: We need to remember that the LOTR mechandising will be hitting around Christmas, that's when we will be inundated. Not just by LOTR stuff, but stuff from other films released at that time aimed at the kiddies and the annual Christmas toy blitz. All of this may combine to lessen our angst.

Also, how much merchandising do we really think is going to occur? I mean what merchandising was there for previous fantasy films like Willow, Conan, The Thirteenth Warrior, Zoro, ad nauseum. Not much. Let's remember that Tolkien, while prevelent in our lives, is still pretty obscure, and I am not talking unwashed masses here. I have a good majority of friends who have single and mutiple degrees who have never read even one of the books, or seen any of the movies, or would know the difference between Sauron and Saruman if one of them threw a palantir.

-RobRoy