Looking at how well stocked the toy shelves were back then as to how bare they usually are now makes me glad I grew up in the 70's & 80's when our imaginations were able to run wild and we weren't slaves to video games & social media. It must be so depressing to be a kid these days.
@@BangBang-hk4rgI can relate to what you said. All of my carded Star Wars figures were purchased from K Mart. I remember being almost overwhelmed by the number of figures hanging from the pegs. I'll always associate the original Star Wars toys with K Mart.
I am Star Wars collector with more than 850 figures in my vault now... But I also became part of the story when I decided to write 4 books upon the saga in Europe. STAR WARS VETERAN FAN SINCE 1981. COLLECTOR. WRITER & JOURNALIST.
WOW...!!! I can't possibly say how much I enjoyed watching this! This really took me back to when I was a Star Wars obsessed kid from ages 4-11. I've been a Star Wars fan my whole life, and this brought back so many awesome, wonderful, magical childhood memories. I played with those vintage figures for hours, daily, when I was a kid. Ironically, I just started collecting those figures all over again recently, along with the POTF2, Episode 1 and Micro Machines lines. Thank you so much for this incredible documentary. This made a 48 year old man feel like a little kid all over again. You most definitely have a new subscriber, Sir!
A long time ago in the summer of 1977, I was a 10 year old kid who, one day, walked into a movie theatre to see "some far-out space movie" that was rapidly becoming "the talk of the town" on the schoolyard playground... I walked in an innocent, naive little child, only interested in Duncan Yo-yos, Mad Libs, Marshall Brodien TV Magic Cards, & Evel Knievel toys... I walked out CHANGED FOREVER. On that glorious day, I had seen the greatest movie that would EVER be made... STAR WARS... This groundbreaking film from writer/director George Lucas TOTALLY changed my life... It absolutely blew me away, filling my heart with joy, stimulating my imagination, and kick-starting my love for cinema... That day was momentous for me, and I would never be the same again.. I will never forget it.. From the moment the 20th Century Fox fanfare and John Williams' theme blasted through the theatre speaker system, and "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" and that "Flash Gordon inspired" opening crawl came on the screen, and that gigantic Star Destroyer appeared, flying over my head, towering above me as I sat in my theatre seat... and kept going... and going...and going... and as the entire audience gasped with amazement... at that very moment, I was instantaneously mesmerized, transfixed, and transformed... and I was only 5 minutes into the movie... I still had 2 more hours to go! As I sat in amazement, I was terrified by a helmeted figure in black, Darth Vader... In fact, the whole audience "booed" him as he made his entrance.. .We knew NOTHING about the story yet, but just KNEW that this guy deserved a collective "booing"!... It was like we were watching a SILENT MOVIE!... And as the movie continued, I was thrilled by the heroic exploits of the dashing smuggler Han Solo and the feisty Princess Leia, and emboldened by the brave, heroic, idealistic actions of the farm boy turned hero of the galaxy... Luke Skywalker! And by the film's spectacular climax of the rebel assault on the Death Star (the greatest ending ever committed to celluloid), my heart was pounding, and my spirit was soaring... And I will NEVER forget the standing ovation of applause that erupted as the credits rolled... Everyone in that audience didn't know it yet, but we had all just been first-hand witnesses to cinematic HISTORY! This was NOT The Apple Dumpling Gang, Herbie Rides Again, Benji, The Bad News Bears, or any other 70's kiddie dreck that I was being subjected to... No, this was something DIFFERENT. Now, by 1977, I had seen a small handful of very good and (for their time) very impressive big-screen spectacles in the theatre, such as: The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), At the Earth's Core (1976), Logan's Run (1976), and King Kong (1976)... but NOTHING could have prepared me (or the rest of the world) for the phenomenon that was STAR WARS and the change it would bring... the film that would propel a 1970's audience far beyond their wildest film-going expectations, and revolutionize the motion picture industry FOREVER. Words can never fully describe what it was like to be alive in the summer of 1977 during the peak height of "Star Wars Mania"... except to say that it was pure MAGIC. I will never forget the day that I went to see STAR WARS for the first time... May 25th, 1977... My father took my younger brother and me... I remember we went in my father's company truck (my brother and I rode in the bed of the truck), I remember that we stopped at Burger Chef first to have dinner, and I got one of the four SW promotional posters that they were selling there (I got the one with C-3PO and R2-D2... the first time that I ever laid eyes on ANY characters from SW!)... I remember that the ticket line went on for what seemed like forever... I remember walking into the theatre lobby and seeing the SW lobby display... I remember my father bought us both a Hershey bar, and he got a bucket of popcorn with extra butter for us all to share... Why do I remember all this?... And when the movie was over, I remember the audience erupting into insane thunderous cheers and applause that I had never experienced before! Naturally, my brother loved the movie, too... but the amazing thing was that even my father (who probably just thought he was taking his children to see some "dumb kid's film") was crazy about it as well!... My mother didn't go that night, and she always regretted it... She told me much later in life that if she had known that it was to be such an important moment in my life, she would have loved to experience my VERY FIRST viewing of SW!... Of course, she did take my brother and I to see it many times after my first viewing... And she loved it too! I became an instant fanatic... I saw the film 11 times in the movie theatre (which wasn't hard to do, as it stayed at our local theatre for an entire year!)... I sneaked my portable tape recorder into the theatre and audio-recorded the entire film so that I could listen to the adventure over and over in the comfort of my own bedroom... I dressed up in a make-shift Darth Vader costume for Halloween...I collected the action figures, the trading cards, the posters, the books, the model kits, and much more (and I STILL have all of that "stuff") ... I always wore my Star Wars T-shirt... I always drank out of my Star Wars cup... I listened to John Williams' Star Wars soundtrack album constantly, becoming a fan of symphonic and film score music... I watched "The Making of Star Wars" TV special, becoming fascinated by the way movies were made, even making a few myself with my Super-8 camera... I watched the Academy Awards for the very first time to see my favorite movie sweep the Oscars with 10 nominations and 7 wins... I even watched the now "infamous" Holiday Special in 1978 ... Lumpy... Itchy... Harvey Korman... Bea Arthur... Wookiee-ookiees... And I loved it... ("Hey, I was 11!"). And when I think back now on all of the Slushies that I had my parents buy me (and how many I drank) so that I could collect EVERY plastic Star Wars cup, or how many packs of Star Wars trading cards I had them purchase (and how many rock-hard sticks of pink gum that I chewed) so that I could complete the set, or how many Burger Chef hamburgers that I ate to collect EVERY Star Wars poster... The mind boggles... and I'm amazed that my stomach survived it! An amusing aside: I will NEVER forget when my parents took me to the record store to get the STAR WARS soundtrack by John Williams... We were driving home, and I was in the back seat of the car, looking at the LP... "Something is WRONG here", I said to myself... Well, it turned out that my parents had accidentally purchased the MECO DISCO VERSION! ... What did they know, after all? Obviously, we had to turn around and go back to the store! Another amusing aside: A few years later, when STAR WARS made its TV debut on HBO in 1983, I had to ask my high school audio/video teacher to take the school VCR machine home with him to record STAR WARS for me (it's hard to believe, but there ACTUALLY was a time when that was what you had to go through to get a movie... Not too many people HAD home VCR's yet!)... And when I finally DID secure that magical video tape, my friend and I watched parts of it EVERY DAY in the school library audio/video room during our lunch hour for the ENTIRE year of 1983 (In fact, sometimes we even got to watch the ENTIRE movie in a day, as our P.E. class was right before our lunch period, and we actually BRIBED our P.E. coach with peanut butter cookies from the cafeteria so that she would let us skip class... TWO FULL HOURS to watch STAR WARS!). And after 46 years, I continue to love STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE more and more... It has aged like fine wine... It is my #1 favorite movie of all time, followed by my 2nd favorite movie of all time: The Empire Strikes Back, and my 3rd favorite movie of all time: Return of the Jedi...These 3 movies are flawless and perfect, collectively making up not only the 3 greatest science fiction films ever made... but the 3 greatest films of ANY kind ever made... and the greatest cinematic story ever told... PERIOD. I love ALL of STAR WARS (Special Editions, Prequels, Sequels, spin-offs, etc.)... However, it all comes back to the very first 1977 film... This one is so pure and innocent... Its story is totally self-contained, without one needing to see any other Star Wars film to understand it... As summed up perfectly in the film's teaser trailer narration: "It's the story of a boy, a girl, and a universe... of rebellion and romance... of heroes, and villains, and aliens from a 1,000 worlds"... That says it all... It is the perfect story... the perfect film... a phenomenon... a bona fide classic.. a MASTERPIECE.. Thank you so much, George Lucas, for taking me to your galaxy far, far away... Words can never express the utter joy and happiness that your 6 STAR WARS films have given me.., and continue to give me to this very day... And in particular, thank you so much for that life-altering experience that you gave me when I walked into that movie theatre in the summer of 1977 to see "that far-out space movie", aka: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE! ...It's odd to think a that a mere movie could have that kind of power to change one's life in such a profoundly positive way... but I'm proof that one can. P.S. Just think, things could have gone VERY DIFFERENTLY and HORRIBLY WRONG that day if I had instead gone to see some "awful piece of dreck" that was also playing in theatres at that same time... like Tentacles ("Yikes!")... or Viva Knievel ("Ouch!")... or Pete's Dragon ("Uhg!").
Wow what a complete comment. Thank you for sharing your memories here. We really all have our Star Wars memories. I would have also liked to see Star Wars 11 times in the cinema, I only remember seeing Return of the Jedi. It was indeed cinematic HISTORY! Thanks for watching
Great documentary. Brought back a lot of memories of my own figures and vehicles I had as a kid here in the UK. Wish I still had them. When I turned 12 or so, I considered I was too "cool" to have toys so gave them to my aunt to sell. She sold the lot for £20 (about $30!). Interesting to hear people being disappointed by the ending to Empire. I imagine once the trilogy was complete, everyone learnt to appreciate the downbeat mid-trilogy ending a little more!
I absolutely loved this documentary. It brought back great memories of buying and playing with those vintage figures. I had the entire collection,all the ships vehicles and playsets. Unfortunately my collection was stolen. We moved several times and I had my collection in storage. I thought it was safe, but my Dad didn't tell me it was moved into a tractor trailer backed up against a building with enough space for kids to crawl into,steal my collection and burn the trailer. My Dad came back with a single Han Solo figure from Return of the Jedi.I was devastated and very upset with my father for not telling me the collection was moved into a trailer. I collected the reissues from hasbro but they weren't the same. Now I collect the Black Series I have quite the collection. I think they are awsome and very detailed, but I will always remember the original 78-83 Kenner Star Wars figures. Thnks for the memories.
Great video man, enjoyed going back in time for this awesome look at our childhoods. Thank you for doing this right around the holidays. My son and I have the collection of figures, these videos prove they are works of art and no longer toys. Thanks, and may the force be with you!
Exactly! they are works of art! I am currently working on a Ninja Turtles documentary in which I am going to try to focus on the art of action figure sculpture. Thanks for your comment!
Fantastic video takes me back to my late father getting me out of bed to watch starwars first showing on UK TV as I wasn't born till late 1978 by the time it got to TV in October 1982 I was just about old for it to make a impression on me
The definitive doco on the Star Wars toyline saga ... great work - it really took me back to my childhood in the 80's pestering my father for the new Star Wars toy at Toyland ...
Thank you for the look into a world long gone. You got it down as it actually happened. I was there from the begining for the whole ride through when it was all new. Nothing since has come close to what that cultural phenomenon was. What I found striking is how some knew from the start that it would go on for decades later. Well done sir. Thanks again .
Thanks for watching and commenting. I also made a documentary about Heman and the TMNT, they are uploaded here in the channel if you want to check them out. Regards
David Prowse will always be Darth Vader. That shot at 1:09 says it all. Star Wars fan since my dad took me to see the first movie on opening weekend summer 1977 (we called it "Star Wars" not A New Hope). Met Prowse only once, he signed a vintage Kenner figure on card I had since 1978. He was a gentle giant, indeed.
That was so good man! Thank you for doing that, you still have a looooad of your originals, made me wish I still had more of mine realising I had most of them back in the day. Awesome! ☺️
Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it. Yes, luckily I keep many of my childhood action figures. Right now I'm working on a documentary about The Ninja Turtles, so stay tuned! Regards
What a wonderfully put together video. I have so many great memories of that era, and it was great to see all the specific toy figures and ships, some of which I had forgotten about. George Lucas was way ahead of his time as a film maker and as a business man. Well done, sir.
I miss the Woodsy the Owl bits. They should bring him back. I was five when the first Star Wars movie came out. I saw it at a drive-in theater and was gobsmacked by it. I grew up on a cattle ranch way out in the country, so I'd never seen anything as big as that screen before. What I saw on the screen was totally new to me too. I hadn't seen any movies at a theater before and what I'd seen on TV before then hadn't really captured my imagination anything like this did. There was The Bionic Woman and the Six Million Dollar Man, but that was about it. They were okay, but I don't remember hoping to get any toys from those TV shows as a kid. My cousin had a Steve Austin figure which was sort of fun to play with when I visited him. At the time, I was all about the Fisher Price Adventure People line of toys that had come out in '75. I still have some of them. My favorites being the parachuting guy, the two guys with the motorcycle and the boats. So, I was certainly ready for the Star Wars action figures, which were about the same scale as my Adventure People and their vehicles. I've been a huge fan of everything Star Wars ever since. Great video! I've seen a few Star Wars documentaries, but this one told me a few things that even I didn't already know. I had some of the T-shirts and a lunch box when I was a kid. The lunch box was great since our little town didn't have a hot lunch program for any grades. I wound up getting several lunch box sets from Thermos - Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, and Muppet Show's Pigs In Space. The t-shirts with their shiny pictures of C3PO & R2D2 on them were pretty cool. I also got a poster of Darth Vader and one of C3PO & RD2D from a laundry detergent company. One of the first Star Wars toys I remember getting was a punching bag of Darth Vader which was a whole lot of fun to punch or swat with a cardboard tube spraypainted blue (my first lightsaber). All of that was after I saw the movie though. We went to see it based solely on an advert in the newspaper from the drive-in theater, not knowing much about it ahead of time. I never got the cardboard Early Bird certificate as a kid. The first toys I got that were anything like the droids in the movie were a couple of Tomy wind up robots, which I still have. They are very cool. The first actual Star Wars action figures I got were C3PO and R2D2, which I still have. They have been through almost as many harrowing adventures as the droids in the movies, so they are missing a bit of paint and R2 has damage to his stickers, but his domed head still clicks. I love the action figures, but I think that the toy ships are even better in a way. The TIE Fighters, X-Wing Fighter and Sandspeeder looked just like the ships in the movie, even more than the figures looked like the actors in the movie. I loved and still do, my first vehicles: the Sandspeeder and X-Wing Figher. I bet that after Kenner started to have success with Star Wars toys, the other companies were kicking themselves for turning Lucas down. :) Before we got Star Wars toys, we had the Spirograph which was a ton of fun.
@@petercostaarchive5482 You bet! The movies are great to see anywhere, but on a screen the size of a building - it was simply amazing. The huge Star Destroyers and other ships looked mighty impressive. Those Fisher Price people are great for sure. I can see why Kenner kind of modeled their Star Wars figures after them. When I was a kid, the Adventure People were great stand-ins for action heroes like Johnny Quest, CHiPS, Indiana Jones, etc. Even for Star Wars characters that I didn't have official action figures of yet. They made toys for some of those shows later on, but my imagination did fine with the Adventure People.
Brilliant documentary!! One of, if not the best online - Thank you!! So much unseen footage of the toys and toy shelves. Fantastic work and just sub'd!
@@petercostaarchive5482 I turn 44 in May. I still love toys and toy documentaries especially star wars related. The only figure I have now is a vintage collection beskar mandolorian😂 This was a great vid to watch and brought back a few good memories thanks 👍From scotland 🏴
@@kryoboy2.074 Thank you very much for your comment and I am glad that it has brought you good memories. Thanks for watching from Scotland, beautiful country!
@@petercostaarchive5482 I’ll go so far as to say loved it! Not just for what it is on its face but for what it did as every good film does: It inspired me. You made some magic beyond a “like and share” :)
@@petercostaarchive5482 Thank you for making this documentary! Nowadays you couldn't imagine a world without the internet and all the information you could ever want being available to you all the time. Your documentary gives us a glimpse at what it was like to grow up in simpler times. Great, great work!
I remember Gene Cubbison doing the News....lots of clips of SD in this. SW was a true phenomenon and you had to wait in line to see these movies. Great memories.
Awesome Documentary a lot of footage I have never seen before ever in my lifetime and I've seen a lot of documentary footage on Star Wars amazing job you must have really worked your ass off making this thing congrats
merci beaucoup ce fût un très joli moment sur UA-cam que de visionner ce superbe documentaire très nostalgique avec des reportages d'époque,le plus beau documentaire sur l'histoire des jouets star wars.
I just suscribed, as an 80's kid in México, not all kids had The privilege of having STAR WARS toys and I remember just ONE kid that had the MILLENIUM FALCON and when you open It THERE was plenty of space room for The action figures to be layed down, greetings from México
Precisely for that reason I do not put any watermark or subscribe button, so that anyone can watch it as if you were watching a Netflix streaming or a DVD extra. Thank you very much for your kind comment.
The voice was made by AI because I´m form Argentina and I speak spanish you coul check out my Spanish Channel if you like but it has susbtitles. Thanks for commenting
21:23 They forgot C-3PO as one of the first 12. It showed Greedo as the 12th figure, but he was second wave. Then at 21:40 it shows C-3PO as figure number 14. He was one of the first 12. They also forgot to put Boba Fett as figure number 21. Boba was released alone as wave 3 on a Star Wars card before Empire Strikes Back was even released.
You are absolutely correct, it shows that you know the subject. They were not intended to be in order.. I think I even put fx-7 at the end. Thank you very much for your comment! Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 Yeah, it's really not a big deal. I'm just OCD about having things in order. Lol. I enjoyed watching. Thanks for putting it together.
@@darrenjohnston7533 Probably because FX-7 was supposed to be included in the ESB line, which would have brought the number to 50? Therefore skipping 50, and adding FX-7 as number 67. I always count them as SW - 21 ESB - 29 ROTJ - 29 POTF -17 That's 96. Then the Max Rebo band (3), and the big head Han Solo make 100 figures exactly. Some people include the Blue Snaggletooth, and/or the 3rd leg R2-D2 from the Droid playset. That's 102 figures. Others also include Jabba, Salacious Crumb from the Jabba the Hutt playset, and the Dianoga trash monster from the Death Star playset. That's 105. The list could go on and on if you include figures like the vinyl cape Jawa, double telescoping Luke, and tri logo Boba Fett, but those I consider variants.
We all need to talk about (29:50) Darth Neckbeard Von Pimpweiser and Galactic Senator Little Red Elvenhooker. The devotion, expense, and attention to detail that these two fans brought to recreating the look of these two iconic characters from a galaxy far, far away is awesome. My cousin had the ORIGINAL (!!!) Von Pimpweiser with the BLUE gloves from 1980 before Kenner reissued the more common version of the figure with the olive-colored gloves to accurately match his on-screen appearance. It's very rare to find an original mint-in-box Elvenhooker figure with both her blaster AND her tiny pack of space cigarettes. I'm SO happy that we're getting a return of these two in the new season of The Mandalorian. Cannot wait!
Possibly that child has seen the version in super 8 which was a reduced version. But I'm not entirely sure if that version was available at that time. Thanks for watching
Joy is at least $4 billion in net worth. Seek joy. Got it, thanks George. :) Kidding, but this was really fun to watch, thanks. The old footage really takes me back.
It has become a thing of legend. Those kenner women assembled a legacy that inspired a generation forever. It is forever. Lucas was a visionary. The Only thing to ever challenge Star Wars toys were the original Transformers.
Loved this wonderful and EXCELLENT documentary! I want to comment on one thing only, and thank you for acknowledging there are 100 Kenner figures. It may seem simple, but people online are weird for some reason about this fact. They argue silly points, like Snaggletooth being a variation rather than two separate figures, or the Rebo Band not being actual figures since they were sold in a boxed set. Or that Yak Face doesn't count since he was sold overseas (they WISH he didn't count). There are 100 Kenner Star Wars action figures, and there always have been!
And how right Kenner were! It was another Disney and then became purchased by Disney. The fact they believed in it is a huge part of why Star Wars is still around today. Kenner’s Star Wars toyline revival with The Power of the Force 2 was incredible too minus some of those 1995-1996 Masters of the Universe-style figures. Kenner Products will always be remembered even if it is rendered to Hasbro packaging. Rest in peace. 1946-2000.
How spoilt were those kids at 25minutes! How many toys. The 80’s was a tough time for some of us. We were lucky to have one toy!!! Those kids were given every play set by the looks of it!
@54:37 Wait a minute, you're telling me that at the time the president of Burger King was named Ronald McDougall? And BK didn't think that was a conflict of interest?
Great documentary! Every time one of the old toys appeared, I thought, "I want THAT one, and I want THAT one..." There is a bit of contention over the last 15/17 figures. I tend to call it the last 15, as there were 15 in the Power of the Force collection. The Ewoks, Paploo and Lumat, were very late in the Return of the Jedi line, but were not included in the POTF collection.
you're absolutely right. I thought about talking about that discussion about whether they are 17 or 15 but in the end I didn't put it. it is as you say, they are really 15. Thanks for commenting
I really enjoyed the Star Wars episode of The Toys That Made Us on Netflix but I enjoyed this even more!! Great stuff!!
Thank you very much for saying that! I really appreciate it. Thanks for watching and your kind comment. Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 This is an amazing Doc. Thank you for the great video! The editing was perfect. Thanks again, preciate ya!
This was a lot of fun to watch. As a child of the 80s, the nostalgia will never die. These are the toys that influenced so many of us. Thanks, Peter!
Glad you like it! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Looking at how well stocked the toy shelves were back then as to how bare they usually are now makes me glad I grew up in the 70's & 80's when our imaginations were able to run wild and we weren't slaves to video games & social media. It must be so depressing to be a kid these days.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts. Regards
I remember going to Kmart as a kid in 1983 and the Star Wars toy section seemed to stretch on into infinity!
The Internet killed everything while opening up while new era...... killed how kids play talk to each other etc
It is quite depressing. The “smart” phone should be called the “dumb”phone. AKA: the imagination killing, device of evil.
@@BangBang-hk4rgI can relate to what you said. All of my carded Star Wars figures were purchased from K Mart. I remember being almost overwhelmed by the number of figures hanging from the pegs. I'll always associate the original Star Wars toys with K Mart.
I am Star Wars collector with more than 850 figures in my vault now... But I also became part of the story when I decided to write 4 books upon the saga in Europe.
STAR WARS VETERAN FAN SINCE 1981.
COLLECTOR.
WRITER & JOURNALIST.
🙋♂️🇨🇦
Thanks for commenting!
WOW...!!! I can't possibly say how much I enjoyed watching this! This really took me back to when I was a Star Wars obsessed kid from ages 4-11. I've been a Star Wars fan my whole life, and this brought back so many awesome, wonderful, magical childhood memories. I played with those vintage figures for hours, daily, when I was a kid. Ironically, I just started collecting those figures all over again recently, along with the POTF2, Episode 1 and Micro Machines lines. Thank you so much for this incredible documentary. This made a 48 year old man feel like a little kid all over again. You most definitely have a new subscriber, Sir!
I really loved your comment. Thanks for watching the video and commenting!
@@petercostaarchive5482 Yes, Sir, you got it! 🤜
@@justafanofnerdculture7602 Thanks man! These types of comments give me strength to continue producing content. Thanks a lot
@@petercostaarchive5482 Yes, Sir, of course! Happy Holidays!
@@justafanofnerdculture7602 thanks, Happy holidays for you too!
I made my Dad get those Burger King glasses when I was a kid. He got them all for me. What a great Father...........
I love those glasses, I only have two of them. Thanks for watching!
A long time ago in the summer of 1977, I was a 10 year old kid who, one day, walked into a movie theatre to see "some far-out space movie" that was rapidly becoming "the talk of the town" on the schoolyard playground... I walked in an innocent, naive little child, only interested in Duncan Yo-yos, Mad Libs, Marshall Brodien TV Magic Cards, & Evel Knievel toys... I walked out CHANGED FOREVER.
On that glorious day, I had seen the greatest movie that would EVER be made... STAR WARS... This groundbreaking film from writer/director George Lucas TOTALLY changed my life... It absolutely blew me away, filling my heart with joy, stimulating my imagination, and kick-starting my love for cinema... That day was momentous for me, and I would never be the same again.. I will never forget it..
From the moment the 20th Century Fox fanfare and John Williams' theme blasted through the theatre speaker system, and "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" and that "Flash Gordon inspired" opening crawl came on the screen, and that gigantic Star Destroyer appeared, flying over my head, towering above me as I sat in my theatre seat... and kept going... and going...and going... and as the entire audience gasped with amazement... at that very moment, I was instantaneously mesmerized, transfixed, and transformed... and I was only 5 minutes into the movie... I still had 2 more hours to go!
As I sat in amazement, I was terrified by a helmeted figure in black, Darth Vader... In fact, the whole audience "booed" him as he made his entrance.. .We knew NOTHING about the story yet, but just KNEW that this guy deserved a collective "booing"!... It was like we were watching a SILENT MOVIE!... And as the movie continued, I was thrilled by the heroic exploits of the dashing smuggler Han Solo and the feisty Princess Leia, and emboldened by the brave, heroic, idealistic actions of the farm boy turned hero of the galaxy... Luke Skywalker! And by the film's spectacular climax of the rebel assault on the Death Star (the greatest ending ever committed to celluloid), my heart was pounding, and my spirit was soaring... And I will NEVER forget the standing ovation of applause that erupted as the credits rolled... Everyone in that audience didn't know it yet, but we had all just been first-hand witnesses to cinematic HISTORY!
This was NOT The Apple Dumpling Gang, Herbie Rides Again, Benji, The Bad News Bears, or any other 70's kiddie dreck that I was being subjected to... No, this was something DIFFERENT.
Now, by 1977, I had seen a small handful of very good and (for their time) very impressive big-screen spectacles in the theatre, such as: The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974), At the Earth's Core (1976), Logan's Run (1976), and King Kong (1976)... but NOTHING could have prepared me (or the rest of the world) for the phenomenon that was STAR WARS and the change it would bring... the film that would propel a 1970's audience far beyond their wildest film-going expectations, and revolutionize the motion picture industry FOREVER. Words can never fully describe what it was like to be alive in the summer of 1977 during the peak height of "Star Wars Mania"... except to say that it was pure MAGIC.
I will never forget the day that I went to see STAR WARS for the first time... May 25th, 1977... My father took my younger brother and me... I remember we went in my father's company truck (my brother and I rode in the bed of the truck), I remember that we stopped at Burger Chef first to have dinner, and I got one of the four SW promotional posters that they were selling there (I got the one with C-3PO and
R2-D2... the first time that I ever laid eyes on ANY characters from SW!)... I remember that the ticket line went on for what seemed like forever... I remember walking into the theatre lobby and seeing the SW lobby display... I remember my father bought us both a Hershey bar, and he got a bucket of popcorn with extra butter for us all to share... Why do I remember all this?... And when the movie was over, I remember the audience erupting into insane thunderous cheers and applause that I had never experienced before! Naturally, my brother loved the movie, too... but the amazing thing was that even my father (who probably just thought he was taking his children to see some "dumb kid's film") was crazy about it as well!... My mother didn't go that night, and she always regretted it... She told me much later in life that if she had known that it was to be such an important moment in my life, she would have loved to experience my VERY FIRST viewing of SW!... Of course, she did take my brother and I to see it many times after my first viewing... And she loved it too!
I became an instant fanatic... I saw the film 11 times in the movie theatre (which wasn't hard to do, as it stayed at our local theatre for an entire year!)... I sneaked my portable tape recorder into the theatre and audio-recorded the entire film so that I could listen to the adventure over and over in the comfort of my own bedroom... I dressed up in a make-shift Darth Vader costume for Halloween...I collected the action figures, the trading cards, the posters, the books, the model kits, and much more (and I STILL have all of that "stuff") ... I always wore my Star Wars T-shirt... I always drank out of my Star Wars cup... I listened to John Williams' Star Wars soundtrack album constantly, becoming a fan of symphonic and film score music... I watched "The Making of Star Wars" TV special, becoming fascinated by the way movies were made, even making a few myself with my Super-8 camera...
I watched the Academy Awards for the very first time to see my favorite movie sweep the Oscars with 10 nominations and 7 wins... I even watched the now "infamous" Holiday Special in 1978 ...
Lumpy... Itchy... Harvey Korman... Bea Arthur... Wookiee-ookiees... And I loved it... ("Hey, I was 11!").
And when I think back now on all of the Slushies that I had my parents buy me (and how many I drank) so that I could collect EVERY plastic Star Wars cup, or how many packs of Star Wars trading cards I had them purchase (and how many rock-hard sticks of pink gum that I chewed) so that I could complete the set, or how many Burger Chef hamburgers that I ate to collect EVERY Star Wars poster... The mind boggles... and I'm amazed that my stomach survived it!
An amusing aside: I will NEVER forget when my parents took me to the record store to get the STAR WARS soundtrack by John Williams... We were driving home, and I was in the back seat of the car, looking at the LP... "Something is WRONG here", I said to myself... Well, it turned out that my parents had accidentally purchased the MECO DISCO VERSION! ... What did they know, after all?
Obviously, we had to turn around and go back to the store!
Another amusing aside: A few years later, when STAR WARS made its TV debut on HBO in 1983, I had to ask my high school audio/video teacher to take the school VCR machine home with him to record STAR WARS for me (it's hard to believe, but there ACTUALLY was a time when that was what you had to go through to get a movie... Not too many people HAD home VCR's yet!)... And when I finally DID secure that magical video tape, my friend and I watched parts of it EVERY DAY in the school library audio/video room during our lunch hour for the ENTIRE year of 1983 (In fact, sometimes we even got to watch the ENTIRE movie in a day, as our P.E. class was right before our lunch period, and we actually BRIBED our P.E. coach with peanut butter cookies from the cafeteria so that she would let us skip class... TWO FULL HOURS to watch STAR WARS!).
And after 46 years, I continue to love STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE more and more... It has aged like fine wine... It is my #1 favorite movie of all time, followed by my 2nd favorite movie of all time: The Empire Strikes Back, and my 3rd favorite movie of all time: Return of the Jedi...These 3 movies are flawless and perfect, collectively making up not only the 3 greatest science fiction films ever made... but the 3 greatest films of ANY kind ever made... and the greatest cinematic story ever told... PERIOD.
I love ALL of STAR WARS (Special Editions, Prequels, Sequels, spin-offs, etc.)... However, it all comes back to the very first 1977 film... This one is so pure and innocent... Its story is totally self-contained, without one needing to see any other Star Wars film to understand it... As summed up perfectly in the film's teaser trailer narration: "It's the story of a boy, a girl, and a universe... of rebellion and romance... of heroes, and villains, and aliens from a 1,000 worlds"... That says it all...
It is the perfect story... the perfect film... a phenomenon... a bona fide classic.. a MASTERPIECE..
Thank you so much, George Lucas, for taking me to your galaxy far, far away... Words can never express the utter joy and happiness that your 6 STAR WARS films have given me.., and continue to give me to this very day... And in particular, thank you so much for that life-altering experience that you gave me when I walked into that movie theatre in the summer of 1977 to see "that far-out space movie", aka: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE! ...It's odd to think a that a mere movie could have that kind of power to change one's life in such a profoundly positive way... but I'm proof that one can.
P.S. Just think, things could have gone VERY DIFFERENTLY and HORRIBLY WRONG that day if I had instead gone to see some "awful piece of dreck" that was also playing in theatres at that same time... like Tentacles ("Yikes!")... or Viva Knievel ("Ouch!")... or Pete's Dragon ("Uhg!").
Wow what a complete comment. Thank you for sharing your memories here. We really all have our Star Wars memories. I would have also liked to see Star Wars 11 times in the cinema, I only remember seeing Return of the Jedi. It was indeed cinematic HISTORY! Thanks for watching
Second random awesome star wars content i just found in the last 20 minutes on yt. Sitting down to watch this now. Thank you!
Great! thanks for watching and commenting!
What an amazing documentary, it took me right back took my childhood! This is the way and may the force be with you always. Thank you Peter.
Thank you for watching and your kind comment! May the force be with you too!
took me right back 🙂 the summers of 1980 to 1983 were perfection. thanks Kenner!
Well said! Thanks Kenner! thanks for commenting!
Great documentary. Brought back a lot of memories of my own figures and vehicles I had as a kid here in the UK. Wish I still had them. When I turned 12 or so, I considered I was too "cool" to have toys so gave them to my aunt to sell. She sold the lot for £20 (about $30!).
Interesting to hear people being disappointed by the ending to Empire. I imagine once the trilogy was complete, everyone learnt to appreciate the downbeat mid-trilogy ending a little more!
Thanks for commenting and sharing your experiences. I also gave away several of my toys, luckily not all of them
I absolutely loved this documentary. It brought back great memories of buying and playing with those vintage figures. I had the entire collection,all the ships vehicles and playsets. Unfortunately my collection was stolen. We moved several times and I had my collection in storage. I thought it was safe, but my Dad didn't tell me it was moved into a tractor trailer backed up against a building with enough space for kids to crawl into,steal my collection and burn the trailer. My Dad came back with a single Han Solo figure from Return of the Jedi.I was devastated and very upset with my father for not telling me the collection was moved into a trailer. I collected the reissues from hasbro but they weren't the same. Now I collect the Black Series I have quite the collection. I think they are awsome and very detailed, but I will always remember the original 78-83 Kenner Star Wars figures. Thnks for the memories.
Thank you for watching and also for sharing your memories. The black series are cool. Regards
OMG, I'm so sorry that happened to you. I can't even imagine how distraught I would have been. Glad to hear you still collect.
Cheers to you :)
So sorry that this happened to you. Totally devastating.
I'm glad to see your passion for the toys and movies did not wane :)
Cheers from Canada
Nicely done. I was there for each movie and toy release. I remember toy stores packed floor to ceiling. What a magical time to be a kid!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great video man, enjoyed going back in time for this awesome look at our childhoods. Thank you for doing this right around the holidays. My son and I have the collection of figures, these videos prove they are works of art and no longer toys. Thanks, and may the force be with you!
Exactly! they are works of art! I am currently working on a Ninja Turtles documentary in which I am going to try to focus on the art of action figure sculpture. Thanks for your comment!
Fantastic video takes me back to my late father getting me out of bed to watch starwars first showing on UK TV as I wasn't born till late 1978 by the time it got to TV in October 1982 I was just about old for it to make a impression on me
Thanks for commenting and for sharing your memories. I remember watching Return of the Jedi several times on TV on Sundays when I was a kid. Regards
I was absolutely obsessed with these toys as a kid in the 80’s. This was a really fun trip down memory lane! 👍
Thanks man. I really apreciate it
One of the best documentaries I've seen about star wars and the figures, very enjoyable & nostalgic - well done :)
Thank you very much for your kind words. Glad you like it!
Excellent video! Top notch work. I've seen tons of this stuff and there was a lot here I had not seen.
Thank you, I´m glad you like it! Thanks for watching and commenting
It’s criminal that this video doesn’t millions of views, great doco Peter
Thanks for watching and for your kind comment. Regards
The definitive doco on the Star Wars toyline saga ... great work - it really took me back to my childhood in the 80's pestering my father for the new Star Wars toy at Toyland ...
Thanks for watching and your kind comment! Regards
Those last few words from George exhibit some amazing profoundness
You are right. Thanks for watching
What a fantastic piece of history - may the force be with you - always.
Thanks for watching and your kind comment! May the force be with you too!
Absolutely wonderful! Thank you for this!
Glad you like it! Thank you for watching and commenting
This is an outstanding documentary on my favorite toy line that I've never stopped collecting since 1978.
Thanks for watching, glad you like it!
Great flavor to this with all the original TV coverage and footage.
Thanks, this encourages me to put more of alike stuff.. thank you
What a fantastic piece. Thanks for making this and making it available.
Thanks man! Glad you liked it!
Thank you for the look into a world long gone. You got it down as it actually happened. I was there from the begining for the whole ride through when it was all new. Nothing since has come close to what that cultural phenomenon was. What I found striking is how some knew from the start that it would go on for decades later.
Well done sir. Thanks again .
Thank you very much for your kind comment. Yes, that detail is really striking
Wow. This is an excellent Documentary! Such great archival footage! Thanks so much for making this available on UA-cam.
Thanks for watching and for your kind words. I'm working on a TMNT documentary right now, so stay tuned. Regards
Great great job🙌🙌🙌 I really enjoyed it..some memories almost brought me to tears. Thank you every much! Nuthin but da best...🤜🤛
Thanks for your kind comment. Glad you like it!
Congrats, it was a great pleasure to see your film 👏👏👏
Thank you very much, I really apreciate it. And thanks for commenting. Regards
Holly sh*t!.How am I just finding this?..Amazing!!.Thanks very much and we’ll done!!.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I also made a documentary about Heman and the TMNT, they are uploaded here in the channel if you want to check them out. Regards
Awesome documentary!!! Loved it. 👍🏼
I'm glad you liked it. Thank you very much for commenting!
A fantastically edited documentary- Just Brilliant!
Glad you like it. Thanks for watching and commenting
Is this seriously a one-hour-and-12-minute doc about the first 100 Kenner Star Wars figures? Free on UA-cam?! THANK YOU!
Thank you for watching. I made two more, one about TNMT and one about Heman, they're also here on the channel, you might like them. Regards
The archival footage you have come across is quite astounding
Thank you for watching and commenting!
David Prowse will always be Darth Vader. That shot at 1:09 says it all. Star Wars fan since my dad took me to see the first movie on opening weekend summer 1977 (we called it "Star Wars" not A New Hope). Met Prowse only once, he signed a vintage Kenner figure on card I had since 1978. He was a gentle giant, indeed.
I also have an autograph of him. Thanks for comenting! Regards
That was so good man! Thank you for doing that, you still have a looooad of your originals, made me wish I still had more of mine realising I had most of them back in the day. Awesome! ☺️
Thank you very much, I'm glad you liked it. Yes, luckily I keep many of my childhood action figures. Right now I'm working on a documentary about The Ninja Turtles, so stay tuned! Regards
What a wonderfully put together video. I have so many great memories of that era, and it was great to see all the specific toy figures and ships, some of which I had forgotten about. George Lucas was way ahead of his time as a film maker and as a business man. Well done, sir.
Glad you like it! Yes George Lucas was way ahead of everything. Thanks for watching
This is great man thank you for the time and effort.
Thank you very much for watching the documentary and for commenting, I really appreciate it
Thanks for creating such an amazing video. Brilliantly put together with so much incredible footage and memories. Thank you Peter 😊
Thank you for watching and thank you for your kind words! I really apreciate it. Regards
Awesome documentary! Thank you.👊
Thanks for watching and commenting! Regards
I miss the Woodsy the Owl bits. They should bring him back.
I was five when the first Star Wars movie came out. I saw it at a drive-in theater and was gobsmacked by it. I grew up on a cattle ranch way out in the country, so I'd never seen anything as big as that screen before. What I saw on the screen was totally new to me too. I hadn't seen any movies at a theater before and what I'd seen on TV before then hadn't really captured my imagination anything like this did.
There was The Bionic Woman and the Six Million Dollar Man, but that was about it. They were okay, but I don't remember hoping to get any toys from those TV shows as a kid. My cousin had a Steve Austin figure which was sort of fun to play with when I visited him. At the time, I was all about the Fisher Price Adventure People line of toys that had come out in '75. I still have some of them. My favorites being the parachuting guy, the two guys with the motorcycle and the boats.
So, I was certainly ready for the Star Wars action figures, which were about the same scale as my Adventure People and their vehicles. I've been a huge fan of everything Star Wars ever since.
Great video! I've seen a few Star Wars documentaries, but this one told me a few things that even I didn't already know.
I had some of the T-shirts and a lunch box when I was a kid. The lunch box was great since our little town didn't have a hot lunch program for any grades. I wound up getting several lunch box sets from Thermos - Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, and Muppet Show's Pigs In Space. The t-shirts with their shiny pictures of C3PO & R2D2 on them were pretty cool. I also got a poster of Darth Vader and one of C3PO & RD2D from a laundry detergent company. One of the first Star Wars toys I remember getting was a punching bag of Darth Vader which was a whole lot of fun to punch or swat with a cardboard tube spraypainted blue (my first lightsaber). All of that was after I saw the movie though. We went to see it based solely on an advert in the newspaper from the drive-in theater, not knowing much about it ahead of time.
I never got the cardboard Early Bird certificate as a kid. The first toys I got that were anything like the droids in the movie were a couple of Tomy wind up robots, which I still have. They are very cool. The first actual Star Wars action figures I got were C3PO and R2D2, which I still have. They have been through almost as many harrowing adventures as the droids in the movies, so they are missing a bit of paint and R2 has damage to his stickers, but his domed head still clicks.
I love the action figures, but I think that the toy ships are even better in a way. The TIE Fighters, X-Wing Fighter and Sandspeeder looked just like the ships in the movie, even more than the figures looked like the actors in the movie. I loved and still do, my first vehicles: the Sandspeeder and X-Wing Figher.
I bet that after Kenner started to have success with Star Wars toys, the other companies were kicking themselves for turning Lucas down. :) Before we got Star Wars toys, we had the Spirograph which was a ton of fun.
Star wars at a drive-in theater! Amazing! I love fisher price adventure people toys. Thanks for your kind comment and thanks for watching. Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 You bet! The movies are great to see anywhere, but on a screen the size of a building - it was simply amazing. The huge Star Destroyers and other ships looked mighty impressive. Those Fisher Price people are great for sure. I can see why Kenner kind of modeled their Star Wars figures after them.
When I was a kid, the Adventure People were great stand-ins for action heroes like Johnny Quest, CHiPS, Indiana Jones, etc. Even for Star Wars characters that I didn't have official action figures of yet. They made toys for some of those shows later on, but my imagination did fine with the Adventure People.
@@enfieldjohn101 What a great experience to watch star wars at a drive-in theater, yes. Thanks for sharing your experiences in the comments. Regards
This is at least as good as the Netflix documentary, even better! Really great! Thank you for a journey back to our childhood.
Thank you for your kind comment. Glad you like it! Regards
Brilliant documentary!! One of, if not the best online - Thank you!! So much unseen footage of the toys and toy shelves. Fantastic work and just sub'd!
Thank you for your comment. Cool logo you have. Italia 90 was one of the best World Cup of all!
This deserves way more views! Well done!
Thank you my friend. Glad you liked it. Regards
great stuff
Cool, thanks for commenting
very very well made. i enjoyed this very much!😀
Glad you like it! Thanks for watching!
Really enjoyed this. A well thought out, entertaining and informative programme. Thanks for taking the time to create and share 👍🏻
Thank you for watching the video and your kind words. I'm glad you like it. Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 I turn 44 in May.
I still love toys and toy documentaries especially star wars related.
The only figure I have now is a vintage collection beskar mandolorian😂
This was a great vid to watch and brought back a few good memories thanks
👍From scotland 🏴
@@kryoboy2.074 Thank you very much for your comment and I am glad that it has brought you good memories. Thanks for watching from Scotland, beautiful country!
It's hard to realize I had every one of those and not a clue what happened to them all?
@@maxiepattie85 I fired my boba fett from the worlds strongest washing line as a stupid kid in the 80s not realising then how much it goes for now🤦♂️
Truly enjoyed this! Bravo and thank you :)
Thanks, I´m glad you like it!
@@petercostaarchive5482 I’ll go so far as to say loved it! Not just for what it is on its face but for what it did as every good film does: It inspired me. You made some magic beyond a “like and share” :)
Wow, wow, wow!!! This takes me back!!!
Thanks for watching and commenting! There is a Heman and a TMNT documentary in my channel, they are full of nostalgia also. Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 Thank you for making this documentary! Nowadays you couldn't imagine a world without the internet and all the information you could ever want being available to you all the time. Your documentary gives us a glimpse at what it was like to grow up in simpler times. Great, great work!
Wow, That one Time suggested I watch this. You got my subscription, great work on this video!
Thank you very much for your comment and for subscribing, it really helps a lot!
I remember Gene Cubbison doing the News....lots of clips of SD in this. SW was a true phenomenon and you had to wait in line to see these movies. Great memories.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Regards
Fantastic! Very well made! Lots of good footage and info! I enjoyed this very much! Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much for watching and your kind words. Thanks for commenting also
Really great video reminding us of our childhoods! 👌
Yes, especially those old TV commercials remind us of our childhood. Thank you very much for your comment
Awesome Documentary a lot of footage I have never seen before ever in my lifetime and I've seen a lot of documentary footage on Star Wars amazing job you must have really worked your ass off making this thing congrats
yes, it was a lot of work really. Thanks for watching, and commenting. Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 no problem thanks for bringing back a lot of fond memories.
@@seereadnhear Thanks!
Loved every minute of this.
Thanks man
merci beaucoup ce fût un très joli moment sur UA-cam que de visionner ce superbe documentaire très nostalgique avec des reportages d'époque,le plus beau documentaire sur l'histoire des jouets star wars.
Merci beaucoup d'avoir regardé et pour votre gentil commentaire. Je suis heureux que vous ayez aimé.
Great documentary.... Really enjoyed it....
Glad you like it! Thanks for watching and commentin. Regards
now that was a JOY to watch it :-))))) thank U :-))))))))
Thank you for watching and your kind comment. Regards
Cool to see this...thank you
Thank you for watching!
This was great. Really great:)
Thanks man, I really appreciate it! I'm working on a TMNT documentary, stay tuned! Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 I am watching your He-Man toys documentary now. Just epic. Keep up the awesome good work buddy:)
Great documentary, really good 👍
Thank you for your kind comment. Regards
God it was a dream to grow up during this time!
Yes it was! Thanks for commenting
I just suscribed, as an 80's kid in México, not all kids had The privilege of having STAR WARS toys and I remember just ONE kid that had the MILLENIUM FALCON and when you open It THERE was plenty of space room for The action figures to be layed down, greetings from México
Muchas gracias por tu comentario, saludos
This is great. Really did a great job on this. I wish I had a time machine.
Me too hahah thanks for watching and commenting
Would love to have copy on dvd...Excellent Documentary!! A+
Precisely for that reason I do not put any watermark or subscribe button, so that anyone can watch it as if you were watching a Netflix streaming or a DVD extra. Thank you very much for your kind comment.
Love that end clip of Lucas on joy versus Pleasure.
Thank you, I thought it was appropriate to add it because what he says is excellent.
Great watch… recommend it..👏🏻👍🏻
Thank you for your commenting! Glad you like it. Regards
Great video! Thanks for putting this together. Hope to see more documentaries and maybe a narrator it doesn't sound so much like ai.
The voice was made by AI because I´m form Argentina and I speak spanish you coul check out my Spanish Channel if you like but it has susbtitles. Thanks for commenting
21:23 They forgot C-3PO as one of the first 12. It showed Greedo as the 12th figure, but he was second wave. Then at 21:40 it shows C-3PO as figure number 14. He was one of the first 12. They also forgot to put Boba Fett as figure number 21. Boba was released alone as wave 3 on a Star Wars card before Empire Strikes Back was even released.
You are absolutely correct, it shows that you know the subject. They were not intended to be in order.. I think I even put fx-7 at the end. Thank you very much for your comment! Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 Yeah, it's really not a big deal. I'm just OCD about having things in order. Lol. I enjoyed watching. Thanks for putting it together.
@@michaelharrington75 Thanks, I really appreciate your comment. I always enjoy learning more about the history of these amazing action figures. Thanks
Anyone notice they missed #50 and this really should be called the First 99
@@darrenjohnston7533 Probably because FX-7 was supposed to be included in the ESB line, which would have brought the number to 50? Therefore skipping 50, and adding FX-7 as number 67. I always count them as
SW - 21
ESB - 29
ROTJ - 29
POTF -17
That's 96. Then the Max Rebo band (3), and the big head Han Solo make 100 figures exactly. Some people include the Blue Snaggletooth, and/or the 3rd leg R2-D2 from the Droid playset. That's 102 figures. Others also include Jabba, Salacious Crumb from the Jabba the Hutt playset, and the Dianoga trash monster from the Death Star playset. That's 105. The list could go on and on if you include figures like the vinyl cape Jawa, double telescoping Luke, and tri logo Boba Fett, but those I consider variants.
Thank you for this. #memorylane #starwars #mychildhood
Thank you for watching and commenting. Regards
We all need to talk about (29:50) Darth Neckbeard Von Pimpweiser and Galactic Senator Little Red Elvenhooker. The devotion, expense, and attention to detail that these two fans brought to recreating the look of these two iconic characters from a galaxy far, far away is awesome. My cousin had the ORIGINAL (!!!) Von Pimpweiser with the BLUE gloves from 1980 before Kenner reissued the more common version of the figure with the olive-colored gloves to accurately match his on-screen appearance. It's very rare to find an original mint-in-box Elvenhooker figure with both her blaster AND her tiny pack of space cigarettes. I'm SO happy that we're getting a return of these two in the new season of The Mandalorian. Cannot wait!
Thanks for watching and commenting
Great documentary 👍🏽
Glad you like it! Thanks for watching and commentig! Regards
Interesting Documentary
Thank you very much for watching the documentary and for commenting. Regards
Thanks for the acknowledgment
Thank you for watching. Regards
I love that bit at around the 46 min mark where the kid being interviewed admits he watched a bootleg copy of Star Wars!
Possibly that child has seen the version in super 8 which was a reduced version. But I'm not entirely sure if that version was available at that time. Thanks for watching
Absorbing, Deeply Nostalgic, Very Moving🚀
Thank you very much for your comment and also for watching
@@petercostaarchive5482 A joy to watch
To me Star Wars is everlasting Joy
I feel the same. Thank you very much for watching and for commenting
It should be. Disney are attempting to destroy it. That's how it appears despite investing billions of $$$$ in it.
Joy is at least $4 billion in net worth. Seek joy. Got it, thanks George. :) Kidding, but this was really fun to watch, thanks. The old footage really takes me back.
Glad you like it. Thanks for commenting. Regars
Ralph Vader and Lando Carlson. Love it!
Thanks for watching and commenting!
The 70s was a interesting time. I remember fragments of 77 through 79. I do remember watching Star wars in the theater in 1977.
Watching Star wars in the theater must have been awesome. Regards
@petercostaarchive5482 I remember 77 in parts because I was like 3 but I do remember ESB and ROTJ vividly.
That dude at 29:14 stands there with a .44 Automag pistol. Must be a hardcore fan of the movie making sure he gets a boxseat.
8:53 Don't we like blood?
British kid: No!
American kid: AH Hell YES
jajaj Thanks for commenting!
great work!
Thanks for watching and commenting! I really appreciate it!
god bless these people....love this era
Thanks for watching and commenting!
It has become a thing of legend. Those kenner women assembled a legacy that inspired a generation forever. It is forever. Lucas was a visionary. The Only thing to ever challenge Star Wars toys were the original Transformers.
Transformers were awesome also. Thanks for commenting. Regards
Really enjoy watching 👍👍👍👍
Thanks for viewing and commenting! I also made a He-man documentary here on the channel, perhaps you wanna check it out! Regards
@@petercostaarchive5482 will do 👍
@@philk5576 Thanks man!
Awesome!
Thanks for commenting!
Loved this wonderful and EXCELLENT documentary! I want to comment on one thing only, and thank you for acknowledging there are 100 Kenner figures. It may seem simple, but people online are weird for some reason about this fact. They argue silly points, like Snaggletooth being a variation rather than two separate figures, or the Rebo Band not being actual figures since they were sold in a boxed set. Or that Yak Face doesn't count since he was sold overseas (they WISH he didn't count). There are 100 Kenner Star Wars action figures, and there always have been!
Thank you for your input and for watching the video. Regards
And how right Kenner were! It was another Disney and then became purchased by Disney. The fact they believed in it is a huge part of why Star Wars is still around today. Kenner’s Star Wars toyline revival with The Power of the Force 2 was incredible too minus some of those 1995-1996 Masters of the Universe-style figures. Kenner Products will always be remembered even if it is rendered to Hasbro packaging. Rest in peace. 1946-2000.
I like the power of the force 2 toyline also. Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching.
Actually have an uncle who worked for Kenner and was featured in another great documentary "plastic Galaxy"
Yes, that´s a great documentary. Thanks for commenting!
Lando Carlson, gotta be one of my favorite Star Wars characters.
Jajjaja Thanks for commenting!
How spoilt were those kids at 25minutes! How many toys. The 80’s was a tough time for some of us. We were lucky to have one toy!!! Those kids were given every play set by the looks of it!
Thanks for commenting
Buddy ripping the package to shreds @18ish min. 😂😪
Thanks for commenting and watching
brilliant
Thanks for watching and commenting! Regards
@54:37 Wait a minute, you're telling me that at the time the president of Burger King was named Ronald McDougall? And BK didn't think that was a conflict of interest?
jajaj
Awesome and cool 😎
Glad you like it. Thanks for commenting
Thanks for this.
Sure do miss Kenner.
I don't know WTF Hasbro is doing.
Thanks man! Yes, I also miss kenner a lot..
Great documentary! Every time one of the old toys appeared, I thought, "I want THAT one, and I want THAT one..."
There is a bit of contention over the last 15/17 figures. I tend to call it the last 15, as there were 15 in the Power of the Force collection. The Ewoks, Paploo and Lumat, were very late in the Return of the Jedi line, but were not included in the POTF collection.
you're absolutely right. I thought about talking about that discussion about whether they are 17 or 15 but in the end I didn't put it. it is as you say, they are really 15. Thanks for commenting
When you see old footage of people stocking store shelves with tons of star wars toys and think about how much money that stack is worth today 😂
You are absolutely right! Thanks for watching. Regards