Ron writes:  A while back I published a blog post about consumer and retailer reactions to Kenner's 1977 Early Bird Certificate Package. It was pretty well received. I even dropped by a couple of podcasts to talk about it -- Star Wars: Prototypes and Production and The Vintage Rebellion.  On one of those podcasts (I apologize for not being able to remember which at the moment), I was asked how principal Star Wars toy licensee Kenner prepped the public for the product.  After all, it's clear from newspaper articles like the one pictured above, from the Beckley Raleigh Register ..read more

Jonathan writes:  Most collectors are familiar with the Star Wars bread promotion of 1977 which included Wonder Bread and at least one other regional bakery brand. If you are looking for information about that promotion, check out the blog post that I wrote on the topic several years ago. The CBC Breads Store Wars Incentive Program was a sequel, of sorts, to the 1977 bread promotion. By 1990, the Continental Baking Company (CBC), the corporate owner of Wonder Bread and other brands, had transferred ownership from ITT, its corporate owner in 1977, to Ralston Purina.  &nb ..read more

It's the end of the 79 Back season (and an era of archaic 'Chive Cast technology) as Skye and Steve explore the surprisingly many facets of Ewok Scout and speederbike-stealing hero Paploo. From more cardback identity confusion and cute knit hats to unsettling greeting cards and bad chili dogs, "Kieeco" has it all. Loading the player... DIRECT LINK DOWNLOAD TABLE OF CONTENTS: 18:49 – Skye-Ku 22:21 – Paploo Memorabilia: Eraser, Blockbuster Stickers, Pride Watch, Mittens, Knit Hats, Sweatsuits, Pyjamas, Underwear 41:24 – Behind the Steve: 3 Paploos 54:10 – Nugget “Mechanical?" 58:45 – Th ..read more

Ron writes:  The Early Bird Certificate Package casts a long shadow upon the history of the Kenner toy company's involvement with the Star Wars license.  Even those uninitiated into the mysteries of toy collecting are aware of it. "Hey," they'll say, "didn't Kenner offer an empty box for Christmas of 1977? That was pretty wild." But in case you're clueless, allow me to summarize: Because Kenner's agreement with Fox wasn't signed until the spring of 1977, the company was unable to bring action figures to market for the holiday season of that year. Though they did release a few ..read more

Which vintage (and modern) Star Wars collectibles "won" the new Obi-Wan Kenobi show on Disney+? Join Skye and Steve as they break it all down with the traditional Top 10 countdown. Loading the player... DIRECT LINK DOWNLOAD YOUTUBE VERSION TABLE OF CONTENTS: 00:00 — Intro 08:32 — #10 Winner: Emperor 10:33 — #10 Loser: Star Destroyer 12:16 — Interlude about music  17:40 — #9 Loser: R2 & 3P0 20:01 — #8 Winner: Jawa 23:41 — #8 Loser: Imperial Troop Transporter 23:41 — #7 Loser: Rebel Snowspeeder 28:34 — #7 Winner: Imperial Probe Droid 31:02 — #6 Winner: Stormtrooper 35:26 — #6 ..read more

The short 79 Back season begins with Ewok Bowman and Woodcutter, Lumat. Mattias Rendahl joins to talk about "mechanicals," foreign carded figures, unlicensed ceramics and an epic, consequential MarketWatch game. Loading the player... DIRECT LINK DOWNLOAD ENHANCED YOUTUBE VERSION TABLE OF CONTENTS: 08:00 – Grumpy Lumat’s Story and History 16:47 – Unproduced Zephee 19:45 – Skye-Ku 21:28 – Mattias joins the show 24:54 – What is the deal with 79 Backs? 29:21 – What are all the Lumats?  33:41 – Ledy is NOT THE SAME as Made in Mexico 34:57 – Trilogo Madness?   41:02 – Vintag ..read more

Ron writes:  Intro  If you've read my other articles, especially this one, you know that Kenner, the principal Star Wars toy licensee, was in a bit of a pickle come late 1977.  Though Star Wars was a smash hit, Kenner wasn't able to meet the demand that it generated among the toy buying public. This wasn't Kenner's fault: The company had only acquired the toy license that spring, just before the movie hit theaters, and toy development takes time -- over a year in some cases.  And so the Cincinnati-based company entered the holiday season with a lineup boasting on ..read more

Join Skye, Steve, Ron and Yehuda as they discuss the wonderful world of early, unlicensed miniatures. For highly recommended further reading, be sure to check out Ron and Yehuda's definitive original blog post on Nevile Stocken's metal miniature Star Wars figures. Loading the player... DIRECT LINK DOWNLOAD ENHANCED YOUTUBE VERSION ..read more

 Ron (with Yehuda riding shotgun) writes: Preface This article is the product of many years of research and collecting adventuring with my dear friend Yehuda Kleinman, who should be regarded as a coauthor.  Collecting often reminds me of a picaresque exploit: You never know what roads the hunt will lead you down, or what strange discoveries await you at the end of those roads. But if you have a good friend at your side, you'll never be disappointed with either your discoveries or your destination. * * * Intro: Correcting the Record I've written a lot about collectibles over ..read more

Join Skye and Steve as they identify which vintage Star Wars collectibles won and which ones lost the Book of Boba Fett. Luke, Tuskens, 8D8, Rancor Keepers and all the Boba you can shake a Gaderffii stick at. Loading the player... DIRECT LINK DOWNLOAD YOUTUBE VERSION TABLE OF CONTENTS: 03:43 – 2D Clone Wars Discussion 06:57 – #10 (X-WING / GAMMY) 09:59 – #9 (R2 / 3PO) 11:56 – #8 (NIKTO, BARADA, WALRUS MANS, GREEDO / KLAATUS) 16:34 – #7 (JAWAS / CHEWBACCA, BOSSK AND OTHER BOUNTY HUNTERS) 20:57 – #6 (SLAVE–1 / OTHER OT SHIPS) 26:15 – #5 (BIB / JABBA)  35:40 – #4 (8D8 / 9D9) 35:10 ..read more