This issue covers the entire run of the 15 MIB Popy figures from Japan, a great and underrated set.

Reprinted here with permission from the editor and owner of Lee’s Action Figure News and Toy Review. All rights reserved and copyrighted by Action Figure News & Toy Review.
November 23, 2016

Here Lenny delves into the world of POTF coins including the rare mail away only ones!

Reprinted here with permission from the editor and owner of Lee’s Action Figure News and Toy Review. All rights reserved and copyrighted by Action Figure News & Toy Review.
November 23, 2016

The next installation is an article on MOC Carded Figures and some of their variations.

Reprinted here with permission from the editor and owner of Lee’s Action Figure News and Toy Review. All rights reserved and copyrighted by Action Figure News & Toy Review.
November 23, 2016

Here is the first of the AFN articles for you to enjoy!

Reprinted here with permission from the editor and owner of Lee’s Action Figure News and Toy Review. All rights reserved and copyrighted by Action Figure News & Toy Review.
November 10, 2016

Season 1 1985

“The White Witch” by Peter Sauder – Aired 9/7/85
“Escape Into Terror” by Peter Sauder – Aired 9/14/85
“The Trigon…Unleashed” by Peter Sauder and Richard Beban – Aired 9/21/85
“A Race to the Finish” by Peter Sauder and Steven Wright – Aired 9/28/85
“The Lost Prince” by Peter Sauder – Aired 10/5/85
“The New King” by Peter Sauder – Aired 10/12/85
“The Pirates of Tarnoonga” by Peter Sauder – Aired 10/19/85
“The Revenge of Kybo Ren” by Peter Sauder – Aired 10/26/85
“Coby and the Starhunters” by Joe Johnston and Peter Sauder – Aired 11/2/85
“The Tail of the Roon Comet” Story by Ben Burrt – Teleplay by Michael Reaves – Aired 11/9/85
“The Roon Games” by Gordon Kent and Peter Sauder – Aired 11/16/85
“Across the Roon Sea” by Sharman DiVono – Aired 11/23/85
“The Frozen Citadel” by Paul Dini – Aired 11/30/85
“Television special: The Great Heep” Story by Ben Burrt – Aired 6/7/86

In researching this section for the website I was shocked that there were two season of this show and as many episodes as were aired. Who knew?

Season 1 1985

“The Cries of the Trees” by Paul Dini – Aired 9/7/85
“The Haunted Village” by Paul Dini – Aired 9/14/85
“Rampage of the Phlogs” by Paul Dini – Aired 9/21/85
“To Save Deej” by Bob Carrau – Aired 9/28/85
“The Traveling Jindas” by Bob Carrau – Aired 10/5/85
“The Tree of Light” by Bob Carrau – Aired 10/12/85
“The Curse of the Jindas” by Bob Carrau – Aired 10/19/85
“The Land of the Gupins” by Bob Carrau – Aired 10/26/85
“Sunstar vs. Shadowstone” by Paul Dini – Aired 11/2/85
“Wicket’s Wagon” by Paul Dini – Aired 11/9/85
“The Three Lessons” by Bob Carrau – Aired 11/16/85
“Blue Harvest” by Paul Dini and Sam Wilson – Aired 11/23/85
“Asha” by Paul Dini – Aired 11/30/85

Season 2 1986

“The Crystal Cloak” by Paul Dini – Aired 9/13/86
“The Wish Plant” by Bob Carrau – Aired 9/13/86
“Home is Where the Shrieks Are” by Bob Carrau – Aired 9/20/86
“Princess Latara” by Paul Dini – Aired 9/20/86
“The Raich” by Michael Reaves – Aired 9/27/86
“The Totem Master” by Bob Carrau – Aired 10/4/86
“A Gift For Shodu” by Paul Dini – Aired 10/4/86
“Night of the Stranger” by Paul Dini – Aired 10/11/86
“Gone With the Mimphs” by Linda Woolverton – Aired 10/18/86
“The First Apprentice” by Paul Dini – Aired 10/18/86
“Hard Sell” by Michael Reaves – Aired 10/25/86
“A Warrior and a Lurdo” by Michael Dubil – Aired 10/25/86
“The Season Scepter” by Bob Carrau – Aired 11/1/86
“Prow Beaten” by Bob Carrau – Aired 11/8/86
“Baga’s Rival” by Linda Woolverton – Aired 11/8/86
“Horville’s Hut of Horrors” by Paul Dini – Aired 11/15/86
“The Tragic Flute” by Bob Carrau – Aired 11/15/86
“Just My Luck” by Michael Dubil – Aired 11/22/86
“Bringing Up Norky” by Bob Carrau – Aired 11/22/86
“Party Ewok” by Bob Carrau – Aired 12/13/86
“Melani the Warrior” by Stephen Langford – Aired 12/13/86
“Battle For the Sunstar” by Paul Dini – Aired 1/10/87 **This episode re-aired on January 10, 1987 to end the series**
“Party Ewok” by Bob Carrau – Aired 12/13/86
“Malani the Warrior” by Stephen Langford – Aired 12/13/86

A Star Wars Original Trilogy Universe Character List

Alpha-Numeric

2-1B – Medical droid who treats Luke Skywalker’s wounds and fits him with a prosthetic hand in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

4-LOM – A bounty hunter droid in The Empire Strikes Back. 4-LOM was an ambitious protocol droid who overwrote his own programming to embark on a life of crime. – portrayed by Chris Parsons

8D8 – An 8D smelter droid working in Jabba the Hutt’s palace in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

A

Admiral Ackbar – Commands the Rebel fleet in their attack against the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Ackbar was a Mon Calamari leader and military commander. Aptly given a name that means “selfless servant,” Ackbar devoted himself to the cause of galactic freedom and became the foremost military commander of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, having previously been an Imperial slave, and the later New Republic. – portrayed by Timothy M. Rose and voiced by Erik Bauersfeld

Raymus Antilles – Captain of the Tantive IV in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope. He was choked by Darth Vader in Episode IV. Apparently no relation to Wedge Antilles. – portrayed by Rohan Nichol and Peter Geddis

Wedge Antilles – A Rebel and New Republic starfighter pilot. – portrayed by Denis Lawson

Queen Breha Antilles Organa – Ruler of Alderaan, wife of Bail Organa, and adoptive mother of Leia Organa in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. – portrayed by Rebecca Jackson Mendoza

B

Ponda Baba – Aqualish mercenary who attacks Luke Skywalker in Star Wars I: A New Hope. When the original Kenner action figure for Baba was released, the then-unnamed alien was called simply “Walrus Man”. His proper name (as well as the name of his species) was given in 1989 for his appearance in a Star Wars role-playing game.

Blue Max – Droid that is part of Han Solo’s crew in The Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley.

Bossk – A Trandoshan bounty hunter in Episode IV: The Empire Strikes Back. – portrayed by Alan Harris

Bollux – Droid that is part of Han Solo’s crew in The Han Solo Adventures by Brian Daley.

C

C-3PO – Protocol droid who appears throughout the Star Wars films and Expanded Universe. – portrayed by Anthony Daniels

Lando Calrissian – Old friend of Han Solo. Businessman and scoundrel who leads the Rebels’ space attack against the Death Star in Return of the Jedi. He eventually resigns his military commission and returns to being a businessman. – portrayed by Billy Dee Williams

Chewbacca – Han Solo’s partner and co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon. Chewbacca and his wife, Mallatobuck, have a son named Lumpawarrump. – portrayed by Peter Mayhew

Chief Chirpa – Chief of the Ewoks on the forest moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi.

Arvel Crynyd – A-wing pilot who crashes into the Star Dreadnought Executor causing it to spin out of control in Return of the Jedi. – portrayed by Hilton McRae
Salacious B. Crumb – Kowakian monkey-lizard in Jabba the Hutt’s court. ose’s antics controlling the Crumb puppet led to an increase in the character’s prominence. – portrayed by Tim Rose and voiced by Mark Dodson

D

Biggs Darklighter – Luke Skywalker’s friend from Tatooine who helps in attacking the Death Star. Biggs’ reunion with Luke was cut from the theatrical release of A New Hope but restored for the Special Edition release. – portrayed by Garrick Hagon

Dengar – Corellian bounty hunter who appeared in The Empire Strikes Back. – portrayed by Morris Bush

Bren Derlin – Hoth Rebel officer in The Empire Strikes Back. – portrayed by John Ratzenberger

Jan Dodonna – Rebel general who plans the attack on the first Death Star and the first character to utter the phrase “May the Force be with you”. – portrayed by Alex McCrindle

E

K-3PO – Protocol droid seen in The Empire Strikes Back.

EV-9D9 – Droid working in Jabba the Hutt’s palace in Return of the Jedi. – voiced by Richard Marquand

Doctor Cornelius Evazan – Character who antagonizes Luke Skywalker in the Mos Eisley cantina in A New Hope. – portrayed by Alfie Curtis

F

Boba Fett – Clone of Jango Fett raised by Jango on Kamino as his son. Becomes a bounty hunter. He was eaten alive by Jabba the Hutt’s Sarlacc but later escapes? Hopefully. – portrayed by Jeremy Bulloch (V-VI) and Jason Wingreen (voice, V) Temuera Morrison (voice in the 2004 release of the Original Trilogy)

Bib Fortuna – A male Twi’lek from the planet Ryloth who serves as Jabba the Hutt’s majordomo in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. – portrayed by Michael Carter and voiced by Erik Bauersfeld
G

Yarna D’al Gargan – Askajian dancer from Jabba the Hutt’s palace. – portrayed by Claire Davenport

Garindan – Also known as Long-Snoot. Is a long-snouted creature who leads Imperial Stormtroopers to the Millennium Falcon. – portrayed by Sadie Eddon

Gonk Droid – A rectangular-cubed shaped droid that walks very slowly. It is a series of power unit droids. Originally called the Power Droid by Kenner in the Action Figures.
Greedo – Rodian bounty hunter who serves Jabba the Hutt. At the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope he attempts to kill Han Solo, something he has “been looking forward to… for a long time” but Solo shoots him instead. – portrayed by Paul Blake and Maria de Aragon

H-I

IG-88 – Bounty hunter introduced in The Empire Strikes Back. Ralph McQuarrie’s production sketches show a sleeker design than the droid that appears in The Empire Strikes Back. The term “IG-88” itself is not the original label, the script calls the character a “chrome war droid” and during production it was called “Phlutdroid”. The production puppet consisted of recycled props from A New Hope including the Mos Eisley Cantina drink dispenser as its head.

J

Jabba the Hutt – A crime boss employing bounty hunters in The Phantom Menace, The Clone Wars, A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. He is killed by Leia Organa aboard his sail barge in Return of the Jedi. – voiced by Larry Ward and operated by Mike Edmonds, Dave Barclay, Toby Philpott, and John Coppinger

Moff Jerjerrod – Commanding officer of the second Death Star. – portrayed by Michael Pennington

Jubnuk – One of Jabba the Hutt’s Gamorrean guards. He was eaten alive by the Rancor.

K

Obi-Wan Kenobi – Jedi Master who trains Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker. – portrayed by Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor (films) and James Arnold Taylor (The Clone Wars)

Klaatu – Jabba the Hutt’s skiff guards from Return of the Jedi. Originally named “Woof” by ILM designers, Klaatu is a green dog-like humanoid.

Derek “Hobbie” Klivian – Rogue Squadron pilot in The Empire Strikes Back. – portrayed by Richard Oldfield

L

Beru Lars – She is the aunt of Luke Skywalker and she is killed and incinerated by Stormtroopers in A New Hope. – portrayed by Bonnie Piesse and Shelagh Fraser

Owen Lars – Son of Cliegg Lars and stepbrother of Anakin Skywalker. He and his wife take custody of Luke Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith. He is the uncle of Luke Skywalker and he is killed by Stormtroopers. – portrayed by Phil Brown and Joel Edgerton

Lobot – Lando Calrissian’s cyborg aide in The Empire Strikes Back. – portrayed by John Hollis

Logray – An Ewok Medicine Man. – portrayed by Mike Edmonds

M

General Crix Madine – Imperial officer who defects to the Rebel Alliance. – played by Dermot Crowley

Droopy McCool – Member of the Max Rebo Band. He is a Kitonak. – portrayed by Deep Roy

Mon Mothma – Republic senator; later, co-founder and leader of the Rebel Alliance. – portrayed by Caroline Blakiston and Genevieve O’Reilly

Admiral Conan Antonio Motti – Officer aboard the Death Star over-confident in its power. George Lucas, in a May 1, 2007, appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, gave Motti’s full name as “Conan Antonio Motti”. – portrayed by Richard LeParmentier

N

Momaw Nadon – Ithorian seen in the Mos Eisley cantina in A New Hope. Named “Hammerhead” during the Kenner action figure runs of the 1970s and 1980s.

Captain Lorth Needa – Captain of the Star Destroyer Avenger and killed by Darth Vader for failing to capture the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back. – portrayed by Michael Culver

Nien Nunb – Sullustan and Lando Calrissian’s co-pilot in Return of the Jedi. – portrayed by Richard Bonehill and Mike Quinn

O

Oola -Young Twi’lek dancer who wore a leash connected to Jabba the Hutt’s throne. She was eaten by Jabba’s rancor – portrayed by Femi Taylor

Bail Organa – Leia Organa’s adoptive father and one of the Rebel Alliance’s founding members. He was killed in the destruction of Alderaan. – portrayed by Jimmy Smits in Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith
Princess Leia Organa – Luke Skywalker’s sister and Han Solo’s wife. Leader in the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic. – portrayed by Carrie Fisher

Admiral Kendal Ozzel – Initial commander of Darth Vader’s Super Star Destroyer Executor in The Empire Strikes Back. Vader kills Ozzel for his incompetence. George Lucas remarked that Sheard produced “the best screen death” he’d seen. – portrayed by Michael Sheard

P

Emperor Palpatine – Naboo senator also known as Darth Sidious. Dark Lord of the Sith whose machinations turn the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire. Lures Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force and dubs him Darth Vader. Eventually killed by a redeemed Anakin Skywalker. – portrayed by Ian McDiarmid

Paploo – One of the Ewoks in The Return of the Jedi. He steals a speeder from the scout troopers. – portrayed by Kenny Baker

Firmus Piett – Imperial officer, initially a captain, who is promoted to replace Admiral Ozzel as commanding officer of the Executor after Vader kills Ozzel. Dies when the Executor is destroyed in Return of the Jedi. – portrayed by Kenneth Colley

Darth Plagueis – Sith Lord, mentioned in Revenge of the Sith, who trained Palpatine. He was obsessed with finding the key to immortality.

Jek Tono Porkins – A corpulent X-wing pilot codenamed “Red Six” killed in A New Hope. – portrayed by William

Q-R

R2-D2 – Astromech droid that appears in all six Star Wars films. – portrayed by Kenny Baker
R5-D4 – Droid whose motivator blows in the midst of a transaction with Owen Lars on Tatooine resulting in the ownership of R2-D2 by Luke Skywalker. Note that in A New Hope Luke describes R5-D4 as an “R2 unit” implying a relationship between the types.

Dak Ralter – Luke Skywalker’s Snowspeeder gunner in The Empire Strikes Back. – portrayed by John Morton
Max Rebo – Leader of the Max Rebo Band in Return of the Jedi. – portrayed by Simon Williamson

Ree-Yees – A three-eyed alien seen in the background at Jabba’s Palace in the film Return of the Jedi. The character’s backstory is that he is a banished Gran convicted of murder on his homeworld, Kinyen. Ree-Yees expatriated to Tatooine where he established himself in Jabba’s Palace. Later Ree-Yees plotted to assassinate Jabba the Hutt for the Galactic Empire in exchange for a retraction of his murder sentence.

General Carlist Rieekan – Rebel commanding officer on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. – portrayed by Bruce Boa

Rogue Squadron – Rebel Alliance and New Republic starfighter pilots featured in the original trilogy and Expanded Universe.

S

Anakin Skywalker – Jedi whose fall and redemption are portrayed in the Star Wars films. – portrayed by Jake Lloyd (I), Hayden Christensen (II, III and the revised version of VI), James Earl Jones (voice) (III, IV, V and VI), David Prowse (IV, V, and VI), and Sebastian Shaw (VI)

Luke Skywalker – Anakin Skywalker’s and Padme Amidala’s son and Leia Organa’s twin. Jedi whose coming of age and rise as a Jedi are portrayed in the original Star Wars trilogy and Star Wars Expanded Universe. Luke re-establishes the Jedi Order. – portrayed by Mark Hamill
Sy Snootles – Lead vocalist of the Max Rebo Band in Return of the Jedi.

Han Solo – Captain of the Millennium Falcon who ultimately joins the Rebellion and marries Leia Organa. – portrayed by Harrison Ford

T

General Cassio Tagge – Imperial officer aboard the Death Star in A New Hope. – portrayed by Don Henderson

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin – The commanding officer of the Death Star in A New Hope. – portrayed by Peter Cushing

Tessek – portrayed by Gerald Home – Also known as “Squid Head”, Jabba the Hutt’s accountant in Return of the Jedi.

U-V

Darth Vader – The alter-ego of Anakin Skywalker after his fall to the dark side. – portrayed by David Prowse (IV-VI), Sebastian Shaw (unmasked original, VI), Hayden Christensen (III and VI DVD), and James Earl Jones (voice, III�VI)

General Maximilian Veers – Officer who led the Empire’s attack on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. He is also the creator of the AT-AT walker. – portrayed by Julian Glover

Vuffi Raa – Lando Calrissian’s droid companion in The Adventures of Lando Calrissian.

W

Wicket W. Warrick – Ewok who helps Princess Leia and the other Rebels in Return of the Jedi and who also appears in the Star Wars Ewoks animated series and the TV movies Caravan of Courage and Battle For Endor. – portrayed by Warwick Davis

Wuher – Bartender at the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope. – portrayed by Ted Burnett

X-Y

Yoda – Jedi master who trained Count Dooku and Luke Skywalker. His homeworld is unknown but he goes into exile on Dagobah after the fall of the Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. – portrayed by Frank Oz

Z

Zuckuss – Gand Bounty hunter appearing in The Empire Strikes Back. Zuckuss is an ammonia-breathing Gand findsman. He employs special religious rituals to locate his quarry. – portrayed by Cathy Munro

One Collector’s Commentary…

A very large problem in the STAR WARS vintage collecting community is trending (has been for awhile) and it’s a huge topic among STAR WARS message boards across the web.
The AFA “Loose U” grade. What is the ” Loose U” grade you ask? In a nutshell, it’s when a collector sends an unopened, carded figure to AFA and has AFA open the figure to grade it as a loose specimen. In principle, it’s sole purpose is that the figure should be in mint perfect condition, thus resulting in a very high grade.
AFA does this, but designates a “U” (uncirculated) tag on the grade slip encased with the loose figure. That’s fine except for one huge problem, you have now taken ONE MORE sealed, carded example out of existence and further creating a shortage in carded examples.
Some could even argue that, in fact large dealers or collector’s could, in theory have an agenda, in making their carded original figures worth more, by purposely thinning out the herd so to speak, actually manipulating the market, which in turn manipulates the prices.
Supply and demand right? Fewer sealed carded figures on the market, equals higher value for the remaining ones. Wouldn’t a “fair” or “just ok” condition card, but still sealed be alot more appealing than a figure that was purposely taken out of the 30+ yr old pack, and put into an UGLY (that’s right, UGLY!) plastic cube? The AFA “U” grade, and the people that submit them in that manner are destroying a big part of the STAR WARS vintage collectable market.

Luke X-Wing “U” Grade Luke X-Wing in it’s original Awesomeness

How can you help to stop this you might wonder. I personally will never buy an AFA figure with a “U” grade, and I’ve read on message boards a lot of other collectors that also have adapted that philosophy. If the secondary market trading slows down because of less demand, the prices will likely drop and thus the desire to submit more figures to be graded as a “U” loose figure will also stop. Collectors willing to spend their money on carded examples, even lower grade carded examples will help to change the trend. Personally I do buy low grade carded examples, because I’m willing to do my part to help preserve these items as they actually were. Don’t you remember seeing the beat up cards in the stores? The ones with a new hole punched in the top because the hang tab had been pulled off by a kid wanting to look at the card in the very back of the row. I think they have a place in the hobby, right along side the pristine examples!
How many sealed and carded original figures do you really think are still left? I don’t really know, but I guarantee every year that goes by, and the more new “U” graded figures AFA slaps on the market, at this rate you’ll be hard pressed to find any, especially any that are affordable!
Think about it guys, get ready to be paying $400 + for a sealed carded Weequay figure! And don’t even think about getting a popular figure like Luke, Leia, Vader etc. for less than $1000 because that’s the direction this is going if AFA doesn’t start refusing to open good vintage action figures!
Happy collecting and MTFBWY!

copyright 2011 Submitted by Curtis Dillon…Feel free to submit to us a rebuttal argument or to agree with Curtis.

Behind the Sound Effects of STAR WARS

Ben Burtt created many of the distinctive and iconic sound effects used in STAR WARS such as the sound of a lightsaber being activated, the sound of a TIE Fighter screaming past, or even R2-D2’s voice (which was mostly Ben Burtt’s own vocalizations altered electronically and combined with other sounds, such as water pipes, and dry ice being rubbed against metal).

Burtt created a tradition in movie sound of using a scream originally used for a character being eaten by an alligator in the 1951 movie “Distant Drums” (which Burtt named “the Wilhelm Scream” after the character who utters the scream in the 1953 western “Charge at Feather River”) and using it numerous times over the course of several movies beginning with a stormtrooper who is shot off a balcony just before Luke and Leia swing across the chasm.

This distinctive scream has been picked up by other sound designers and used in countless movies since such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), “Resevoir Dogs” (1992), “Toy Story” (1995), “The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers” (2002) etc. Burtt’s theory on who’s voice originally performed the scream? After some research he’s come to believe it was performed by Sheb Wooley best known for his song “The Purple People Eater.”

Some of Ben Burtt’s sound effects formulas for “Star Wars” include…

Chewbacca’s voice was a combination of bear, walrus and other animal sounds.
TIE Fighters were the sound of an elephant howling slowed down and stretched out digitally.
The laser blasts were created by “tapping” various radio tower guide wires with a hammer combined with bazooka sounds.
The doors on the spaceships were created from the sound of air doors on the Philadelphia subway.
The Jawa language was created by having ILM employees speaking words from various African dialects and then altering them digitally.
The Lightsaber “hum” was created by combining the sound of an old movie projector with the hum of the picture tube in Ben Burtt’s television set.
Luke’s Landspeeder was the sound of the Los Angeles freeway traffic recorded through a vacuum cleaner tube.
The Star Destroyers used the slowed down sound of the Goodyear blimp as part of their sound.
Darth Vader’s breathing was created by placing a microphone inside the regulator of a scuba mask and breathing into it.

Ben Burtt’s work earned him an Academy Award.

Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located which is just north of Cincinnati’s Union Terminal.

Kenner introduced its popular Girder and Panel building sets construction toy in 1957, the Give-a-Show projector in 1959, the Easy-Bake Oven in 1963, the Spirograph drawing toy in 1966 and the Starting Lineup sports action figure collectible line in 1988. It was a pioneer in the use of television as a medium for advertising toys across the United States, beginning in 1958.

In the early 1960s Kenner introduced its corporate mascot, The Kenner Gooney Bird, which would be used in both its company logo (“It’s Kenner! It’s fun!”) and TV ads, in both animated form and puppetry. (One commercial was produced by Muppets creator Jim Henson) The Bird was phased out by 1974.

The company was purchased by General Mills in 1967.

In 1970 General Mills merged its Rainbow Crafts division into Kenner Products bringing Play-Doh into the Kenner product line.

Kenner Products obtained the rights to produce Star Wars action figures and playsets for the Star Wars trilogy from 1977 through 1985. After Kenner acquired the license to produce Star Wars toys when the Mego Corporation rejected it in 1976 Kenner popularized the 3.75 inch action figure that became an industry standard that continues to dominate the action figure toy market. Kenner also produced toys related to the popular 70s TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. In 1981 Kenner belatedly entered the diecast toy car market with a short-lived range called Fast 111’s.

One of Kenner’s most highly acclaimed lines was the Super Powers Collection which was produced from 1984 to 1986. These action figures were based on the famed superheroes of DC Comics. What made the line so successful was that the characters were modeled almost exactly from the style guide of the company and also each character performed some “action.” For example if Superman’s legs are squeezed he would throw a punch. The famous “Hall of Justice” was actually inspired by a nearby building seen from a Kenner office window.

One of the more popular action figure lines in the late 1980s was Kenner’s The Real Ghostbusters based on the 1986-1991 animated series adaptation of the 1984 feature film. The toy line debuted the same year as the cartoon and continued production through most of its run. Although the initial releases in the toy line accurately resembled The Real Ghostbusters cartoon designs, unlike Super Powers, the toy line very soon stopped attempting to be faithful to the existing source material. Instead, new, original costumes, weapons and ghost characters were designed by Kenner, many of them centered around unique action features similar to those popularized by Mattel’s competing Masters of the Universe toy line as well as Kenner’s earlier Super Powers toy line. This idea of basing a toy line on well-known characters but then coming up with original designs that were not based on any published storylines represented a major shift in the design approach to action figure toy lines at the time. In previous years one major approach to producing toy lines was to base them closely off of popular well-known characters from properties like Star Wars, Marvel Comics, or DC Comics. The other major approach was for the toy companies to invent their own original characters and then help produce comic books and cartoons that promoted those exact designs e.g. Hasbro’s G.I. Joe and Transformers and Mattel’s Masters of the Universe. In a departure from this Kenner did not have any arrangement to incorporate their new concepts and designs into The Real Ghostbusters cartoons or comic books.

This looser approach to the source material of licensed toy lines continued with Kenner’s Dark Knight Collection, launched in 1990 and the first of their numerous lines based on the Batman character. This initial set was created to capitalize on the phenomenal success of the cinematic version of the character. Later toy lines expanded beyond the movie series and took inspiration from Batman’s animated series and comic book incarnations. Kenner went on to develop lines centered around Superman and other DC Comics characters as well. As with The Real Ghostbusters most of these DC Comics lines incorporated multi-colored costumes, weapons and action features which were not based directly on any existing storylines although the character names and likenesses were typically drawn from the source material. This design approach to the DC Comics toy lines was continued to a large extent by Mattel when they took over the DC Comics license and produced lines based on the movies Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Superman Returns as well as the Justice League cartoons. Hasbro, Kenner’s eventual buyer, has taken a similar approach with some of their action figure lines, most notably on their recent 2010 3.75″ Spider-Man action figure line as well as some of their 2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra product.

In 1985 General Mills spun off its Kenner and Parker toy divisions to form Kenner Parker Toys, Inc. Kenner Parker was acquired by Tonka in 1987. Under Tonka management Kenner Products was reconstituted as a division.

Tonka (including Kenner) was purchased by the toy company Hasbro in mid-1991. Hasbro closed the Cincinnati offices of Kenner in 2000 and Kenner’s product lines were merged into Hasbro’s.

In 2010 Hasbro began releasing Star Wars action figures on cards similar to that of the original Kenner 1978-1984 Star Wars packaging in their Star Wars: The Vintage Collection line. The action figures are not duplicates of the original Kenner Star Wars action figures but with more points of articulation (knees and elbows, where applicable, for instance) and different sculpts. Hasbro had done this twice before with the 2004 “vintage” Original Trilogy Collection and the 2006-2007 “vintage” Saga Collection but this is the first time that their Star Wars line was entirely dedicated to replica Kenner carded figures and continues into 2011.