Elvira on Her 40th Anniversary NECA Figure and What Makes a Good Dirty Joke

Cassandra Peterson (known to most as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark) is all about challenging the concept of shame. As the big-haired, relentlessly clever Elvira, Peterson delighted in taking jabs at misogyny and championing people who bear the brunt of society’s shaming. 2022 marks Peterson’s 40th year in her horror-inspired getup, and she’s not done yet. To help her celebrate four decades of the iconic horror comedian, NECA has released a Signature Edition anniversary figure depicting Elvira in all her darkly playful glory. You can find the figure at Haulathon, a month-long event organized by NECA and Target.

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Peterson recently spoke with Collider about Elvira, the new collectible, the anatomy of a quality dirty joke, and the vow she made with Paul Reubens as they were both finding fame.

Collider: 40 years of Elvira… it’s incredible. Aside from this action figure and Haulathon, how are you celebrating?

ELVIRA: I was gonna say by resting, but that’s not true. [laughs] It’d be nice to have a little vacation. Mostly, it’s just been work, work, work. For my 40th anniversary, I’ve been doing lots and lots of TV and interviews and all of that, so that’s how it’s been going so far!

How much say do you actually have in the creation of Elvira collectibles?

ELVIRA: I have a lot! I’m certainly not taking credit for all the work that they do, especially with this action figure and the talented pool of people involved, but on every product I have out there I have final say. I make lots of corrections on the hair, makeup, clothes, everything. They do the heavy lifting, but I certainly always put in my two cents! I’ll tell you how I learned my lesson: My first action figure was absolutely horrifying because my ex-manager didn’t give me final say. I had no input. It was horrifying! We call it the “Ugly Troll Doll Elvira.”

I’m sure there’s still some form of demand for it, as horrifying as it is.

ELVIRA: There is. People will come up to me at conventions and ask me to sign one, and I’m just like, “Why would you want this?” I haven’t looked at it lately, but prices are up there because they aren’t around that much anymore.

Hopefully, this new figure will replace it as the “in” item to get autographed!

ELVIRA: I love this one! To have clothing on them is really awesome. The rest of them have been painted on. They did a fantastic job with the face. It’s really, really hard with all the figures I do to get them to do the face the way you want it. But they came about as close as possible getting the face and all the details right!

elvira-mistress-of-the-dark — Image via New World Pictures

One of my favorite quotes from anyone ever is “The most successful people I know take their work very seriously and themselves not at all.” So one of the things I’ve always wondered about Elvira is that in addition to everything else she champions and represents, do you think she could also be an invitation for us to not take ourselves so seriously?

ELVIRA: Elvira does not take herself seriously and that’s one of the great things about her! There’s a certain vulnerability under that hardened, edgy exterior. But yeah, it’s very important. I don’t think you can be a comedian and take yourself seriously. And I consider myself a comedian. It has to be fun! One thing that Paul Reubens and I used to say, especially when we were getting famous at the same time, was, “Don’t take jobs unless you’re having fun. That is the key to doing a job. If it’s not going to be fun, don’t do it.” And we all kind of stuck to that.

Elvira means a great deal to a lot of people. One of the things she does very well is challenge shame in a way that’s fun, funny, and really smart. So while the world has changed quite a bit since the ’80s, what aspects or elements of our culture make Elvira more necessary and important?

ELVIRA: I think now is a really good time for Elvira to be around. People need a little levity, a little fun, and also the horror element. Horror makes a comeback when things are kind of crazy in the world. These days, I don’t think horror is going anywhere or coming back from anything. I think it’s around all the time.

Okay, last question: What would you say is the anatomy of fantastic Elvira innuendo?

ELVIRA: The funny thing about Elvira’s humor is that it’s a throwback to the vaudeville days. But yeah, it usually involves sex, obviously. Lots of jokes based on Elvira’s anatomy. I’ve always said the most important thing about the character is she is a blend of sexy, funny, and horror. Oh, and the scariness. That makes her very unique!

Check out some images of the 40th Anniversary Elvira figure below: