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Former East Memphian Jenny Wade D’Amore always knew about Elvis Presley, but now living in Phoenix with her husband Marc she knows a lot more about the King of Rock and Roll. “I’m the Elvis girl at work,” she said.

When D’Amore, licensing manager of McFarlane Toys, began working for the company, the talk of an Elvis Presley action figure was in its initial stage. “The deal was already being formed when I came on board (in 2002),” said D’Amore. But now three Elvis Presley action figures have been released and a fourth will come out in April.

The first figure, 12 inches, - “Elvis Presley, ‘68 Comeback Special” - mirrors his appearance on a televised 1968 Comeback Special. As for the second one, “Elvis Presley, Rockabilly,” 6 inches, it memorializes his first recording at Sun Studio in 1954.

D’Amore was instrumental in the third figure - “Elvis Presley, Las Vegas.” “I really pushed for it and I was really excited about it,” she said. She found impersonators that closely resembled Elvis in a Las Vegas concert in 1970. “I looked at impersonators and found which one had good moves and which could really do Elvis,” Then an impersonator is scanned - “it’s a full body scan. The person holds a pose for 30 seconds. It’s 3-D - so it goes all the way around them. We then have the movement and the form of Elvis,” she explained.

All the detailed facial features come from photo references. And “we then submit it (the figure) to Elvis Presley Enterprises and ask what’s realistic and what needs to be changed,” said D’Amore.

The McFarlane toy action figures are collectibles, especially for the fans of Elvis. “Fans and collectors buy the Elvis Presley action figures knowing Elvis in different ways and in different motifs. We do a limited run of all pieces. So when it’s gone off the shelf, it’s gone forever. But we always have a unique product coming out, even if it’s just Elvis,” she said.

With her job, D’Amore has not only focused on Elvis, but other musicians, and athletes and actors as well. She has met and spoken to many famous people - forming licenses to make new action figures. “I’m from Memphis, not California, so when I interact with famous people I get really excited,” she smiled.

She has really learned a lot about Elvis, and she said “it’s a shame he’s not alive, I’d love to speak to him.”