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The Portlandian, the Internet's premier source of Tonya News
August 13, 2025 Edition
(C) 2025 Portland Ice Skating Society
https://www.pdxiss.org
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Greetings, fellow Tonyaphiles, and welcome to the first issue of
"The Portlandian" for 2025. No, you haven't missed any - this
really is the first issue for this year, a delay for which we
must apologize, due to illness amongst the Special Duties Section
staff. That means there's a lot to catch up on, so let's get into
it.
TONYA AT CHRISTMAS
In late December, Tonya issued her Christmas message on
Instagram, showing her standing in front of her Christmas tree.
As you can see, Tonya really does Christmas well, proving that
"I, Tonya" screenwriter Steven Rogers was wrong when he said that
nothing was less Christmassy than Tonya:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DEA1w0kTp7e/
"Merry Christmas to my family friends and followers all around
the world I love you God bless".
December also saw the release of the annual PDXISS Special
Duties Section Christmas card:
https://pdxiss.org/cards/xmascards.htm
2024 marked a number of special Tonya-related anniversaries, of
which we chose two to commemorate with the card - but neither of
these were the one you're probably thinking of!
Fifty years earlier, at the age of "a soft four" (i.e. three),
Tonya began her skating career at Portland’s Lloyd Center Mall,
and we've marked this with a photo of a young Tonya skating there
back in 1974. This photo has been available before, but only in
very poor, faded quality, however we've digitally restored this
back to its former glory.
This year is also the 25th anniversary of Tonya's big comeback
performance and professional skating debut at the ESPN Pro
Championships in Huntington, WV in October 1999, where she
finished in second place. Tonya was greeted warmly by other
skaters, such as Liz Manley, who is shown hugging Tonya in the
photo on the inside of the card.
FAKIN' IT WITH TONYA
Our annual April Fool's joke - a riff on the infamous Beatles
"Butcher Sleeve" incident - fooled a few people as usual,
centering around the possibility of an extra Tonya hidden under
the Margot Robbie cardboard standees that were used to promote
the movie:
"You've probably seen these cardboard standees of Margot as Tonya
over the years, but listen - do you want to know a secret? These
things have a hidden extra Tonya!
The story goes that the original version of this standee actually
featured a picture of the real Tonya instead of Margot. However,
things hit a snag when many theater owners objected to the idea
of having a picture of a convicted criminal in their cinema
lobbies, and refused to display them. Rather than discard all
this expensive marketing collateral, Neon simply pasted a picture
of Margot over the picture of Tonya.
And here's where things get interesting - you see, by careful
application of a bit of steam, it is possible to peel off the
picture of Margot and expose the picture of Tonya underneath. As
a result, these standees have become quite collectable. Peeled
versions are known as Third State Tonyas, while as the unpeeled
versions are called Second State. However, the most valuable ones
are First State Tonyas - a small handful of examples that somehow
managed to escape being covered. These have been known to fetch
high prices - for instance, some that were personally saved by
the CEO of Neon recently fetched over 100 grand each at auction.
An entire cottage industry has grown up around peeling Tonyas in
this manner with some offering professional peeling for around
$500. But there is a much cheaper alternative of doing it
yourself. We will be posting details of our experiments on how
to
best peel Margot off your Tonya with the least damage. But you
need to be careful, or else you will just end up butchering your
Tonya! And you might want a Butcher Cover, but the last thing
anybody would want is a Butchered Tonya..."
And if you've never heard of the Beatles Butcher incident,
Beatles expert Andrew at Parlogram Auctions can fill you in with
all you need to know:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KzTMf4ssH0
We're not the only ones doing a bit of Tonya fakery - back in
May, a Facebook user called Farm Jokester produced this video of
a rooster crowing Tonya's name - to the hilarity of Tonyas
everywhere. It's part of a series he's done with the rooster
pretending to yell different people's names:
This needs to be made into a ringtone. Actually, Tonya needs this
as her ringtone...
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=699028959442904
Also back in May, That Oregon Life published this article
claiming that Portland had erected a Tonya statue in Pioneer
Courthouse Square, complete with what appears to be an AI-
generated picture of the statue:
https://thatoregonlife.com/2025/05/portland-unveils-tonya-harding-statue/
Not real, unfortunately - the site it's originally on is satire,
like The Onion. But maybe one day...
A DEDICATED FOLLOWER OF FASHION
For the Tonyaphile who wants to be seen in all the latest trendy
Tonya garb, here's some ideas:
- you can get your Tonya & Nancy flip flops and neck gaiter
from
this seller:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/867143929/nancy-and-tonya-flip-flops
https://www.etsy.com/listing/835161495/nancy-and-tonya-neck-gaiter
But be aware that the latter has only one left, so be in quick!
- you can also get this Tonya-themed t-shirt for a measly 23
bucks:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFnoFQlOWR5/?img_index=1
https://sundaymourningpress.myshopify.com/products/frozen-tonya-forever
"Love or hate her, Tonya Harding rocked the skating
world in
the 90’s. Talented but shrouded in scandal, Tonya
is forever.
Full front and full back print. Black and yellow ink
on ash
grey tees. Screen printed by hand, on 100% pre-shrunk,
medium
weight tees, fits true to size."
Here's a Portland t-shirt that mentions Tonya, from
keepportlandwicked:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DK3zLO0OM8U/?img_index=1
And don't forget Tonya's own line of Tonyawear at Fanarch:
https://fanarch.com/collections/tonya-harding
Okay, so this stuff might not make it onto the catwalks of Paris
or Milan, but that doesn't matter to us!
"I, TONYA" ODDS & ENDS
Next up, we have a few "I, Tonya" odds and ends we've accumulated
over the past few months:
- a behind-the-scenes photo showing the shooting of the broken
shoelace scene:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DF5i8eltA_Q/
- Allison Janney showing off the "Certified Fresh" award that
"I, Tonya" received from Rotten Tomatoes on the night of
the
L.A. premiere.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcVglY9hF3V/
"Big day for Team Tonya! Not only is @itonyamovie now
#CertifiedFresh by @rottentomatoes but we're also
gearing up
for the LA premiere TONIGHT. Be sure to come
back right here
to see all the red carpet and Bts action on my Stories."
- CBC Sports Analyst Meagan Duhamel at an IT screening in
December 2017 in Montreal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc4lCyHhnnl/
She says; "Thanks @vvsfilms for the invitation to see
#itonya
last night! She was one of my childhood idols with
her huge
triple axel and unique programs that made her stand
out during
my 7 year old fandom. The movie is well written, brilliantly
cast and the story of triumph over impossible odds
is
engaging."
- A fan poses with an original "I, Tonya" costume in New York:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdwVTY4AxnP/
- Amira Lumbly with Craig Gillespie at an IT screening, Westside
Pavilion shopping center, Los Angeles, back in 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbJLTLUFkGl/
- Cory Chapman, who played Tonya's stepbrother "creepy Chris" on
set in North Druid Hills, GA.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BccvFNAgEr5/
- "If ever there were a perfect form of marketing..." Michael
Varrati photographed this pink pickup truck in "I, Tonya"
livery at Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood in December 2017:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcjCTTglTuq/
- a group of Taiwanese fans, with posters. Be sure to click on
the right arrow for another photo:
https://www.facebook.com/PopcornMoviesTW/photos/a.506768196035612/1626183940760693/?type=3
- Finally, earlier this year "Architectural Digest" was given a
tour of the Luckychap offices by Margot herself - how many
"I,
Tonya" Easter eggs can you find?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsuZApwKlTk
"I TONYA" AROUND THE WORLD - THE AMERICAS
And this segues perfectly into our next section. Our tour of "I,
Tonya" posters around the world is almost done - this time we're
onto the Americas.
First up is the United States - in addition to the standard
"pouty Tonya leaning against a wall" version which was designed
by Lindeman Associates, there are also several other variants of
interest:
https://pdxiss.org/it-posters.htm#north-america
- A poster with the text "badass - a serious blast" was spotted
in Miami. We've been unable to find a better version of this.
- several "for your consideration" ads aimed at Academy members
who vote for the Oscars. These were probably ads in trade mags
rather than posters.
- a couple of newspaper ads for Buffalo, NY and San Diego.
- "cracked ice" - an official poster by Rory Kurtz, who has done
many other movie posters, including "Dune", "Parasite", "Baby
Driver" and "The Dark Knight".
In Canada they used the standard "pouty" version, but in both
English and French.
In our Latin America section, we've added posters for Mexico,
Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil:
https://pdxiss.org/it-posters.htm#latin-america
- Mexico used the same poster as Spain, which was based on the
UK poster.
- In Argentina and Uruguay, the film was retitled "Yo Soy Tonya"
("I Am Tonya").
In other sections, we've upgraded a poster for Portugal (the
country, not the man), and added a second, and also two posters
for Georgia. No, not the home of Jimmy Carter, Coca-Cola and the
Dukes of Hazzard (and also the place where "I, Tonya" was
filmed), but rather the country of the same name located on the
Black Sea.
And by the way - how do you tell the Brazilian Portuguese
posters from the Portugal Portuguese ones? The Brazil posters
use a different typeface for the title.
As usual, if you know of any others or have corrections or
upgraded versions, please get in touch using the contact form on
our web site.
https://pdxiss.org/feedback.htm
FAN ART ROUNDUP
And now it's time for our regular roundup of Tonya-themed fan art:
- an "I, Tonya" BluRay steelbook, made by a fan:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGT9x-vMJp-/?img_index=1
- wildjudi.art - Wild magazine 001
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByhrTHLCdsp/
The inaugural issue of this Spanish-language magazine
features
Margot as Tonya on the cover.
"I introduce you to my magazine model, a way to practice
editorial design, and at the same time being able
to show you
the things that surprise me.
We watched "I, Tonya" the other day and wow, Margot
Robbie is
a f*cking bomb. The story is fascinating, the music,
the
photography... Give him an Oscar already, damn."
- this one features drawing of "I, Tonya" characters in the style
of a character called Qill, whoever that is:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAX9HYMHDi3/ - Tonya
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAX8v3WnxZ0/ - Jeff
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAX8m-knqk8/ - LaVona
- Chip O'Dell (chip_artrlyfe) - Minnie Mouse as Tonya
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLCgiHmAWYx/
"NIECES BIRTHDAY MOVIE THEME BOX 3 of 5"
- Coi Leray (medussa_av.art) - pencil sketch
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnz8ybvJ-Kg/
"A while ago I've been experimenting v with
charcoal - I
leave you 3 things that I learned trying and
watching several
artists that inspired me"
- Lyne (my.journal.archive)
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2qQQSSxfKz/
"First spread in a brand new journal. Maybe not my
best work
but was definitely fun to make. This journal is my
fifth and
is going to be dedicated to movies and tv shows that
I watch
and want to review. Hope to post more spreads from
this
journal here soon!
- Zygo (itszygo)
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3YPqA7vzpC/
"Watched “I, Tonya” a couple weeks ago and forgot
i drew
this"
Several alternative "I, Tonya" posters:
- vicky_j_skinner - Alternative IT poster:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CADO1T6jMby/
"Just wanted to show some appreciation for the
movie
'I,Tonya'..."
- designsverse - alternative IT poster:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBD1pFzBtC3/
- Ivy (ivvykygraphics) - minimalist IT poster - note the image of
the hand holding the cigarette in the middle of the white
skate:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD7KDdLhDWT/
"I watched this movie for the second time and
I had to design
a poster! This is really different from my usual
designs, i
hope you like it!
- Asmodeos Ilustración&Design (asmodeosgallery) - crying
Tonya
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3ZP4oYAYaA/
"Violence was all I knew"
"I was so alive with Tonya Harding's story and Margot
Robbie's
performance that deserved her drawing."
IN MEMORIUM
Over the past few months there has been the passing of several
people with Tonya connections:
Back in January, the world's figure skating community was hit
with a double blow: firstly, a tragic aviation accident on the
Potomac River in Washington DC took the lives of 67 people,
including 28 U.S. Figure Skating athletes, coaches, and family
members returning from a national development camp in Wichita,
Kansas, bringing back uncomfortable memories of the tragedy of
1961 which wiped out an entire generation of top-level U.S.
skaters.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2025/01/30/nancy-kerrigan-tonya-harding-react-plane-crash-figure-skating/78062642007/
Tonya posted the following statement:
"The events that took place last night in Washington, DC
are
absolutely devastating. I have been told that members
of the
US figure skating team were on board, as well as international
professional figure skaters and some family members
as well.
I'm sending my love and prayers to all the victims
and their
families."
Within hours of this bad news, more was to come: it was announced
that Olympic gold medalist and skating commentator Dick Button
had died at the age of 95:
Dick was always a staunch defender of Tonya and recognized the
dishonesty in the way that she has been treated by the skating
establishment, railing against the hypocrisy of her being banned
for life while cheating judges are given slap-on-the-wrist
penalties and allowed to resume judging a few years later. He was
also a key figure in the establishment of the ill-fated World
Skating Federation, a body that hoped to clean up corruption in
figure skating.
One of our subscribers who knew Dick well said:
"Dick Button is and will always be a legend in our
sport. His
expertise is almost matched by his sense of
humor which was
surprisingly wonderful. He worked tirelessly
to bring justice
to the sport regarding cheating judges, pre-arranged
results,
racism and elitism. An incredible man and friend
whose
contributions to all of us are immeasurable."
In June we received word about chef Anne Burrell of "Worst Cooks"
fame, who died at her Brooklyn, New York, home at the obscenely
young age of 55:
Tonya posted the following tribute to Anne:
"Anne was so amazing with me. Patient, understanding
outgoing
and funny. I loved her so much and she will
be Greatly
missed. May she rest in peace."
Linda Lewis, Tonya's agent and godmother, had this to say about her:
"She was so great and funny and huge fan of Tonya.
She
personally requested that Tonya be a celebrity
contestant on
the show. Tonya accepted and went on to win
the competition,
and was able to donate a very large contribution
to St. Judes
children's hospital. Anne will be greatly missed."
Finally, for the past few weeks the world has also been mourning
the death of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Tonya never
skated to Ozzy or Sabbath - in fact, we couldn't locate any video
of ANYBODY skating to them, which is rather odd, as I would have
thought someone would have done it on one of those Ice Wars-type
skating shows that were on every week in the '90s. But she does
have at least one connection to Black Sabbath - they played the
Cobo Arena in Detroit many times over the years, from the 1970s
to the 2000s. So it is entirely possible that Tonya and Ozzy trod
the same corridors backstage at the Cobo.
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VISIT THESE GREAT TONYA WEB SITES:
PortIce - https://www.pdxiss.org
Valerie Smith - http://www.olywa.net/radu/valerie/LilHam.html
Swan Lake - https://members.tripod.com/~TonyaHarding/index.html
Blades of Gold - https://members.tripod.com/tmhfan/index.html
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