Holiday 2016 Game of Thrones gift guide
By Dan Selcke
The holidays are here, and that means shopping for all the Game of Thrones fans in your life. We have the perfect guide to help you on that path.
Let’s start with the obvious stuff. Game of Thrones Season 6 ended a few months ago, and HBO was kind enough to release the DVD/Blu-ray home box set versions earlier than usual. Loaded to the gills with extras, this set will make any Thrones fan jump for joy, assuming they haven’t bought it already. (Blu-ray: $39.96)
Also remember that different retailers have different versions of the set available—Best Buy’s SteelBook version has a special Braavos-themed cover.
That’s not the only box set HBO has put out. The ambitious can find a set that includes all six seasons, complete with all the extras from the previous releases, in one place. Behold Game of Thrones: The Complete Seasons 1-6. ($164.96)
And then, for the really, really ambitious, there’s always the George R.R. Martin Box, put out by Penguin Random House to celebrate the release of the special illustrated edition of A Game of Thrones. This box full of Song of Ice and Fire swag comes in three editions: the Special Edition ($75.00), the Limited Edition ($200.00), and the Ultra Limited Edition, which cost $600 and is sold out. Using the Limited Edition as an example, the GRRM Box comes with:
- A copy of the illustrated edition of A Game of Thrones (also sold separately for $29.76).
- A “Dead Men Set” of coins bearing the faces of Ned Stark, Robb Stark (with Grey Wind), Joffrey Baratheon, Walder Frey, and others.
- A Dothraki Living Language course.
- A string of lights, each modeled after a shield from one of Westeros’ many houses, perfect for the holidays.
- A detailed silk map of King’s Landing
- A replica of a prop from the show: the will King Robert dictated to Ned while dying after his ill-fated boar hunt.
- And more!
The Limited Edition George R.R. Martin Box
The Season 6 soundtrack is also on the market. That’s not surprising, but the fact that you can buy it on vinyl for $29.99 kind of is.
Okay, that got expensive. Let’s kick things back down a few notches with the Game of Thrones lunchbox, available for $12.30. People will have wonder what you packed when they see you with this.
Or, if you’re your loved one is into the culinary arts, why not a customized House Stark-themed cutting board? ($16.90)
Another neat culinary accoutrement: this dragon egg cookie jar, available for $29.99.
The cutting board comes from Etsy, which has a treasure trove of great Game of Thrones merchandise if you’re willing to look around. Let’s take a quick survey.
Jewelry is Etsy’s stock in trade, and it doesn’t get much better than this necklace inspired by The Door. ($17.45)
Sticking with that tragedy, surely you’re not surprised that there are “Hold the door!”-themed doorstops out there for purchase? ($5.73)
Then there’s the chance to emblazon any kind of drinking utensil—from wine glasses to juice glasses to flasks and beyond—with Tyrion’s signature line from Season 6. ($8.99)
Sticking with drinking, Ommegang has been making Game of Thrones-themed beers for years. It’s latest, the Valar Dohaeris Tripel Ale, is out in stores, and also comes in a gift pack along with the Valar Morghulis Dubbel Ale. ($22.99) Head to Brewery Ommegang’s website to get a hold of it.
Unfortunately, HBO’s new line of Game of Thrones-themed wines won’t be out until 2017. Those really would have hit the spot.
Let’s turn to games for a bit. There are always options like Game of Thrones Clue ($37.40)…
…and Game of Thrones Risk. ($61.68)
This, 4DCityscape also came out with a 1500+ jigsaw piece puzzle of Essos, the continent Daenerys Targaryen has been tromping across for the past six seasons. ($69.99)
You may think you know Essos, but I guarantee you’ll know it better after some time with this beauty. 4DCityscape also has puzzles of Westeros and King’s Landing available.
In clothing, you can’t go wrong with the HBO Store, which has Game of Thrones-themed shirts, hats, and what-have-you popping out all over, including the straightforward “Winer is Here” shirt ($24.99)…
…a shirt that celebrates the return of the Hound to the land of the living ($24.99)…
…and a shirt emblazoned with a slogan straight from Lyanna Mormont’s brain to your torso ($24.99).
Finally, let’s take a look at toys, wonderful toys. There are a lot of Game of Thrones action figures out there. Dark Horse Comics, for example, produces realistic figures, like this Son of the Harpy figurine. ($24.99) Funko, meanwhile, makes exaggeratedly cute figures, of which there were plenty this year. For example, here’s the most adorable Melisandre action figure in existence ($8.95):
And of course, let’s not forget the talking George R.R. Martin plush doll ($29.99, on sale for $10.00), which heatedly reminds buyers that it’s working on writing the rest of the series, okay?
ThreeZero, meanwhile, is working on an ultra-realistic Daenerys Targaryen figurine, but that may have to wait for next year’s list.