"Fugitree relics" for sale!

What you see in the box in this photo are some of the fifty Fugitoids I used to decorate our Christmas "Fugitree" in 2009. I made a special label for the boxes and signed each one.



These "relics" will go on sale shortly, and I believe they will be sold for $25 each. -- PL

P.S. Here's a link to the ordering information at miragelicensing.com:

http://www.miragelicensing.com/paypal/fugitoid.html

The Fugitree is no more

Yesterday I spent some time doing post-Christmas clean-up, mostly taking down some of the lights I'd put up for the holiday. A number of those lights were on the mighty Fugitree. I decided it was time for the ritual dismembering of the Christmas tree, and -- after carefully removing the fifty Fugitoids and the scattering of silver balls -- I got out my long-handled loppers and proceeded to cut every branch off the tree.

I've done this for the last eight or so years, as I discovered that it makes getting the tree out of the house quite a bit easier, and less messy (not so many needles falling off as I when I used to struggle to manhandle a full, albeit now dried out tree, through the doorway). It's also kind of fun.

For the last five or six years, I've been saving these denuded trunks in the garage, with the idea that at some point I might transform them into walking sticks. I haven't done it yet, but I still hope to. Here's a photo of the remains of the Fugitree with the other trunks in the garage (the Fugitree's trunk is the tallest one).




I want to thank my daughter Emily again for suggesting the idea for the Fugitree -- it turned out to be one of the best-looking Christmas trees we've ever had. -- PL

P.S. I think I am going to offer those fifty Fugitoids for sale, though I have not yet decided on a price.

The Fugitree is up!

Yesterday my daughter Emily came home for Christmas, happily avoiding the many snowstorm-related flight delays that plagued many people over the last few days. That afternoon, we were able to continue our tradition of going out to buy a Christmas tree together.

Last night we, along with Em's friend Zach, worked to transform this naked tree...



... into the mighty "Fugitree"! As the idea of decorating the tree with vacuum-metalized Fugitoid figures was originally Em's idea, it seemed only appropriate that she should be involved in helping to hang the fifty shiny 'droids on the tree. Here she is -- slightly blurry -- hanging 'Toids on the tree.



We had a disagreement about what kinds of lights to put on the tree -- I wanted our usual mix of white and colored lights, while Em pressed for just white lights. In the end, we went with her idea, and I must say I now agree with her. She also bought a small selection of shiny silver globe-style ornaments to compliment the Fugitoids, and I think they work well. Here's a view of the whole finished tree...



... and a close-up...



... and Em, Zach and Louis posing with the Fugitree.



And finally, here's a shot of the tree as it looked in the light of day when I got up this morning.



I think it looks a little better at night, but still pretty darned cool either way. -- PL

Preparing for the Fugitree

A couple of days ago I decided it was time to start preparing for the creation of the "Fugitree" (as one of this blog's Commenters wittily named it). So I hauled in the huge box of "Fugitoid Collector Figures" from Playmates that I've had sitting out in the garage, and started the process.

It's drudge work, involving opening each small white cardboard box, carefully slicing open the little plastic bag, removing the Fugitoid, and affixing a loop of ornament-hanging wire around his neck. I'm not sure how may of these I'm going to do -- the big box holds one hundred Fugitoids, but I think the tree will look great with just half that number, maybe less. We'll see.

(I'm saving all of the packaging materials so that when Christmas is over and it's time to take the tree down, I can put each Fugitoid back into its little box.)

I've already done about twenty of the figures, and here's a photo of them in a large bowl I've borrowed from my wife.



Emily's little dog Louis, sitting on the couch, displays his total lack of interest. After all, Fugitoid Collector Figures, while chewable, are not edible. -- PL