The Shape of Water is due to hit cinemas this week (on Valentine’s Day, incidentally, because nothing says romance like a love story about a woman and fish man). The anticipation for its arrival couldn’t be higher.
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy flick earned the most nominations for this year’s Academy Awards with 13 nods in total. Lately though, it hasn’t been hitting headlines over critical acclaim or accolades, but for a cheeky sex toy inspired by the movie.
A company called XenoCat Artifacts designed the item in question, and it has apparently been selling out on Etsy (WARNING: NSFW IMAGE BELOW).
Doug Jones, whose previous credits include Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth, plays the fish-man opposite Sally Hawkins’s mute janitor. He hasn’t exactly been thrilled about his character inspiring such a sell-out item.
“With a light chuckle, I can tell you it’s not exactly what I’d hoped for,” Jones told TheWrap with regards to the sex toy. “I’ve actually had several real action figures made of my creature roles in the past — all done in good taste.
“After pouring my heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into this romantic, beautiful, magical role, the last thing I want to be remembered for is a silicone appendage that comes in two sizes.”
Writer-director del Toro, meanwhile, has taken the matter a little less seriously, and expressed how he thought the piece isn’t anatomically correct. “I’m sure Dunkirk doesn’t have that problem,” del Toro joked about the sex toy after TheWrap’s screening of The Shape of Water. “I don’t think it’s an accurate representation. It’s some form of fan art… I guess.”