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he
late Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, who taught Anglo Saxon and English Literature
at Oxford University in England, created a series of literary works which
grew out of his lifelong interest in languages, myths and legends.
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he most famous of these works are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, a trilogy which includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. These stories are set in the fantasy realm of Middle-Earth, which resembles Europe as it might have existed in an imaginary period of antiquity. Middle-Earth was richly populated by Tolkien with wonderfully original characterizations of humans, wizards, elves, dwarves, dragons, goblins and many other fanciful characters, including those such as hobbits, orcs, balrogs, woses and ents which grew out of mythological elements filtered through Tolkien's creative imagination.
olkien
Enterprises
is a division of the Saul Zaentz Company, which in 1976 acquired certain
exclusive rights to the fanciful names and characters associated with
Middle-Earth, and in 1978 produced a feature-length animated film of The
Lord of the Rings, directed by Ralph Bakshi.
olkien
Enterprises licenses the names and likenesses of the fanciful characters,
places, things and events for use as trademarks and service marks in connection
with various lines of merchandise. The Saul Zaentz Company also owns exclusive
rights to certain copyrightable elements of The Hobbit and The
Lord of the Rings including, among others, film and legitimate stage
rights. A spectacular live action, special effects-packed trilogy of films
based on The Lord of the Rings is currently in development by New
Zealand's Peter Jackson, to be produced and released by New Line Cinema.
 GANDALF LOOKS TOWARDS MORDOR From "The Lord of the Rings Tarot"
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he
Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings developed a widespread following
when the paperback editions of the books were published in the 1960s.
Their grand, mythic themes presented as compelling and entertaining stories
brought Middle-Earth into popular consciousness as a counter-culture utopia,
in contrast to the harsh reality of the Vietnam War.
ore
than 50 million copies of the books have been sold, and they have been
translated into 25 languages. The language and lore of Middle-Earth have,
over the years, permeated our popular culture. The
list of fanciful names derived from Tolkien's writings includes, among
others, Middle-Earth, Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship, Gandalf,
Bilbo, Frodo, Gollum, Rivendell, Lothlórien, the Shire, Moria, Mordor,
Shadowfax, Treebeard, Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains.
ince
1978, Tolkien Enterprises has carried out a worldwide licensing program,
through which we have authorized dramatizations, musicals, puppet performances,
services and merchandise using the Tolkien trademarks. Our licensees have
produced a large range of merchandise, including board games, puzzles,
computer games, chess sets, playing cards, tarot decks, T-shirts, costumes,
masks, buttons, belt buckles, dolls, puppets, metal miniature figures,
coloring books, music, linens, pewter figurines, porcelain figurines,
collector plates, clocks, daggers & swords, action figures, bulletin boards,
mirrors, posters, calendars, note-cards, stationery, collectible card
games, role-playing games, decals and bumper stickers.
nyone
desiring to use one or more of the Tolkien fanciful names and/or characters
in connection with merchandise, stage adaptations, or services offered
to the public is requested to submit a written proposal to Laurie Battle,
Director of Licensing, 2600 Tenth Street, Berkeley, California 94710.
Characters
Places Things
& Events
©1998 Tolkien Enterprises
All Rights Reserved
"The
Lord of the Rings Tarot"
illustrated by Peter Pracownik
produced by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Web Design & Illustration by
Kurland Digital