Pippin

Recommended music: R.E.M. – Shiny Happy People

Popping up this #TolkienThursday morning, it’s Pippin!

Following the capture of Merry and Pippin by the Uruk-Hai in the first film, we first see the hobbits in The Two Towers hanging on the backs of Orcs making their way to Isengard. When Pippin thinks that they are being tracked by Aragorn, he decides to leave a shiny clue behind in the form of his leaf brooch to assist his friends in following the trail. As his hands are bound, Pippin bites the brooch right off his elven cloak for Aragorn to discover. Though the placement of this scene varies a bit from the book, it works perfectly:

“Not idly do the leaves of  Lórien fall,’ said Aragorn.  ‘This did not drop by chance: it was cast away as a token to any that might follow.  I think Pippin ran away from the trail for that purpose.”

This version of Pippin actually came out as a 3-pack in the Fellowship of the Ring Line with Merry and a Moria Orc (technically,this was a 2-pack, but Hobbits are very small). The figure was then repacked in a 2-pack with just Merry for the last wave of FOTR figures, which had red packaging to transition into the upcoming red cards for The Two Towers. I’ve always displayed these two with my TTT figures, which is why I’m just including them now.

In my opinion, this first version of Pippin does not have a great likeness of actor Billy Boyd, and the sculpt is hampered by a button on the back that controls the action feature in the right arm. Thankfully, the button is well hidden when Pippin is wearing his cloak, which was gifted by the elves of Lórien.

#LordOfTheRings
#LOTR