Articulated The Thing From Wednesday

Wednesday turned the Addams family's crawling hand into a proper character, and this is that character as an articulated toy. The disembodied hand that scuttles across furniture, carries messages and sulks in corners is arguably the most expressive performer in the series, and it survives the jump from screen to printed object far better than most television tie-ins manage. Toys and games is the right home for it. The appeal is handling the thing, which is why it ends up on desks, monitor stands and office windowsills rather than behind glass. Children who have never watched the programme like it purely as a hand that moves, and fans like it as the one piece of the show that works as an object in its own right. It also makes an easy gift for someone with a taste for the macabre that is not confined to October.