- "From the Star Wars collection... by Kenner!"
- ―Kenner toy commercial
Kenner's original vintage Star Wars toy line ran from 1977 to 1979 in the wake of the immense popularity of the 1977 theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. The toy line featured a variety of characters and vehicles from the film. It was succeeded by Kenner's vintage The Empire Strikes Back toy line in 1980.
Development[]
In an effort to create a full-scale licensing program for the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope when such a concept was still in its infancy, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox executives failed to convince major toy companies of the era to create a Star Wars line. However, the idea did interest Bernie Loomis, president of Kenner Products, then a subsidiary of cereal maker General Mills, who felt the Star Wars film had promise for manufacturing toys. Loomis later admitted that, while intrigued by the film before its release, he assumed Star Wars would be fleeting, and that Kenner did not consider the project a major investment.[5]
Kenner signed its contract to produce Star Wars toys just a month before the film's May 25 release. Once the film unexpectedly turned into a tremendous success, Kenner was faced with a problem. Because the normal manufacturing cycle for three-dimensional model toys was twelve to eighteen months, Kenner's first Star Wars figures would not be ready for the 1977 Christmas shopping season. Loomis's solution, against the advice of most marketers, was the "Early Bird Certificate Package"—Kenner riskily shipped 600,000 empty cardboard boxes that included mail-away redemption certificates guaranteeing customers that they would be among the first to own a future package of four Star Wars figures, which ultimately included Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and R2-D2. Although the media harshly criticized the tactic and many packages went unsold, Loomis was pleased, as it allowed him to maintain public interest in the figures until their 1978 release.[5]
The Star Wars line's first twelve figures shipped in the spring of 1978 and sold for as little as $1.97 apiece, making it difficult for Kenner to keep up with demand. By the time Kenner's "vintage" toy line ended in 1985 following the conclusion of the Star Wars original trilogy, the company sold approximately 250 million action figures.
Although Star Wars author Stephen J. Sansweet noted in his 1999 book Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive that Kenner's original Star Wars product line lasted from 1978 to 1979, he later stated in his 2012 book Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection that the line lasted until 1980. In fact, the Star Wars line's final toy releases came in 1979 before Kenner transitioned to its The Empire Strikes Back line in 1980.
Continuity[]
Many action figures based on background characters from A New Hope did not have proper names, leading Kenner to use nicknames used during the film's production. Many of them would later receive proper names in the works of the Expanded Universe. These characters included Walrus Man, Hammerhead, and Death Star Droid. The toy line included two versions of "Snaggletooth", later named Zutton and Zutmore. In many cases, the characters' outfits did not match the costumes seen on film.[6]
For a toy included in the Death Star Space Station playset, Kenner designed the full body of the "Death Star Trash Compactor Monster" (later named "dianoga"), which was not seen in the film. That design would be contradicted by later Expanded Universe works.
Though most of the line featured toys based on the film, a few original items were produced. The Imperial Troop Transporter from 1979 went on to appear in fiction as early as October of that year in the Star Wars Marvel Comics series.[7] The Droid Factory playset would eventually be represented in the Expanded Universe by the monster droids seen in 2006's The New Essential Guide to Droids.[8] An illustration of Greedo in the 1984 children's book and record set Star Wars Adventures in ABC was based on the design of his original action figure instead of the costume seen in A New Hope.[9]
During development of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the Imperial TIE Fighter toy was used for distance shots alongside the actual filming models of the TIE/LN starfighter and the TIE interceptor. This results in the ships having a slightly different wing appearance from the other TIEs under close inspection, most notably during the scene where Emperor Palpatine arrived at the Death Star where one of the TIE wings looked slightly small compared to the others.
Table of action figures[]
The table below takes information as given on the cards with which each action figure debuted. After the debut of an action figure, details in the packaging, the shape of the action figure, and the name of the action figure were subject to change. No one characteristic (name, shape, or product number) completely defines the list, rather all the characteristics taken together form a clear list.
"Wave" | Debut package card | Action figure | Product no. | Debut year |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aa | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Luke Skywalker | No. 38180 | 1978 |
Aa | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Princess Leia Organa | No. 38190 | 1978 |
Aa | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) | No. 38200 | 1978 |
Aa | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Chewbacca | No. 38210 | 1978 |
Ab | 12-Back "Star Wars" | See-Threepio (C-3PO) | No. 38220 | 1978 |
Ab | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Darth Vader | No. 38230 | 1978 |
Ab | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Stormtrooper | No. 38240 | 1978 |
Ab | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi | No. 38250 | 1978 |
Ab | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Han Solo | No. 38260 | 1978 |
Ac | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Jawa | No. 38270 | 1978 |
Ac | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Sand People | No. 38280 | 1978 |
Ac | 12-Back "Star Wars" | Death Squad Commander | No. 38290 | 1978 |
Ba | 20-Back "Star Wars" | Greedo | No. 39020 | 1978 |
Ba | 20-Back "Star Wars" | Hammerhead | No. 39030 | 1978 |
Ba | 20-Back "Star Wars" | Snaggletooth | No. 39040 | 1978 |
Ba | 20-Back "Star Wars" | Walrus Man | No. 39050 | 1978 |
Bb | 20-Back "Star Wars" | Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot | No. 39060 | 1978 |
Bb | 20-Back "Star Wars" | R5-D4 | No. 39070 | 1978 |
Bb | 20-Back "Star Wars" | Death Star Droid | No. 39080 | 1978 |
Bb | 20-Back "Star Wars" | Power Droid | No. 39090 | 1978 |
C | 21-Back "Star Wars" | Boba Fett | No. 39250 | 1979 |
Large Size Action Figures[]
Kenner also released "Large Size Action Figure" versions of some characters, roughly in the twelve-inch size of other larger action figure toy lines. One additional figure of IG-88 was released in the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back toy line.[10]
- 1978
- See-Threepio (C-3PO)
- Chewbacca
- Princess Leia Organa
- Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2)
- Luke Skywalker
- Darth Vader
- 1979
- Boba Fett
- Jawa
- Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
- Han Solo
- Stormtrooper
Appearances[]
Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
|
Organisms
|
Droid models
|
Locations
|
Organizations and titles
|
Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
|
Weapons and technology
|
Miscellanea
|
Sources[]
- "Boba Fett: Mystery Man in Not-So-Shining Armor" — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 1
- "Scouting the Galaxy: Merchandise Mysteries… and Menace!" — Star Wars Insider 24
- "Star Wars Conquers Toy Fair" — Star Wars Insider 25
- "Scouting the Galaxy" — Star Wars Insider 29
- The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
- "Galactic Bazaar: Vader Rules Collectibles" — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 11
- "Galactic Bazaar: Leia Rules" — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 12
- "Star Wars Stuff: Collectibles in Japan" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 1
- "Fantastic Fans: Eimei Takeda: Star Wars Servant" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 1
- "Around the Galaxy" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "Expansion Team" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "An Elegant Toy" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "Designing The Galaxy" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "Collectors' Comlink" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "Collectors' Comlink" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 4
- Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
- "Friend or Faux?" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 5
- "Star Wars Stuff: Kenner Toy Fair Catalogs Are Hot Commodities" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 5
- "Special" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 6
- "Star Wars Stuff: Collecting Without the 'Wayback Machine'" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 6
- "Mexican Stand Off" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 8
- "Market Wars: What's Hot and What's Not in the World of Star Wars Collecting" — Star Wars Galaxy Collector 8
- Vintage U.S. Star Wars in the StarWars.com Cargo Bay (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection
- SDCC 2014: Hasbro's Star Wars Panel – Liveblog on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Star Wars Rebels Recounted" — Star Wars Insider 156
- "Classic Moment: The Fastest Hunk of Junk in the Toybox!" — Star Wars Insider 157
- "Red Five" — Star Wars Insider 159
- "Jedi Toy Box" — Star Wars Insider 160
- "Chapter 7: The Reckoning" Episode Guide on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "All Figured Out" — Star Wars Insider 214
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection
- ↑ Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
- ↑ Early Bird Certificate Kenner 1977
- ↑ Vintage STAR WARS Kenner Toy Commercials 1977 to 1985 Compilation on the All Things 80s YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 An Interview with Bernard Loomis, former president of Kenner by D. Martin Myatt on Rebelscum.com (archived from the original on June 5, 2020)
- ↑ Tessek, Sim Aloo, Pagetti Rook... Kenner Action Names Sold Separately! on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Offscreen, but Not Forgotten: Mini-Rigs, Body-Rigs, and Other Kenner Vehicles on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Vintage Vault: These are the Kenner Droids You're Looking for on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars Adventures in ABC
- ↑ Large Size Figures on Star Wars Collectors Archive (archived from the original on July 9, 2022)
External links[]
- Kenner Star Wars Collection Vintage Catalogues on The Vintage Studio Store (archived from the original on May 8, 2021)
- The Original Collection 1977-1985 Photo Archive on Rebelscum.com (archived from the original on December 6, 2021)
- Vintage Visual Guide on Jedi Temple Archives (archived from the original on June 24, 2021)