Give Me Those Star Wars 28: Kenner Toys

Just in time for Christmas, Rob and David "Ace" Gutierrez take over GIVE ME THOSE STAR WARS to reminisce about the original line of Star Wars action figures and playsets from Kenner! And you don't have to send in any proofs of purchase to enjoy!

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12 responses to “Give Me Those Star Wars 28: Kenner Toys

  1. Fun show guys. I still feel like I missed out on a major phenomenon with Star Wars, even if I did have a few figures. I had friends who had more, so I did play with them, but I was far too into super heroes, then He-Man, G.I. Joe, Transformers, M.A.S.K. and of course Super Powers to get too bummed about it. It just wasn’t a priority for me at all then. So odd to think of it that way now.

    I did love that opening, “I’m you host Ryan Daly…NO, BETTER…Rob Kelly”. NIce zinger, Kelly!

    Chris

  2. All of the arguments against a Tarkin figure are also just as good arguments against a Greedo figure. Just saying. And there is absolutely no excuse for them to have not done a Mon Mothma figure in the Return of the Jedi wave.

    That said, I was always a ‘continuing adventures’ person with my action figures. Which was why I had no real interest in the Death Star set. I mean, the thing blew up real good, and who would be so creatively bankrupt as to do a Star Wars story in which another one had to be destroyed?

    Programming question: how is it that nobody has managed to take over this ‘cast to talk Solo yet?

    1. Good point about Greedo, Jeff R. I suppose the same would apply to Walrus Man, the Emperor, and Vader to a point. I never thought about it, because I never wanted a Tarkin figure.

      A SOLO show would be great! I just hope it’s hosted by someone who pronounces his name correctly.

  3. Great discussion, gentlemen. I’m in a similar boat to David, having been born in 1975 as well. My mom took me to see Star Wars during one of the re-releases prior to Empire. I don’t have any specific memories of seeing it in the theater, but I know I must have, because, when I got my first Star Wars figures (the Death Star Droid, R5-D4, and the Death Star Commander), I knew who they were.

    Fortunately, I still have most of my Star Wars figures, though several of them have screws holding their heads on. I pull them out from time to time to play with them with my daughter.

  4. I’ve still got my original 1977 figures in the big Darth Vader head carrying case. I’ve only kept those & my full set of Super Powers figures all these years. Looking forward to this episode on my drive tomorrow.

  5. No one wants to hear any more of my Star Wars toys stories (like how I pretended that the carpet in my room was an ocean and the Falcon & Luke’s X-Wing were floating on it and docked together, with the X-Wing’s nose fitting into the space between the Falcon’s front mandibles).

    I would like to say that I, like David, also saw Star Wars in the theater even though I was born in 1975. I know that I didn’t see it first run, but I have a vivid memory of seeing it with my mother in the Ocean County Mall’s 2 screen theater. We were either alone or there were only a few other people there. I don’t remember my sister being there, so it must have been on a shopping trip while my grandmother watched her, which places it before Empire’s release.

  6. I only ever had one Star Wars toy (pre-parents divorce, so I was no more than 6, and thus before I ever saw the film, I read the novelization at age 10). It was the Droid Factory, which had R2-D2, some of his parts made of rubber, and the capacity to combine different droids from spare parts and rubbery bolts. Anyone else have memories of that?

    As for your Texas Origins fanfic, I was there summers only from to 1983 to 1988 (ages 12-17), in a small town between Abilene and San Angelo, though I visited all around the state. Furthest west was Lake LBJ though. The fanfic may include my dad accidentally buying land locally known as “Rattlesnake Hill”, my enrollment in a Baptist Bible Camp despite my technically being Catholic (“to meet people my own age”), and my ramping a jet ski off my dad’s head. The less said about the bonus Christmas in 1994 the better.

  7. Absolutely loved this episode because it brought back so many memories. I was born in 73 and do not actually remember seeing the first Star Wars film in the theaters even though I know I did. But I do remember the toys…in fact my earliest childhood memory is waking up on a birthday morning and finding that my mom had set up the Death Star playset to be there waiting for me to see. And of course being the little brat that I was, my first thought after getting over my excitement was that the cantina aliens she had put in it did not belong on the Death Star. I still have about 2/3 of my toys from childhood although sadly not my Millenium Falcon. At some point it must have gotten wet in storage because there was mold on it and it had to be thrown away. Fortunately, I still have that Death Star!

  8. Guys!

    This made episode made me so happy to listen to. It made my day a lot better than it had been.

    I lived in Walnut Creek California during the initial Star Wars toy release and I do remember all the toys were available, there never was one that was hard to find. My parents tended to still get me the peg warmers sometimes because I am sure they were on sale at the time. Still they did get me the Darth Vader tie fighter, Jawa Sand Crawler (which was basically cardboard), speeder etc. There was a joke in the family even back then that I shouldn’t have opened them up and keep them in mint condition to pay for my college one day.
    I also had a Space Robot guy from Adventure People, Battle Star Galactica, and Black Hole figures that all served a role in my own personal space opera.

    Sadly most of my figures are missing. Rob was right 14-18 is the most dangerous era with toys. I had used a lot of other toys as target practice with my pellet gun. I still have the vehicles though in great condition in their boxes in storage. I think I might get them out on display.

    One note of caution, there are a LOT of Star Wars figures on cards that are now counterfeits. I have seen figures without the peg portion punched out and the displays in perfect pristine condition. I would be extremely beware about getting figures that are MOC. Loose figures you can get for a decent price and plus you will have something that another kid your similar age enjoyed it just as much.

    Thank you again for your show!

  9. With the omnipresence of Star Wars toys in my youth, it’s difficult to recall what I had, what friends & family had, what was stolen or lost so quickly I can’t recall, and so on. I’ll do my best though…

    I’m confident I had Chewie & Han from the first assortment, as I remember them well. C-3PO, Vader, Jawa, Luke, X-Wing Luke, Obi, R2-D2, R5-D4, Snaggletooth, Stormtrooper, and Tusken Raider all passed through my hands, to varying lengths and impressions. My original Leia suffered a common malady of my youth in losing her head as I tested the hold of the soft material. Hammerhead my half-brother had and lent me for a long time because he didn’t know what to do with it, and neither did I. The single most memorable though was “Han Solo Star Wars with big head,” although I think he was sold on the blister as “with vest.” I bought it at a point when I was Han-less, even though he looked scrawny and awkward. For some reason it made me think of Chrissie Hynde, and due to the lack of girl figures at 3 3/4″, I gender-swapped as my “butch” gal.

    I had more of my bro’s Empire figures for a longer time, including 2-1B, 4-LOM, Bespin Security Guard (a favored utility player as a rare Asian,) Dengar (a great generic thug,) Han Solo Hoth Outfit, and Lobot. I got a Princess Leia Organa Bespin Gown whose feet had been chewed off by a dog (remember, girls were tough gets,) so I pretended she had rocket jets on the stumps that allowed her to float. I know I bought Boba Fett, Han Solo Bespin Outfit, Luke Skywalker Hoth Battle Gear, and Yoda The Jedi Master, but the only one I kept long enough to halfway matter was Han (though he was a comparative also-ran to Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford would approve.) I also had a Tauntaun and a(n unintentionally swiftly one-armed) Wampa, but I think they got traded or swiped.

    I bought Bib Fortuna, Emperor’s Royal Guard, Prune Face, Logray, Teebo, and Wicket, but they slipped through my fingers. Between my brother and I, Admiral Ackbar, Rancor Keeper, Gamorrean Guard, Lando Calrissian Skiff Guard Disguise, and Palpatine (Darth Sidous) got a lot more play time. In rare splurges (maybe my stepfather was still wooing my mother?) I got both the Max Rebo Band and abba The Hutt Playset, which I remember fondly.

    I have to confess that despite my early love of Star Wars, the meh sculpts and light articulation meant G.I. Joe and other more dynamic figures stole my heart. Unfortunately, my brother took all our 3 3/4 figures to juvie camp, and they never came back, which is why I’ve still got all our surviving He-Man-sized figures in a former rat poison barrel up in the attic.

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