The Mystery of Tauriel is Solved (Nearly)

Hobbit action-figures have just recently hit the stores (such as Toys-R-Us), and are now for sale. There are figures of the dwarves, Bilbo, Gollum, Legolas, and Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lily, who has been confirmed as an elf. She is not a character from the book, but is the creation of the writers and Peter Jackson. In all likelihood, she will not even appear in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and may not be revealed until at least the second film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. To the right is a picture of her from a toy package. The reason she is available for sale is because this release of merchandise was planned well before the official announce of a Hobbit trilogy.