Plush Chewbacca and R2-D2

And now for something completely different... how about these vintage Kenner stuffies? First appearing in the Kenner retailer catalog in 1978, these plush toys were a cuddly way for young fans to express their enthusiasm for Star Wars. 

First up, R2D2... unfortunately, while it was unquestionably hard-wearing, the white cloth used to make R2 tended to stain and over 40 years, well... even after a good wash and spot-cleaning, it's gonna look like a 40-year old stuffie. The toy did have another cool feature though - a "squeaker" that made a noise when you press the red spot on his dome. This one still works!

R2's legs are on plastic swivels, and can turn around.

 

There's also a small velcro patch to keep each leg in place. Unfortunately the Kenner fabric tags are no longer with this piece. R2 is about 10" tall.

 

Isn't Chewbacca cute?? While there have been plenty of plush Chewbaccas over the years, few have come close to the charm of the original. He stands about 20" tall.

Kenner fabric tag is still present on this example...

... as well as the often-missing bandoleer and cartridges. I wanted to show some close-up details here - these three plastic pins hold the bandoleer in place on Chewie's shoulder.

The bandoleer itself is fastened together with a snap.

The bandoleer holds four plastic cartridges. It's not unusual to see tape (or tape residue) on the cartridges, as seen on this example.

"Wookies (sic) need love too!"

 

Thanks to Lantern Lad of the OG13 Forums for the image

Here's the page from the 1978 Kenner retailer catalog featuring the plush toys. They really are super-cute aren't they?

I love these two plush toys as a throwback to the earliest times of Kenner's Star Wars involvement. And the best part about them is that you can still pick them up for relatively little money, if you don't need to have an example with sale tags. Around $50USD should secure a decent complete Chewbacca or a really nice R2. But be sure your Chewie is complete, as the bandoleer was NOT meant to be removable, and they never seem to come up for sale separately!