Welcome to the Blog

The first twelve, owned since 1978 ;-)

Thanks for visiting my blog, "Vintage Kenner Star Wars Toys"!


For those men (and selected women) of a certain age, Star Wars toys evoke fond memories of childhood. The toys themselves are simple, but not simplistic. The figurines and playsets are essentially inert pieces of plastic, devoid of sophisticated electronics or technological features. But the hours upon hours of imaginative play invested in them by us as children made, in many cases, an indelible mark on our psyches.

These toys - manufactured and sold between 1977 and 1985 - were never made or marketed as "collectibles", like many Star Wars toys are today. They were merely toys, meant to be played with by children. But the design, manufacture and marketing of these toys was anything but childlike in its execution. Even today, the packaging and marketing materials associated with Kenner's Star Wars line are striking. The design of the packaging is so evocative that even modern toys are packaged in boxes and on blister cards intended as an homage to the vintage line. The quality invested in the manufacture of the vintage line is obvious, too - that so many of these toys survived over 30 years of play, much less that some retain their original boxes, is nothing short of remarkable. Not to mention the passion (and money!) often expended by modern collectors on these vintage toys...

What I hope to present with each blog post is an in-depth study of a particular figure, vehicle or playset, in many cases along with photos of its original box and packaging. The items in my own collection are generally in "played-with" condition (as opposed to mint-in-mint-package stuff) but I hope that this only adds to their charm.

So this is why I have made this blog, and this is why you're here. We both feel some affinity for vintage Kenner Star Wars toys and derive pleasure from them. Whether this is a Proustian association with childhood, or an aesthetic appreciation of their design as industrial objects and the visual presentation of their packaging - or a bit of both - doesn't matter that much. I hope you enjoy the blog, and please feel free to leave comments!

Cheers,

Dallas

This should keep us going for awhile!