Let's Talk About Luigi
I was talking to a friend over drinks last night. As seems to be the case lately, the conversation drifted over to Luigi Mangione.
A couple of things dawned on me as we were speaking. First, this already seems destined to become the most significant crime story since OJ Simpson. And second, it feels like we are witnessing the emergence of a true American folk hero for what I think is the first in our lives.
I have a unique vantage point on all this. As the person behind FCTRY, it's my job to keep a close eye on current events. Basically, I read the tea leaves and say which way the wind is blowing so we know who to turn into our next action figure. What I'm looking for when I do this is the rare moment when someone sort of transcends the day-to-day news cycle and starts to take on a certain mythological quality - when they go from being human to being hero.
I've been doing this for a long time now, since 2006, and I've only seen it really, truly happen twice: when Obama emerged in 2008, and when Ruth Bader Ginsburg became a symbol of the Me Too movement in 2018. Luigi Mangione may very well be the third.
To be clear, it's not my job nor my place to comment on the morality of all this. I'll leave that to everyone else. I'm simply here to say unequivocally that Luigi Mangione has become a cultural icon and, if I'm reading the tea leaves right, he is on track to become a full-on legend along the lines of maybe Che Guevara. And as a fan of the whole phenomenon of cultural icons, I am completely riveted.
In fact, it may be the most riveting real-life story I've ever seen. If you think about some of the details - the inscriptions on the bullets, his ridiculous good looks - it's hard to believe this is not fiction.
Circling back to something I'd mentioned earlier, I believe it all adds up to something we've never truly seen in our lifetimes, in America; the rise of a folk hero.
I can tell you right now that, if we were turning him into an action figure and I were directing the project, we'd be using Robin Hood as the template.
If you place this all in the larger context of everything that's going on in the world right now, maybe that's exactly what we need.
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36 comments
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I would be more inclined to by a figure of
José Andrés, Chef and owner of World Central Kitchen
His humanitarian efforts have saved livesJode on
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I agree with you that the morality of this is a very touchy subject — but I also agree with you about the Folk Hero trope/phenomenon. I would buy a Luigi figurine in a heartbeat.
Corinne Pierson on
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Sorry. I have all of the FCTRY figures. If you make a Luigi figure. I’m only one buyer, but I will never buy from you again. That’s disgusting.
Charlie Pouliot on
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I think it is truly significant that Luigi comes from a wealthy family. He’s not concerned with that which only affects him. This affects every American. Sometimes it takes drastic measures to get any attention. The dead exec was responsible for many deaths.
If you make a Luigi action figure, I’ll take ten.Teri Kimball on
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For Historical Purposes Only, I would Purchase a Luigi Mangione Figure. At a time when the Commander in Chief assured his duped voter lackey bozos that he would bring down prices on DAY ONE, and the Big Beautiful Bill SKYROCKETS insurance premiums for millions; Luigi stands as light in the darkness against corporate avarice and greed. Tony Barretta says don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time BUT LUIGI is a harbinger for all unbridled capitalists like a 21st Century Upton Sinclair.
John Bryz-Gornia on
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I don’t recall Robin Hood murdering people.
Terri Gold on