How Evil Is Too Evil: Collectibles and Nazis

Note: this is intended as a philosophical, substantive thread.

A lot of chat has gone into the possibility of an HT Landa from IB. Some want it. Some are offended by it. Others say live and let live but won't be caught buying it.

My question: when does a figure become too evil to merit a purchase IN YOUR OPINION?

Alternatively, what will twist your arm against your morals? Cool character design? Awesome accessories? Customizing potential? Etc.?

And, kind of as a sub-area of this question: What, if any, difference do villains in fiction have from villains in history that make them desirable collectibles?

I plan to post my own analysis in the next day or so, which will compare the Joker to Vader to the Emperor to Landa to Hitler.

[A little background on me: BA in philosophy, current law student, taking the bar in July.]

Play nice!

If its a fictional character who has the personality or characteristics of someone in particular or a group of evil , crazy people from the past I see no problem in owning a figure of them personally.
Although I'm not sure I would want a figure of say , Hitler himself.
I will be buying a Landa if they release one since I found him an amazing movie villian just like I find Leatherface an awesome villian and I also already have figures and statues of him.
Leatherface is also based off of a real serial killer and I am interested to know if anyone here has a problem with buying figures of fictional Nazis but not killers based ( or partly based ) on real people.

EDIT :

Reaing the top part again I want to add that there is a certain point where it would just get ridiculous in having figures which may be fictional characters but based on actual people , for example having a figure of a member of the klu klux klan I would find very strange and probably racist.

I'm not sure why I can find a figure of a Nazi less impressionable than a figure of another racist group member or leader and I actually feel a little bad that I do. It's an interesting subject really.

I don't have a problem with any charactre, historical or make believe from a movie, being made into a collectible.

Freddy Krueger is a child murderer. Hasn't stopped the merchandise for him.

Yeah they are figures and if you respect history it shouldn't matter. Now if you idolize say your Hitler doll then you may have a problem.

It is about perspective. A figure is a representation of a fictional character in a movie. It isn't that I idolize the character's action moreso the movie or actor's portrayal which makes me want to purchase.

Even an actor's portrayal of a real character (ie Hitler) is simply acting therefore it isn't idolizing Hitler but the character in a movie. I have no problems collecting a figure regardless their actions on screen.

Darkseed said:

It is about perspective. A figure is a representation of a fictional character in a movie. It isn't that I idolize the character's action moreso the movie or actor's portrayal which makes me want to purchase.

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Yeah , you hit the nail on the head there with how I feel about this.

Interesting topic. I don't think I could ever personally own a figure of someone like Hitler. But I have no problem owning the Nazi Kroenen figure from Hellboy. Perhaps it's because he's not a real person and that he was an excellent villain in one of my favorite movies. Either way, to each his/her own.

I'm not sure why anyone should be offended, fictional character or not. Did anyone have a problem with the Nazi Kroenen figure? And people are obviously buying that DID Che Guevara figure.

I would have no issue with Nazi Figures nor Hilter. Part of History. Deal with it.

After all alot of terrible things were done by the American military and government to the American Indians. Yet, we still see figures of people from that time.

Jen said:

Interesting topic. I don't think I could ever personally own a figure of someone like Hitler. But I have no problem owning the Nazi Kroenen figure from Hellboy. Perhaps it's because he's not a real person and that he was an excellent villain in one of my favorite movies. Either way, to each his/her own.

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I wouldn't mind owning a Hitler figure if it was part of my Indy collection.

Saying that I am not a big military fig collector but I do want to eventually pick up some 1/6th Nazi outfits for some Nazi Zombie customs.

You have to think as well. Alot of people are in the 1/6 hobby because they are into history , wars and things like that so to them owning a figure of hitler I would think wouldn't be as strange to them as it would to us. It would even somewhat fit into their collection whilst with most of ours being mainly movie and comic collectibles it wouldn't.

uscmhicks said:

You have to think as well. Alot of people are in the 1/6 hobby because they are into history , wars and things like that so to them owning a figure of hitler I would think wouldn't be as strange to them as it would to us. It would even somewhat fit into their collection whilst with most of ours being mainly movie and comic collectibles it wouldn't.

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Exactly all depends on the collection you have.

Bannister said:

Freddy Krueger is a child murderer. Hasn't stopped the merchandise for him.

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And currently being sold at Toys R Us no less.

One could argue Vlad the Impaler was just as bad as Hitler or any other historical monster, but that hasn't stopped anyone from buying a figure of him. The Nazis are just so recent. In 200 years people won't have a problem with owning any Nazi figures, they'll be anicent history by then.

As long as it's not an actual person that has done harm in real life, I've got no problem with it. I'm not saying other people are wrong for wanting or having them, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable having a representation of a real murderer on my shelf.

While Darth Vader or Michael Myers are murderers in their particular fictions, when I look at them I don't have to think about a real mother or father or son or daughter who's had to grieve over the loss of a loved one that was taken from them. I would feel as though I were being disrespectful to those people.

Buttmunch said:

And currently being sold at Toys R Us no less.

One could argue Vlad the Impaler was just as bad as Hitler or any other historical monster, but that hasn't stopped anyone from buying a figure of him. The Nazis are just so recent. In 200 years people won't have a problem with owning any Nazi figures, they'll be anicent history by then.

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Vlad was way worse than Hitler. Thank you!

I wonder if the same people that object to owning Nazi figures, or a killer figure, object to owning a George Washington figure or another historic figure that owned slaves.

wofford29 said:

I wonder if the same people that object to owning Nazi figures, or a killer figure, object to owning a George Washington figure or another historic figure that owned slaves.

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Yeah, that's definitely a fine line. It's probably why I tend to avoid historical figures altogether.

BadMoon said:

Vlad was way worse than Hitler. Thank you!

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He was? I didn't know he murdered women and children en masse.

wofford29 said:

I wonder if the same people that object to owning Nazi figures, or a killer figure, object to owning a George Washington figure or another historic figure that owned slaves.

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Absolutely zero equivalence.

And per the original poster, no I don't think there is a meaningful difference. Non-fictional killers kill non-fictional people. Fictional killers kill fictional people. One is the genuine article, the other is a stylized representation. The spirit behind both of them is the same.

I don't see anything wrong with people having figures of non-fiction killers, but it is not my cup of tea.

Apparently Vlad is a great role model...
I don't think this thread is gonna last long...