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Lost Action Figures Hatched

With Oceanic Air suspending all flights, Lost fans are out of luck when it comes to getting marooned on Mystery Island with the gang. But just in time for stocking-stuffing season comes the next best thing.

Losties can now play along at home—literally—as the first official toy line based on ABC's acclaimed action-adventure series was unveiled Monday in New York.

Jorge Garcia, aka everyone's favorite numbers-obsessed lotto winner Hurley, turned up with executive producer Bryan Burk and the line's creator, Spawn comic book artist turned twisted toymaker Todd McFarlane, to greet and autograph action figures for more than 200 die-hards at the Toys "R" Us flagship story in Times Square.

The Lost Series 1 line, hitting shelves nationwide on Monday, features collectible figures of some of the show's most popular characters: Jack, Kate, Locke, Charlie, Shannon and Hurley. The collection also includes the pièce de résistance, a hatch playset. The geek-cool detailed diorama depicts the closing moments of season one's finale, complete with "light-up feature."

"We were so giddy when we found out they were going to make action figures, let alone with Todd's company," Burk tells E! Online. "We've been fans of all his toys forever. To get an action figure for a project you're working on is like the cherry on top. This has been a dream for us."

McFarlane, who shot to fame reviving Marvel's Spider-Man comics in the early '90s before launching his demonic Spawn, said other key figures are in the pipeline, including Sawyer, Sayid and Jin.

"If we just did all the heavy hitters in the first [batch], then I'm left with some of the characters might not being as popular in the second one," McFarlane says, noting that the Lost deal gives him an opportunity to immortalize characters that are no longer be on the show, as well as mold different versions of figures based on future plotlines.

"We'll eventually get to all of them.  We're not going to miss anybody," McFarlane adds.  "And when Jorge turns into the devil child and the bad guy, then we'll have to make that version of him too." 

Each of the six-inch figures retails for $18 and comes with a photographic backdrop, props and audio clips from a key moments in that character's history.  For example, Charlie's includes him singing "You All Everybody," the lone hit from his band, Driveshaft.

"The sound clips had a lot to do with why we picked some of the characters," explains Burk, "because we wanted to get certain people like Shannon, for example, who has some brilliant lines, particularly since she died off at the beginning of the second season."

As for seeing his alter ego mass produced, Garcia deems the figure  "fantastic"—and not just because they'll make cool holiday gifts for friends and family who are tired of receiving Lost DVDs from cast members.

"We've been excited ever since Todd came to Hawaii to scan our faces," he says. Especially Dom[inic Monaghan, aka Charlie], Daniel [Daniel Dae-Kim, aka Jin] and me."

Adds Burk:  "I called up Terry O'Quinn [aka John Locke]—who's been acting for 30 years—and I said right after we saw the first figure, 'You are going to lose your mind.' "   McFarlane and his team visited the cast on set on Oahu, bringing a special digital scanner that was able to capture a "range of facial expressions," which the toymaker can then use to create photorealistic action figures.

"It's something we're absurdly passionate about," says Burk. "In fact, when we called all the actors…without a doubt, they all said, 'I'm in.' "

One of the figures in the works is Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's mysterious Mr. Eko, who was slammed to death in last week's episode by the island's swirling black smoke creature.

While TV Guide reported that Akinnuoye-Agbaje's exit may have had to do with some diva-like behavior on set, Burk disputed those assertions, sticking with the official line that the character's death was always part of the plan.

"I think storywise it was definitely the direction we were going," he said, adding that Akinnuoye-Agbaje's departure was "for personal reasons that we can't talk about." (The actor, who lost both parents earlier this year, is reportedly working on a movie version of his life.)

As for this Wednesday's episode, which ABC is billing as the show's fall finale (the series will go on hiatus until early next year, when it will air its final 16 episodes), Burk waxed cryptically:

"I think of this as our season 2.5. Like this is kind of like wrapping up a lot of where we were last year. For me, season three begins in February."

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