The popular The Lord of the Rings character Gollum is already a sight to behold, but Gollum as a rubber duck can't really be unseen. Originally named Sméagol before he became known for the distinctive noise he makes with his throat, Gollum was once a (relatively) normal-looking member of the River-folk before spending centuries enthralled by the One Ring. By the time he was Frodo and Sam's treacherous guide to Mordor he's described by Tolkien as small and slimy and earns comparisons to a starved frog.
Gollum's portrayal by British actor Andy Serkis remains one of the more famous elements of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies, and for good reason. Not only did Serkis give an excellent physical and vocal performance of Gollum's notoriously split personality, most memorably in a moonlit argument with himself, but the production team's commitment to incorporating motion capture remains a special effects landmark. While the New Zealand visual effects studio Weta Digital still had to do a lot of the animating, the Lord of the Rings trilogy helped significantly advance the technology, without which it would be hard to imagine the CGI-heavy blockbusters of the last decade. Serkis himself has built a successful career off of motion capture performances, including roles like Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboots and Snoke in the Star Wars sequels.
Now, filling a gap no one knew they had in their life, The Lord of the Rings fans can have their very own Gollum duck to call precious. Part of the Numskull's TUBBZ series, which recreates characters from throughout popular culture in rubber duck form, the Gollum duck collectible is creepy in all the right ways, including his wrinkly, grey skin, scattered strands of hair, and few remaining teeth. The partially-eaten fish held in its flippers will remind LOTR fans of the many times they watched Gollum tear into a freshly caught fish, as well as the one time he contemplated Hobbit food and recoiled in terror.
Gollum isn't the only Lord of the Rings character to get the rubber duck treatment, either. Their collection of official LOTR merchandise includes Fellowship heroes Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, as well as the notable elves Arwen and Galadriel. On the villainous side, they've included Sauron in full battle armor, Saruman with staff and seeing stone in hand, and Lurtz, the Uruk-hai leader created specifically for Jackson's films. All are duck-ified with loving detail, though much like the movies, Gollum is the one that makes the biggest impression.
It's easy to imagine Lord of the Rings fans being divided on whether or not to buy this particular piece of memorabilia. While many will surely love having Gollum in duck form as much as they do watching him crawl around on screen, for others, the mental image of this rubber duck floating in their bath is the stuff of nightmares. That said, just knowing that it exists is probably enough to give either camp the same feeling of joy or horror that owning it would inspire.
Source: Numskull