Scottish vintage lifestyle products retailer Scaramanga is celebrating after adding Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings TV prequels House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to its already-extensive list of global entertainment franchise props clients.
Season 2 of streaming hit Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which premieres on Amazon Prime Video tonight [August 29], includes stone bowls, iron and brass vintage padlocks and antique ox cart wheels sourced from the Cupar firm in 2022 and last year, while Season 2 of global sensation House of the Dragon, currently airing on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK as well as HBO, has seven Scaramanga antique padlocks.
It’s not the first time the vintage specialist has provided its products as props to the Lord of the Rings media franchise – the 2012 film The Hobbit included Scaramanga antique brass padlocks in Bilbo’s house.
Since then the small company has gone on to supply more than 30 movies and 30 TV shows and become the front-of-mind choice of props buyers for certain items, most notably vintage and antique padlocks. Among them are 16 productions from global entertainment franchises.
Supplied Half of Top 12 movie franchises
So popular has it become among film and TV set decorators that to date it’s supplied eight movies from half of the Top 12 highest-grossing movie franchises – #1. Marvel Cinematic Universe (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – vintage tins, chai glasses, drinking glasses, lassi glass holder, old spice box; The Marvels – vintage rolling pins and iron bowls; Deadpool & Wolverine – metal folding chairs); #4. Wizarding World (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – padlocks); #5. James Bond (No Time To Die –- padlocks); #7. Fast & Furious (Fast X – car-shaped tin & money tin; #9. Batman (The Batman – padlocks) and #12. Middle-Earth (The Hobbit – antique brass padlocks).
Other franchise films supplied have been: Maleficent (more than 100 medieval-looking pieces including decorated vintage trunks, chests and homewares) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (padlocks); Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (padlocks, wooden pulleys and a satchel); Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (26 lanterns, a vintage padlock and a large door hasp and staple); Paddington 2 (large vintage padlocks used in the train chase scene by Paddington himself), 2022’s Death on the Nile (padlocks) and The Legend of Tarzan (vintage trunks).
Global TV franchise successes
Scaramanga has also enjoyed entertainment franchise success on the small screen with its products bought for Strictly Come Dancing (red classic 1960s Revelation suitcase used by Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev in a passionate tango), Celebrity Big Brother (200 padlocks were used to lock away the goodies in the 2016 UK Launch Night task), His Dark Materials Series 2 (padlocks, brass hasp & staple, cow bell, brass canister and iron bowl) and The Great Season 3 (mini hasps & staples).
To mark its latest props milestone, Scaramanga is offering 25% off its extra-large brass padlocks like the ones seen in House of the Dragon Season 2. Speaking about its latest global streaming TV successes, Scaramanga founder and Managing Director Carl Morenikeji said: “Seeing our vintage products appear in The Hobbit 12 years ago was a special moment for our company as I’ve always enjoyed the Lord of the Rings books. Having them appear again in this hugely popular TV show from the same fantasy world is really rewarding.
“I’m hugely grateful for the loyalty of our props buyers and our staff for continuing to meet their needs so quickly, which is often a crucial factor – as props can be needed for a scene being shot the next day. Thanks to them we’re looking forward to seeing our products in four more global franchise productions in the next 12 months.”
Anyone wanting to bring a bit of medieval vintage style into their home should visit Scaramanga’s website at scaramangashop.co.uk