For Buffy fans ready for the next step in fandom, these action figures are for you. Here’s the press release describing the new set of Willow and Tara figures:

CineQuest.com Announces First-Ever Gay Action Figure Couple Set - “Willow and Tara: Together Forever: from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

TARA: Willow… I got so lost …
WILLOW: I found you! (crying, kissing, hugging) I’ll always find you…
- Ep. 5.22, “The Gift”

August 6, 2004 - Online retailer CineQuest.com has begun pre-orders for the first set of action figures marketed as a lesbian couple.

The “Willow & Tara: Together Forever” set, based on characters from the cult TV show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” is as innovative as the couple it represents: Willow and Tara were one of the first long-term lesbian couples in prime-time television history, and now their action figures will be the first set openly marketed as a lesbian pair.

The set features Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) as they appeared in “Hush” — the Emmy-nominated episode in which the couple first met and developed an instant, sensual attraction. Also included in the carded set are various accessories: a mortar and pestle, a candle and the couple’s beloved cat, Miss Kitty Fantastico.

“We’re just elated that this set is happening and that those of us who are fans of Willow and Tara and the show will have a beautiful keepsake of the couple,” said Mark Del Vecchio, president of Salem, NH-based CineQuest.com.

“The set is really a tribute to the amazing acting skills of Alyson Hannigan and Amber Benson who brought to life two indelible characters that will always stay in the hearts of the fans.”

Willow and Tara inspired fans throughout their run on Buffy with their clear love for one another and with how the show treated them - as a normal couple who happened to be gay. Tara’s death at the close of the show’s sixth season caused many fans to band together in their support of the characters.

Preorders for the Willow & Tara set, which retails for $29.99, have just launched at CineQuest.com, with orders shipping in October. The Buffy line of action figures is manufactured by Diamond Select Toys.

I thought the press release itself was worth posting almost in its entirety — not only because it provides a nicely worded description of the couple, but because you won’t find this description on the CineQuest website. There, the action figures are marketed as ‘”everyone’s favorite Wiccan couple,’” and the word ‘”lesbian’” is conspicuously absent.

Plus: Both Joss Whedon and Amber Benson will be in Chicago this weekend, at the Wizard World convention. I just might have to get my geek on. And we might as well add that it’s never too soon to start thinking about the 2006 Slayage conference.