When the Kenner Toy Company bought the rights to produce action figures based on George Lucas’ upcoming space saga Star Wars early in 1977, they were less than enthusiastic about the transaction. After all, the leading manufacturer of action figures at the time, The Mego Corporation, had passed on the deal believing that the movie would not fare well at the box office. Once Kenner had the licensing rights they took a rather “wait and see” attitude. As a result, they did not initiate advance production and for Christmas of 1977 there were no toys from what turned out to be the number one movie of the year.
Realizing the magnitude of the mistake they had made, Kenner president, Bernard Loomis, compensated the kids of America by issuing an “Early Bird Certificate Package,” better known as “the empty box.” Children who received this box under the tree in 1977 found a mail-in certificate good for four exclusive Star Wars action figures and their accessories.
When the first Star Wars play sets arrived by mail in May of 1978 they consisted of four figures in the likeness of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and R2-D2, a membership in the Star Wars Fan Club, some stickers and a catalog of upcoming toys. In addition, the flimsy cardboard box the toys arrived in could be made into a display stand, so included in the package was a small baggie of pegs to hold the figures onto the cardboard. While it may not have seemed like much at the time, these first set of inexpensive plastic pieces started a craze that would forever change the world of collectible action figures.
By the fall of 1978, Kenner had increased their Star Wars line to include eight more characters from the film and the toys could be purchased in stores. Before Christmas of that year they added a number of vehicles, accessories and play sets. Two of their largest retail outlets, Sears and J.C. Penney, offered exclusives, which are highly sought by today’s collectors. Penney’s was the sole distributor for the Sonic Controlled Landspeeder and Sears had exclusive rights to the Cantina Play Set (which came with four new action figures).
In addition to the original set there are a number of rare individual figures. The top five are: the Lightsaber Darth Vader and the vinyl cape Jawa both from 1978, the Rocket Firing Boba Fett from 1980, the 1985 Yak Face and the extremely rare 1978 Blue Snaggletooth.
While action figures had appeared on store shelves pre-Star Wars (the first appearance being Hasbro’s G. I. Joe in 1964), the buying frenzy created by the release of each new Star Wars film is unprecedented in the history of toy manufacturing. In it’s first year of production in 1978 Kenner reported sales in excess of $100 million and by the end of 1985 that number had grown to $3,885,000,000 in sales with over 300 million action figures sold. The figures continue to be produced today by Hasbro, but serious collectors watch for those manufactured by Kenner 1977-1985.
Current values for the loose action figures run in the $2-$5 range and sealed figures $10-$20. That value increases for sealed figures that were produced 1977-1985. These can garner $100-$200 online and rare examples $500+, so be on the lookout as you start garage saling this season. Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett70@gmail.com