To go along with my Top Ten Movie Props post from a few months ago, here's another list focusing on props from the television world that I'd love to acquire if I had the means.
The Neighborhood of Make Believe Models - Even non-fans of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" are probably familiar with The Neighborhood of Make Believe, where all the fantasy characters lived. However, I wonder how many people remember that Mr. Rogers kept these beautifully detailed models of the various locations from the Neighborhood in his kitchen, and would take them down occasionally to use as visual aids for discussions. There were also little figurines of all the neighbors, though we didn't see them as often.
Troy's Cube - One of the '80s sitcoms that defined the '80s for me was "Out of This World," about a half-alien teenager who conversed with her off-planet alien dad, Troy (voiced by Burt Reynolds) through a cube-like communication device that looks like it had been assembled from translucent Lego pieces. It would also glow in various colors, zap things, and get up to all sorts of other mischief. I'm a little surprised nobody ever made novelty lamps or phones patterned off this thing. Personally, I think it would make a great Bluetooth speaker.
Xena's Chakram - I spent many a weekend watching "Xena: Warrior Princess" in syndication. As I mentioned in the previous props post, I'm not really one for weaponry. However, Xena's massively impractical signature weapon, the chakram, is one I'd make an exception for. I mean, this thing is so clearly more decorative than functional, and every time she used it in a fight scene, it was clearly a lot of special effects and spiffy editing doing all the damage. There's a yin-yang variant that's kind of neat, but I prefer the original.
The Eye of Odin and The Phoenix Gate - Yes, "Gargoyles" is an animated series, and these props never physically existed. I'm including them here anyway. The two magical talismans play a big part on the show's mythology. The Eye of Odin enhances natural abilities or can just corrupt you and turn you into a monster. The Phoenix Gate is essentially a mini TARDIS, allowing you to journey through time and space if you know the right spell. Way back in these '90s, at the dawn of the Internet, I confess I used images of both as profile pictures.
The Gold Compact - Did you know there was a "Friday the 13th" series? That had pretty much nothing to do with the movies? One episode from the first season featured a magic gold compact that would allow the user to control anyone that they hit with reflected light from the compact's mirror. I spent years thinking that this episode was an obscure horror movie, before I finally tracked it down. I would never want to use the compact the way that we see in the show, but it's a neat looking item - and I could use a new mirror.
Giles' Transparencies - There's a lot of "Buffy the Vampire" paraphernalia to choose from: stakes, crosses, Buffy's Claddagh ring, Anya's amulet, and so on. But what I keep fixating on is the transparencies that Giles uses to explain how to kill the Gentlemen in "Hush." They're hilarious and nostalgic, and geeky as anything. I would totally frame them and hang them up on my wall, occasionally playing "Danse Macabre" to set the mood. Or I could just keep the projector setup and turn it on for special occasions.
Star Trek Communicator Badges - I toyed with including Geordi's VISOR, Picard's Flute, and Data's hologram of Tasha Yar. However, there's no object more ubiquitous and symbolic of the "Star Trek" franchise than the communicator badges. Non-functional ones have been circulating for years, and there are still companies out there determined to make functional ones. Of all the different variants that are out there, I think the "Discovery" ones look the coolest, but I'd want a "Next Generation" one for old time's sake.
The Midnight Sun Paintings - I had to have something from "The Twilight Zone" here, perhaps some busted spectacles, a certain stopwatch, or an alien cookbook. I settled on the paintings from the episode "The Midnight Sun," where the Earth is sent in a death spiral toward the sun, and temperatures skyrocket. In order to achieve the melting effects, the original paintings were actually done in wax on hotplates. I'd still love to get my hands on some replicas though, because those images are so evocative and memorable.
FBI badges - "The X-Files" was my first real geek show back in the '90s. The I WANT TO BELIEVE poster would be fun, but the props that I most closely associate with the show are Mulder and Scully's FBI badges. They're the most consistently recurring items through multiple episodes, and have the added bonus of not being too creepy, like the alien from "The Erlenmeyer Flask," or CSM's Morley's. Either the wallet badges or the clip on badges would be great. And if I counted costume pieces as props, I'd also love one of Scully's coats.
Hand of the King Badge - Most of the iconic props in "Game of Thrones" come down to weaponry, which I'm not big on. The jewelry's more to my taste, so bring on Dany's dragon torque, Sansa's poison necklace, and Littlefinger's bird sigil brooch. The most ominous piece, and an important one in Westeros's power games, is the Hand of the King badge that comes into the possession of several characters during the course of the show. Ned Stark, Tyrion and Tywin Lannister, and Qyburn have all worn it is various episodes.
Honorable mentions: In addition to those items listed above, I'll add any of the handy Sonic Screwdrivers from "Doctor Who," the original chrome Talkie Toaster from "Red Dwarf," Sapsorrow's ring from "The Storyteller," Kramer's coffee table book form "Seinfeld," and the Shakespeare bust from the '60s "Batman" series.
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