Irwin's
fame extended to non-sport card field
Sept.
4, 2006
Steve
Irwin, known internationally as the Crocodile Hunter, was killed Monday
by a stringray strike to the chest during an underwater diving expedition near a
Queensland, Australia resort town, reported The Daily Telegraph
newspaper
of Sydney.
Irwin,
44, had been taping a television documentary when the incident took
place.
The
naturalist became renowned starting in 1992 with a series of television
programs that later became The Crocodile Hunter for the Discovery
Channel cable network in North America. His wife, Terri, an Oregon
native, co-hosted the series, as well as the half-hour Croc Files,
a show geared toward younger viewers.
Dart
Flipcards of Montreal produced The Crocodile Hunter in October
2002 after nearly a year's length of delays. The 72-card base set
captured the irrepressible Irwin in potentially dangerous situations,
but was punctuated light-heartedly with his colorful verbal expressions
and metaphors printed on the backs.
The
Crocodile Hunter included autographed cards signed by Irwin and
spouse Terri. Undoubtedly, Irwin's signature pasteboard will rise
significantly as a result of the environmentalist's unexpected death.
Dart
also produced two "Danger-ware" costume cards from shirts worn
on camera by the Irwins.
Crocodile
Hunter's two chase sets were titled "Most Dangerous
Reptiles," a nine-card subset and a six-card "Most Lethal
Insects and Spiders."
Most
of the base set's images depict land-based animals with the Irwins
handling or interacting with an array of exotic and dangerous
creatures. Only two cards contain underwater
photography.
*****
