Elvira Over The Rainbow Action Figure Comes Out For Pride Month

06/02/202406/02/2024 editor

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June is pride month around the world. Usually, this month doesn’t mean too much to horror fans, even though there are horror characters known for their sexual tendencies, films about homosexual relationships, or actors from horror films who came out at some point in their careers. When it happens at the age of 70, by an actress known with the iconic character of the Dark Queen, it makes headlines worldwide – and it turns out that it also justifies dedicated products launched in honor of Pride Month.

In this article, we will present the colorful Elvira Over the Rainbow action figure, and tell you how Cassandra Patterson, who played “the Queen of Darkness” for decades, made it as a queer icon.

The Birth Of The Mistress Of The Dark

Cassandra Patterson is an American actress best known for the character of the Dark Princess, or if you like – his mistress. She became famous mainly in the 1980s when she was the host of Elvira’s Movie Macabre. With the help of Elvira’s character, the show introduced new B-movies, with Elvira making comments, telling jokes, and talking on the phone with a character called “The Breather.”

Elvira, whom Patterson created inspired by the “Valley Girl” character, stood out in her unique appearance: the black dress with the generous neckline (of course, there was a lot of preoccupation with the physical assets of Patterson who is defined in the trailer of the film as “the superhero with the biggest pair of … everything”), the unique hairstyle (“Heaven Bump”), the black nails, the bright red lipstick and more.

After the series’ success, especially Elvira’s character, the road to the big screen was short. In 1988, the movie “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark” came out, a horror parody that mainly referred to the character of Elvira and her representation. There is also a plot in which Elvira inherits a mansion and encounters all kinds of strange creatures who want to do all sorts of awful things to her.

The film received mixed reviews: for example, the fact that Patterson was nominated in the same year for the Saturn Award (which honored outstanding movies and actors in horror, fantasy, and science fiction films) and the Razzie Award as the worst actress (fortunately, she lost to Liza Minnelli). Either way, it was clear that there was a cult film here, with Elvira becoming a significant icon of the queer community.

A sequel, “Elvira’s Haunted Hills” from 2001, continued Elvira’s horror adventures, this time in a mysterious castle in 1851 Paris. Her television show returned in 2010, with Elvira hosting a show about Public Domain horror movies. She returned to the character of Elvira in 2014 with “13 Nights of Elvira” and again in 2021 in a special to mark the 40th anniversary of her first performance. In the same year, a change took place in Patterson’s life, making her one of the prominent pride icons of the last decades.

It’s Never Too Late: Cassandra Patterson Comes Out

In 2021, at 70, Cassandra Patterson published her memoir, “Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark.” In the book, she came out of the closet. She revealed what many have suspected for a long time, whether due to her unique character, her uncompromising support of the gay community over the years, or other hints she has scattered throughout her career.

She said that for about two decades, she has been in a relationship with a “beautiful androgynous” girl named Teresa T. Virson, whom she first met at a gym. Over time, she discovered that what looked like a “muscled man” was actually a woman. The two trained together for years became good friends, and later became a couple.

Officially, Patterson lived for years deep in the closet, or if you will, only really discovered her sexual tendencies relatively late in life. According to reports, in the 70s, she had affairs with John Voight and Robert De Niro. 1981, she married musician Mark Pearson, who later became her manager. In 1994, they had a daughter, and almost a decade later, they were excited. Very quickly, Wierson and Patterson moved in together. They spent long hours in the kitchen, and one evening, they even kissed. According to Patterson, this is the first time she showed interest in women and “fell in love with this beautiful androgynous creation, who appeared at my doorstep like an angel.”

The two kept their relationship a secret for about two decades. Patterson was worried that her coming out would hurt the character of Elvira, who is identified as a “man predator.” “I was afraid that if I came out and announced that I was not leading a “straight life,“ the audience would abandon me, she wrote in the book. The fact that several of her friends came out and saw their careers crash, as she said, scared her. So did her desire not to reveal too much of her private life so they don’t get mixed up with the character.

“I did not want my personal life to encroach on the character,“ she wrote. “I never told people I was married. I never talked about having a child because nobody was thinking of Elvira being at home and changing dirty diapers.”

At some point, she realized it was time: “If I don’t do it now, when the hell am I going to do it?“ she explained. “I wanted to make sure it came out the right way. I didn’t want it to sound like I was doing it like, ‘Oh, it’s so hip to be gay now.’“

Perhaps for these reasons, her coming out was met with great sympathy or even increased support for her character. From that moment on, her “romance“ with the LGBT community became even more embracing, and Patterson embarked on several struggles for the community’s rights.

Colorful And Unique: Elvira Over The Rainbow Action Figure

In honor of Pride Month, collectibles giant Neca announced the launch of a new action figure of Elvira, with an excellent design in the colors of the rainbow flag associated with the LGBT.

From the photos released lately, The 8″ Over the Rainbow Elvira action figure looks great. Elvira dresses in a rainbow-colored fabric dress but doesn’t give up the famous cleavage. Her appearance also includes high heels in a bright red shade and a display base with yellow bricks designed with Patterson’s signature.

Likely, the choice of these shades is not only because they correspond with the colors of the Rainbow flag but also since Patterson herself was born in Kansas, just like Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” which is, as we know, identified with the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” first sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 masterpiece.

Neca says that a new faceplate technology was used to produce the Elvira action figure. The result is two types of facial and hand expressions that are versatilely interchangeable compared to a standard action figure – so you can recreate the body postures associated with Elvira. The accessories include a small accessory in the shape of her memoir, “Yours Cruelly, Elvira,“ and a double-sided flag with ten stickers that you can personalize “to show your pride,“ as the company notes.

Equally essential is Neca’s announcement that $10 from each purchase will go to the Human Rights Campaign, the most prominent political lobby organization in the United States for LGBT rights.