Even compared to other Coen Brothers movies, Fargo is a unique and amazing film that juggles elements of social commentary, emotional drama and dark humor. As such, it's entirely appropriate that Fargo is the movie that came with the most amazing, utterly unique, pack-in merchandising in its home video edition. I am speaking of the Mona Lisa of cult movie memorabilia - the Fargo Snowglobes.
Fantasy and horror movies are often released in Special Collector's Director's Cut Extended Cult DVD editions with some pretty nifty merchandising designed to appeal to the geeks who adore these movies above and beyond the norm (a group in which yours truly is a proud and happy member). The pack-in pieces range from T-shirts, art books and "Making Of..." DVDs to more special items like the BPRD belt buckle from Hellboy II or the tribute CD of industrial music that came with Tetsuo.
The Fargo Snowglobes, however, are the ultimate, the apotheosis of merchandising pack-ins, easily wiping the floor with most of your cheesy horror tie-ins and beating even the handsome Gandalf and Bilbo bookends of the Fellowship of the Ring and, yes, even the Re-Animation Serum Syringe Pen from the Millennium Edition of Re-Animator.
Packaged with the Special Edition VHS copies of Fargo back in 1997, there are two snowglobes, each depicting a scene from the movie. The first one shows Marge investigating the crime scene that opens the movie. The second, which is obviously the one to get if you have a choice, is the woodchipper scene, depicted in all its gory detail with a mixture of white and red snowflakes.
I repeat, RED SNOWFLAKES. It's pure genius. The red snowflakes really make the whole room come together, to borrow a phrase from another Coen Bros work.
Not surprisingly, these little desk ornaments can now cost over $60 on E-bay, but you can actually still find them in shops sometimes for $30 including a free VHS copy of the movie!
Which, of course, you will give to a friend because you already have the Coen Brothers' complete body of work on DVD. You do, don't you?