Youtooz Collectibles’ “Project Hail Mary” Rocky 9-inch-tall collectible plush.
Youtooz Collectibles
Project Hail Mary is getting a collectible plush of one of a fan-favorite characters from the film — and it’s not of Ryan Gosling’s Ryland Grace.
Written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Project Hail Mary was released in theaters on March 20. In the film, Ryland, a former molecular biologist and current middle school science teacher, is recruited to become an astronaut on a harrowing, interstellar mission to figure out the mystery behind a substance that is causing the sun to die out — an anomaly that over time will eventually cause all of Earth’s inhabitants to perish.
Along the way, Ryland encounters a spider-shaped, rock-like alien, whom the teacher-turned-astronaut names “Rocky” (voice of James Ortiz) after Sylvester Stallone’s character from his favorite film. Once Ryland and Rocky figure out a way to break down their communication barrier, they work together on a solution to neutralize the mysterious substance since the inhabitants of the alien’s family face the same grim fate as those on Earth.
Now, nearly six months after the release of Project Hail Mary in theaters, the film is getting a collectible figure of Rocky, voiced in the film by James Ortiz. The toy company Youtooz Collectibles recently revealed its 9-inch-tall plush of Rocky. While most plush dolls or figures are soft and furry, the plush of Rocky is soft, but recreates the rock-like exterior of the character in the film. Also unique to the Rocky plush is that it has action figure-like articulation, so its five arms can be posed.
According to the company, the Rocky plush is packed to its seams with 100% PP cotton and is “made of the softest minky material.” The Rocky plush retails for $29.99 and is available to pre-order on the Youtooz Collectibles retail site. Yootooz’s Rocky is scheduled to ship anytime between Feb. 1-28, 2027.
While most blockbuster films — usually of the superhero nature — spawn collectible merchandise, Project Hail Mary, despite its huge global popularity, only has a few offerings, including a LEGO Icons brick building set that features minifigures of Rocky, Ryland and Ryland’s spaceship The Hail Mary, as well as other plush versions of Rocky and T-shirts featuring such lines of dialogue as Rocky’s “Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!”
In addition to the 9-inch tall Rocky plush, Youtooz is also selling keychain versions of the character, as well as Ryland in his spacesuit.
‘Project Hail Mary’ Was A Monster Hit At The Box Office And With Critics And Audiences
Following the release of Project Hail Mary in theaters on March 20, the film went on to earn $344 million domestically and $341.2 million in international ticket sales for a worldwide box office tally of $685.2 million. The film had a production budget of $200 million before prints and advertising costs, according to Box Office Mojo.
Project Hail Mary also earned a 95% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 430 reviews, as well as a 95% “fresh” audience score on RT’s Popcornmeter based on 25,000-plus verified user ratings.
RT’s Critics Consensus says, “A visually dazzling space odyssey that’s carried along effortlessly by the gravitational pull of Ryan Gosling at his most winning, Project Hail Mary is a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart.
In addition to the film’s box office success and critical and audience praise, Project Hail Mary is also considered to be a frontrunner for the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (for Ryan Gosling) by such industry trade publications as The Hollywood Reporter.
James Ortiz has also attracted major attention for his work as Rocky, having been tapped to receive the Critics’ Choice Association’s Innovator Award on Oct. 2 for his memorable voice performance at the organization’s 6th Annual Celebración of Cinema & Television.
In addition to celebrating the actor and puppeteer, the CCA will honor several other performers, including The Odyssey star John Leguizamo with a Career Achievement Award, Obsession star Inde Navarrette with the Breakthrough Actress Award – Film and Lioness star Laysla De Oliveira with the Breakthrough Actress Award – Series.
Based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel of the same name, Project Hail Mary, which is rated PG-13, is currently streaming on Prime Video and MGM+.
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