Iggy Action Figure Helps Launch All Tomorrow’s Parties Promoter Barry Hogan’s Wax Face Toys Venture

An internet meme developed around two accompanying photos showing the statute’s size – three times the size of a Fun House CD, “yet smaller than a cat.” 

“I wanted to make Iggy the first figure we released because he’s a cultural icon,” said Hogan, who also launched a new film soundtrack label, Cinema Paradiso Recordings, with his wife after creating the popular All Tomorrow’s Parties concert series. “This pose is one of the most iconic moments in the history of punk rock.” 

Hogan chose the design from the famous photo of a bare-chested Iggy during a show at the Cincinnati Pop Festival in June 1970, crowd-surfing on a sea of hands, just before the dynamic performer infamously smeared peanut butter over his chest and fans. The concert, which took place at Crosley Field, the then-home of the Cincinnati Reds just before they moved to the brand-new Riverfront Stadium, featured The Stooges, Alice Cooper, Traffic, Mountain and Grand Funk Railroad, and was filmed for a nationally televised program, “Midsummer Rock,” later that summer, with an FM simulcast.

Footage of the Stooges’ performance has been available for years on YouTube, which amused Iggy, who denied he brought in the peanut butter when he talked to Uncut’s Jaan Uhelszki, one of the original Creem writers back in the day, in 2006 on the occasion of the band’s reforming.

“[The late Dead Boys lead singer] Stiv Bators always claimed to be the one who gave it to me,” said Iggy. “I was crowd-walking, a hand came up and thrust this jar of peanut butter and I go, oh, well, this could be interesting.”

“For a while, there was all this peanut butter at the shows,” added the late Ron Asheton, the Stooges’ guitarist that day. “Like, not more peanut butter!”

This summer marks the 49th anniversary of that historical event, and also a convenient launch for Hogan’s new company, which will release a series of figures in resin and vinyl of notable figures in music, film and pop culture that Hogan can’t reveal, “but will be iconic characters I think fans will embrace.” The Iggy Pop figure is manufactured by Unbox Industries under exclusive license from Thread Shop, Sony Music Entertainment’s merch division, and shows him in his iconic pose just prior to the pb-no-j display, ripping through Fun House’s iconic “1970.” 

Created in London by ex-Madame Tussauds sculptors, the 15.7”/ 40cm figure is about 2 1/2 times the size of a normal bobble head figure and molded in silver, with a limited edition of 35 pieces for $249 apiece available at store.unboxindustries.info. A black figure has already sold out, but other colors will be available to purchase periodically at the Unbox Industries site.