Say my name, say my name

Want me to be your shock coach, so I’ll eat a cockroach

(Never be ashamed)

Say my name, say my name

Don’t act so freakin’ tony, I need your matrimony…

AHEM! Sorry, just the Destiny’s Child/Betelgeuse mashup we were all thinking. Say it once, say it twice, third time’s the charm, and behold, he has appeared today on Sideshow’s website, that bratty bio-exorcist himself.

Beetlejuice (the character himself is called Betelgeuse, but toys always represent it phonetically so you won’t get confused by pronunciation like Alec Baldwin was in the movie) holds an almost-unique place in the Tim Burton pantheon of films. Along with Edward Scissorhands (and arguably Frankenweenie, based on Burton’s own short), he’s a rare Burton feature-film creation not to be based on any pre-existing material or person. As such, while Burton’s interpretations of the likes of Batman and Willy Wonka might inspire fashion debate, we’re pretty much all on the same page when it comes to Betelgeuse: he is, indeed, the ghost with the most. If you want proof, look at how EVERY YEAR, somebody breathlessly runs with some version of the headline “Tim Burton Confirms Beetlejuice 2! (if the original cast comes back)” or “Winona Ryder Says She’s Doing Beetlejuice 2! (if it gets greenlit).” Even if that movie never happens, the fact that talk remains alive tells toy companies there is still an audience for product.

Sideshow Collectibles’ newly revealed figure of Betelgeuse comes with five pairs of hands, including one holding a nail file, and a wacky, wide-eyed expression that’s a little different to the slightly squinty, suspicious look most previous figures of Mr. B have sported.

Basically, every major hand gesture Michael Keaton made in the movie is accounted for–an action feature of sorts that we don’t see too often. Presumably, if this basic figure in the signature stripes sells well, we might be able to see a carousel-headed version, a “pincushion” cabbie version, and of course one in a purple wedding tux in a two-pack with Lydia (Sideshow, if you sell those in Hot Topic, I swear to Juno the case-worker they’ll sell out).

There’s a strict limit of one per person, so make up your mind quicker than the ghostly minister at Betelgeuse’s wedding, before the sandworms take them all off the table. He goes for $239, but you can get $15 off just by signing up for Sideshow emails, and if you wanna, uh, save that guy for later, there are payment plans that go as low as $54/month.

As a special bonus, if you order directly through Sideshow, the figure comes with an exclusive Handbook for the Recently Deceased accessory…though I hear it just reads like stereo instructions.

Are you yourself strange and unusual enough to bag this bad boy? Jump Plummet to the comments below and tell us.

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images: Sideshow