Er.. re-life? Undeath? Whatever one would call that in zombie lingo.

Panning down you can see that all of his clothes are intricately detailed as well. You can see just where the types of fabrics that are to be shown change, as their textures and patterns change just as if they were made of actual textiles. As a reminder, this entire thing is made of silicone with a wire skeleton, so it's incredible to me that it looks this perfect in person. I've never been able to see such a thing up close and personal like this.

Aww.. Apparently poor Thaddeus lost one of his socks and shoes before he was buried, or maybe when you turn into a zombie your feet change size. I'm not sure, but maybe the movie will answer this one for us. Maybe it's a mystery to everyone! 

Turning him over, you can see that the detail doesn't stop on the back. You can see all of the folds in his clothing, the colors in his hair, and even the changing in color of his skin in certain places. Look at the weathering and the cracking of his leather belt! I'm in fangirl overload with the incredible detail he has!

Now I mentioned the wire skeleton again, because yes, the zombie can move! I can guarantee you had he been grabbing at me like this when I opened the coffin up, I would have cried. I would have cried like such a sissy little girl.

I did want to take a closer look at his hands, just to point out how much detail is around everything. You can see the individual brush strokes made to show the bending joints of his fingers. His nails are painted black, and you can see the white veins and age spots on his skin.

Even though his other hand and arm are much skinnier than the previous, you can still see the same amount of crazy detail this thing has. He is a bit sticky though, as mentioned in the funeral director's remarks.

One last detail shot shows how the details even went all the way to the bottom of his socks and shoes, er.. shoe. The bottom of his pants have a tie on them, and shows the depth of them properly. They even handpainted the stitching of his shoes.

I had recently picked up the book, ParaNorman, because I wanted to hopefully get it read before I saw the movie. Then again, maybe I'll wait because I don't want to ruin anything for myself! I'll be ready to read it after I see it in theaters.

Wow, I was having a bad hair day. Then again, I could look much worse considering I'd just gone grave digging! Bad hair or not, this is the face of one happy weird girl who will cherish this gift for as long as she lives! A huge thank you to the ParaNorman Team for sending this my way, and I urge you all to go see ParaNorman when he hits theaters on August 17th, 2012. Any company who goes to this much trouble to put out these amazing promotional items deserves your patronage at their film. I know it's going to be great, and I've been looking forward to it for months! You can take a look at the gallery for a few more pictures I didn't use in the write up.

Weird kids (and adults!) unite, and let's show everyone that weird wins!