I'm not going to reveal how I know this, but late in the game at Mattel it was decided the visage of Heath Ledger as the scared, brooding Joker was "too scary" for children, and the 5" scale action figure of said character was roundly dropped from the line in favor of a hastily thrown together "friendlier" version.

What you'll most likely find at your local toy shop in the coming weeks will NOT be the version of the Joker you see below, but a strange hybrid animated style Joker roughly an inch smaller and in standard blister-style packaging alongside the movie actuate Batman figure.

Right now it's being reported collectors are desperately trying to pick up the Heath Ledger Joker figure and paying crazy prices for it. Well, this is true for a few reasons. For one, the figure IS a limited edition, larger scale 6" figure, and IS sculpted to look exactly like the Joker in The Dark Knight. The figure (indeed the whole line of Movie Masters figures including Joker, Joker Goon, and Batman) is also not, as of right now, being released outside the United States.

In other words, time to hit up eBay.

But... not quite yet, please.

I have a feeling no matter how popular The Joker figure will be, prices for him will be coming down in the coming weeks and you'll be able to find him at a reality sane price. And if you have friends in the U.K. (like me), do them a favor and try and grab a few at retail for them.