Editing Figwit (section)

==Popularity==
Though he only appeared for about three seconds in ''Fellowship of the Ring'', Figwit's popularity soon blossomed, with Hadad stating that "[the fan site] got a lot of e-mails from people who thought they were the only ones who had noticed that handsome, dark-haired elf".<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/dec/13/lordoftherings.news |title='Figwit' steals Frodo's thunder |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | location=London, England|date=December 13, 2002|access-date=July 31, 2008}}</ref> Figwit's physical appearance and demeanor are the source of much of his popularity: he has been noted for his "lithe and graceful" movement,<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/12/13/bfop13.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208151103/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=%2Farts%2F2002%2F12%2F13%2Fbfop13.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 8, 2008 |title=Elf who launched a thousand hits |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London, England |date=December 13, 2002 |access-date=July 31, 2008 |first=Oliver |last=Poole }}</ref> "enigmatic broodiness", "haughty demeanor", and "pouty" looks.<ref name="usatoday"/> His fan website proclaims him "in a word, gorgeous. Or another, stunning... hypnotic... stupendous... captivating... take your pick."<ref name="figwitlives"/><ref name="torontostar">{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Howell|title=Netting 15 Megabytes of fame|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|publisher=[[Star Media]]|location=Toronto, Canada|date=February 9, 2003|page=D4}}</ref>

McKenzie has stated that the Figwit obsession is "weird," though he is "flattered."<ref name="newsround">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/tv_film/newsid_1937000/1937745.stm |title=Nameless elf gets cult Rings status |date=April 18, 2002|access-date=July 31, 2008|publisher=[[BBC]] |website=[[Newsround]]|location=London, England }}</ref> He has remarked that "it's so hilarious because it's been propelled by so little&nbsp;... I'm famous for doing nothing."<ref name="telegraph"/><ref name="theage">{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/10/1041990093364.html |title=The elf who turned into a chick magnet |date=January 11, 2003|first=Oliver|last=Poole |publisher=[[Nine Entertainment Co.]]|location=Melbourne, Australia|access-date=July 31, 2008|newspaper=[[The Age]] }}</ref>

[[Image:Figwit Authentic Autograph.png|thumb|right|A [[Topps]] Authentic Autograph card featuring 'Figwit' and [[Bret McKenzie]]'s signature.]]

=== In other media ===

Figwit does not appear in Tolkien's writings and was created exclusively for the films; thus there is little authentic information regarding him, save that he is a royal escort. The only "official" place where the name Figwit is used is on several [[Topps]] trading cards, including a ''The Return of the King'' series card, titled "Return to Rivendell," and an Authentic Autographs card featuring the signature of actor [[Bret McKenzie]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topps.com/Entertainment/ROTK/index.html |title=The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Movie Cards |publisher=[[Topps]] |access-date=July 31, 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070814113205/http://www.topps.com/Entertainment/ROTK/index.html |archive-date = August 14, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> In ''[[The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game]]'' he was assigned the name of '''Aegnor''', one of [[Galadriel]]'s brothers in ''[[The Silmarillion]].'' A Figwit [[action figure]] was also created, though it was named "Elven Escort," as in the film.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lotr-models.co.uk/index106.html |title=The Lord of the Rings Collector's Models |website=lotr-models.co.uk |access-date=July 31, 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804180135/http://www.lotr-models.co.uk/index106.html |archive-date=August 4, 2008}}</ref>

Figwit has been a subject of poetry, art, and fiction,<ref name="torontostar"/> in particular in the [[slash fiction|slash]] genre of [[Tolkien fan fiction]], where he is named ''Melpomaen''. This is a chimera translation of "figwit" from two of Tolkien's [[Elvish languages (Middle-earth)|Elvish languages]]: ''melpo'', [[Quenya]] for "fig",<ref>{{cite journal |title=Qenyaqetsa: The Qenya Phonology and Lexicon |last=Tolkien |first=J. R. R. |author-link=J. R. R. Tolkien |year=1998 |journal=[[Parma Eldalamberon]] |publisher=[[Mythopoeic Society]] |location=East Lansing, Michigan|issue=12 }}</ref> and ''maen'', [[Sindarin|Noldorin]] for clever or skilled.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Gateway to Sindarin: A Grammar of an Elvish Language from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings |first=David|last=Salo |publisher=[[University of Utah Press]] |location=Salt Lake City, Utah|year=2004 |page=319 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4dsSn0QAmi0C&q=sindarin+maen&pg=PA304 |isbn=0-87480-800-6 }}</ref>

=== Documentary ===
In 2004, a 57-minute [[Documentary film|documentary]] on the Figwit phenomenon was created by McKenzie's fiancée (and now wife) Hannah Clarke<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/fashion/17nite.html?ex=1339732800&en=220d6600cddffae0&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |title=A Family in Harmony |first=Zoë |last=Wolff|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York City|date=June 17, 2007|access-date=July 31, 2008}}</ref> and friends Stan Alley and Nick Booth. Entitled ''Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!!'', it premiered at the [[New Zealand International Film Festivals#The NZ International Film Festival in Auckland|Auckland International Film Festival]] on July 23.<ref name="nzherald">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=3579940 |title=Worldwide fame not a figwit of elf's imagination |date=July 23, 2004|access-date=July 31, 2008|first=Kate|last=Perry|newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |publisher=New Zealand Media and Entertainment|location=Auckland, New Zealand}}</ref> Meant to "[unravel] Bret's identity",<ref name="nzherald"/> it follows McKenzie to the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]], where he meets the fans of his trademark pout and "elvish good looks", and features extensive interviews with fans behind various Figwit fan sites as well as with [[Peter Jackson]], [[Barrie Osborne]], [[Mark Ordesky]], [[Ian McKellen]], and other cast members.<ref name="telegraph"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2004/07/31/24645-another-figwit-doco-review-2/ |title=Another 'Figwit' Doco Review |date=July 31, 2004|access-date=July 31, 2008|website=theonering.net }}</ref> Booth stated that their film was "much more irreverent and strange" compared to other behind-the-scenes documentaries of the film trilogy, which were "very much driven around the production and the cast and Tolkien".<ref name="nzherald"/>