![]() The Princess Leia figure, in particular, became infamous for its monkey-like face. Worse, they were given a new pumped-up body style more in keeping with the comic book and cartoon heroes of the time, while the facial features bore little resemblance to the original characters. Still subscribing to the 3.75-inch size, these so-called ‘Power of the Force II’ figures were poorly articulated, with wide stances that meant they couldn’t sit in any of the Star Wars vehicles from the very same range. To capitalise on the fresh buzz, Kenner (now owned by Hasbro) decided to launch a new range of original-trilogy Star Wars toys in 1996. Confirmation that George Lucas was making a new trilogy was followed by the re-release of the three original films in a special ‘enhanced’ format in 1997. ![]() In the mid-’90s, the Star Wars hype began to pick up again. It’s estimated that over 300 million Star Wars action figures were sold between 19. Regular Christmas TV repeats, video games, and other spin-off media would keep interest and sales ticking over. Once the hype and attention surrounding Return of the Jedi wrapped up in the mid ’80s, the Star Wars toy business entered a 20-year lean spell, with Kenner wrapping up production of the line altogether in 1985. To this day, rare examples of a free-firing Boba Fett toy attract some of the highest prices. Kenner’s hasty solution was to glue the rocket in place on each figure – a decision that attracted the ire of an already fanatical fanbase. Fett’s arrival on toy shop shelves was preceded by a distinctly modern-sounding health-and-safety scare, when it was decided that his sprung rocket launcher was an accident waiting to happen. These were much cheaper to produce – an important factor during a time of oil crises.ġ979 saw Kenner releasing a Boba Fett figure – remarkable at the time, given that the mysterious bounty hunter wouldn’t be making his first proper appearance in The Empire Strikes Back for another year, but setting a trend for future Star Wars films. Kenner went with 3.75-inch figures, which were much smaller than the usual 11.5-inch size. Eight more joined when the figures were ready: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, Han Solo, C-3PO, Stormtrooper, Death Squad Commander, Jawa and Sand People, with the first ever vehicles and playsets following later in the year. The four initial figures under the offer were Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Princess Leia and Chewbacca. Related: Can you beat our ultimate Star Wars quiz? The delivery of these figures would occur in not-so-early 1978. Kenner was so unconvinced that the film would be a success that it was wholly unprepared for the enormous toy demand in the Christmas period following the film’s May 1977 release.Īs a result, Kenner took the infamous decision to sell kids a dubious ‘Early Bird Certificate Package’ – essentially an empty box containing an IOU. Instead, the rights went to Kenner, though it can hardly be praised for any great amount of foresight. Perhaps mindful of this early buzz – or rather, lack of it – one of the biggest toy companies of the time, Mego Corporation, passed up on the chance to produce a Star Wars toy range. For another, expectations for Star Wars were pretty low, and underwhelming feedback from early screenings didn’t do anything to change that perception. For one thing, merchandising wasn’t the massive business that it’s become since. Most observers at the time would’ve thought this was a good deal for the production company. Lucas was understandably eager to tie up a deal, as he’d offset a low fee for writing and directing the film (just £96,000) by negotiating ownership of the merchandising rights. Here’s how it happened…Ĭheck out Sam Loveridge and Max Parker chat about the best Star Wars toys in our round-up belowīack in 1976, a young George Lucas could be found shopping around the rights to make toys for his ambitious new space opera. When they weren’t selling out or threatening to take kids’ eyes out, these moulded lumps of plastic and vinyl were establishing themselves as some of the best-loved toys ever made. Since the first ever Star Wars film created the blueprint for the modern blockbuster in 1977, there’s been a lucrative sideline in merchandising, spearheaded by toys – and particularly action figures.Īs news of a fresh batch of toys to accompany Star Wars: The Force Awakens emerges, we thought now would be a good time to look back at how it all started. And new Star Wars films mean new Star Wars toys, and that’s a very big deal indeed. A history of Star Wars toys: From A New Hope to The Force Awakens
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