The Comprehensive Kenner Store Display Checklist
By Ron Salvatore

The following chart is intended as an overview of the many advertising displays issued in connection with Kenner's Star Wars action figure line, between the years of 1977 and 1986. As such, it does not attempt to reel in the various role-play, plush toy, and other non-action figure displays also issued by Kenner during that time. The two exceptions to this rule are the Micro Collection and Die-Cast lines, which I have included, both because their representatives are few, and because I feel they bear a strong relation to the figure line.

Also included are separate sections for the hand-made, largely one-of-a-kind displays used at the annual Toy Fair conventions in New York City; and for the vast array of unproduced and prototype displays featured at one time or another in various forms of Kenner literature. As they help to convey a sense of how Kenner product was displayed to a very different buying audience--the wholesale buyers at Toy Fair--I think they make an interesting counter-point to the more conventional displays covered here. The unproduced designs, too, provide a more well-rounded sense of the field, by giving us an idea of its evolution, from the early Star Wars pieces, up through those planned for the Power of the Force, Droids, and Ewoks lines.

As you can see, the types and styles of displays produced varied considerably throughout the Star Wars run, making it difficult to lump them into the generalized categories usually preferred for these types of charts. In general, however, vintage Star Wars displays can be seen as encompassing four different, very basic types:

• Bin/Standee and Header Card Assemblies: used primarily for the display and in-store storage of carded action figures, these typically consist of a lower, "holder" portion, with a graphical "header card" attached to the unit's top. The earliest Star Wars display, that used for the Early Bird Certificate, consisted of a bin and graphical header, establishing a pattern that would continue throughout the Star Wars line. The bin/header assemblies shipped with 12, 20, and 21-back figure assortments actually employed an identical bin, a condition which allows today's collectors some leeway when seeking out a mate to pair with their various header cards. Though some Empire Strikes Back bin units seem to have been released, if not in the States, then possibly in Canada, the tradition had ended by the debut of the Return of the Jedi line, at which point a new "standee" approach was adopted, employing a smaller, less commanding header, with a tall, multi-level unit below.

• Hangers: perhaps the most popular category of display, hanging signs were used throughout the SW and ESB lines to demarcate Star Wars toy areas. They differ from header cards, in that they are usually tear drop-like in shape, and, with a couple of exceptions, focused specifically on action figures, rather than the figure-based toy line in general. These signs were designed either to be hung, or affixed to a metal stand, and are thus referred to as "hang/pole display" in some Kenner catalog entries. Late in the ESB run, as the figure line expanded, the design used for these hangers became rather elaborate in order to allow for more space on which to present the graphics. The result was a new three-sided "mobile" approach, that stands in sharp contrast to the familiar flat "bell" signs featured in previous years.

• Headers: having been issued in a variety of designs throughout the course of the Kenner line, headers represent the largest and most diverse of the display categories. Simply put, they defined the "Star Wars Sections" that were such common features of 70's and 80's toy and department stores. Distinct from the "headers" shipped with action figure bins, these might aptly be termed "Toy" or "Action Figure-Area Headers," as they were frequently positioned above large displays of such merchandise, in order to call attention to them and set them off from competing product. As such, they are usually larger and more commanding in presence than their hanger counterparts. Some were mountable and shipped with the appropriate hardware, while others might be hung or displayed using other means.

• Shelf-Talkers: the standard variety of shelf-talker was shipped to retailers in quantity, when they ordered a certain toy and/or display assortment, as a means for masking the exposed face of a shelf with an advertisement or eye-catching logo. These were of either cardboard/paper or plastic construction, and usually featured adhesive tabs on their undersides, in order to anchor them to the surface of the shelf-top. The ESB and ROTJ lines also saw the release of shelf-talkers with a slightly different purpose--to promote specific offers, and dispense to customers the means for taking advantage of them. The distinguishing feature of this type of shelf-talker was a pad of detachable forms affixed to the unit's front. Sadly, these are frequently missing from the displays that turn up on today's secondary market.

• Other Displays: also issued were several other display items, which, while occupying significant places within the field, cannot be easily placed into any of the above listed categories. These include, among others, a small, clear shelf-dangler, used to promote the late release of three early figures, and a vacu-formed, three-dimensional representation of Yoda, meant to be hung from an overhead fixture. These, and others of their like, have been noted below, along with their more standard counterparts.

I have not been able to procure decent images of several of the displays documented below. If you have images of these pieces, or information that either conflicts with, or is absent from this chart, please e-mail me at salfamily@aol.com to let me know about it.

Title	Type	Year/Documentation	Thumbnail
Star Wars
Early Bird Certificate Display Bin + Header	Bin/Header Assembly	1977
12 Action Figure Hanger	Hanger	1978
12 Action Figure Header	Header	1978
12 Action Figure Display Bin + Header	Bin/Header Assembly	1978
3 New Figures Sign	Shelf Dangler	1978
"Star Wars is Here" Folding Sign	Counter Display	c. 1978
SW 20 Action Figure Hanger - "Get A Free Boba Fett"	Hanger	1979
SW 20 Action Figure Header - "Get A Free Boba Fett"	Header	1979
20 Action Figure Display Bin + Header (Firing Rocket Exposed)	Bin/Header Assembly	1979
20 Action Figure Display Bin + Header (Sticker Covering Rocket Mechanism)	Bin/Header Assembly	1979
21 Action Figure Hanger - "Collect All 21"	Hanger	1979
21 Action Figure Hanger - "Collect All 21" (With Sweepstakes and Secret Figure Offer Stickers)	Hanger	1979-1980
21 Action Figure Display Bin + Header	Bin/Header Assembly	1979
Toy Area Header Card - "Toy Galaxy"	Header	1978
Toy Area Hanger - "Toy Galaxy"	Hanger	1978
Toy Area Header Card - "Toy Center" (Die-Cut)	Header	1979
Toy Area Hanger - "Toy Center"	Hanger	1979
Toy Area Hanger - "Toy Center" (w/ Sweepstakes and Secret Figure Offer Stickers)	Hanger	1979-1980
"Toy Galaxy" Shelf-Talker	Shelf-Talker (Cardboard)	1978
"Toy Center" Shelf-Talker	Shelf-Talker (Cardboard)	1979
Movie Ticket Refund Display	Counter Display	1981
Empire Strikes Back
Sweepstakes Shelf-Talker With Forms	Shelf-Talker (Cardboard)	1979-1980
32 Action Figure Hanger - "Collect All 32"	Hanger	1980
ESB Logo "Foil" Toy Area Header	Header	1980
ESB Shelf-Talker - cardboard	Shelf-Talker (cardboard)	1980
ESB Shelf-Talker - Flat Plastic	Shelf-Talker (Plastic)	1981-1982
ESB Shelf-Talker - Embossed Plastic	Shelf-Talker (Plastic)	1981-1982
41 Action Figure Hanger - "Collect All 41" (Style A)	Hanger	1981
41 Action Figure Hanger - "Collect All 41" (Style B)	Hanger	1981
Yoda Vacu-Form Dimensional Sign	Dimensional Hanging Sign	1981
Double-Sided Hoth Battle/Star Destroyer Header (With or Without Mounting Tab)	Header	1981
Double-Sided Hoth Battle/Hoth Battle (With or Without Mounting Tab)	Header	1981
48 Action Figure 3-sided Hanger - "Collect All 48"	Hanger	1982
ESB Logo Metal Toy Area Sign	Header	1982
Hoth Battle With Kenner Toys Toy Area Header	Header	1982
Return of the Jedi
65 Action Figure Header - "Collect All 65"	Header	1983
Toy Area Header - "Toy Center"	Header	1983
ROTJ Shelf-Talker	Shelf-Talker (Plastic)	1983-1984
4-foot Toy Area Header - Space Battle Artwork	Header	1984
Display Stand + Header - "Toy Center"	Standee/Header Assembly	1984	Image Not Available
Display Stand + Header - "Collect Them All"	Standee/Header Assembly	1984	Image Not Available
79 Action Figure Double-Sided Header - "Collect All 79"	Header	1984
Cardboard Shelf-Talker w/ Sweepstakes Forms	Shelf-Talker (Cardboard)	1984
Cardboard Shelf-Talker w/ Poster Forms	Shelf-Talker (Cardboard)	1984
Cardboard Shelf-Talker w/ Anakin Forms	Shelf-Talker (Cardboard)	1984
Cardboard Shelf-Talker w/ Anakin Forms (Larger Size)	Shelf-Talker (Cardboard)	1984	Image Not Available
Power of the Force/Droids/Ewoks
POTF Display Stand + Header w/ Coin Offer (Boba Fett)	Standee/Header Assembly	1985
Micro Collection/Die-Cast
Micro Collection 3-Sided Hanger	Hanger	1982
Micro Collection Shelf-Talker	Shelf-Talker	1982
Die-Cast Display Bin + Header	Bin/Header Assembly	1978
Unproduced Displays
SW 12 Action Figure Hanger (w/ Kit-Bashed Tusken Raider, Jawa and DSC)	Hanger	1978 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
SW 12 Action Figure Header (w/ Kit-Bashed Tusken Raider, Jawa, and DSC)	Header	1978 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
SW 20 Action Figure Hanger Mock-Up - "Get A Free Boba Fett" (Shows 12" Doll)	Hanger	1979 Jan/Feb Supplemental Catalog--Unproduced
SW 20 Action Figure Header Mock-Up - "Get A Free Boba Fett" (Shows 12" Doll)	Header	1979 Jan/Feb Supplemental Catalog--Unproduced
SW 20 Action Figure Hanger - "Get A Free Boba Fett" (Advertises a "Removable Rocket")	Hanger	1979 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
SW 20 Action Figure Display Bin + Header (Header Shows Kit-Bashed Boba Fett Prototype)	Bin/Header Assembly	1979 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
ESB 21 Action Figure Display Bin + Header	Bin/Header Assembly	1980 Pre-Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
ESB Sweepstakes Shelf-Talker (Different Design, Without Forms)	Shelf-Talker (Cardboard)	1980 Pre-Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
ESB 31 Action Figure Hanger - "Collect All 31"	Hanger	1980 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
ESB 41 Action Figure Hanger - "Collect All 41" (Alternate Design)	Hanger	1981 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
ESB Double-Sided Hoth Battle/Star Destroyer Header (With or Without Mounting Tab)	Header	1981 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
ESB Double-Sided Hoth Battle/Rebel Transport Header (With or Without Mounting Tab)	Header	1981 Pre-Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced	Image Not Available
ESB Double-Sided Yoda/Vader Hanging Display	Hanger	1981 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
ESB 47 Action Figure 3-sided Hanger - "Collect All 47"	Hanger	1982 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
ESB Hoth Battle Scene w/ Kenner Toys and Movie Photos Toy Area Header	Header	1982 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
POTF Display Stand + Header w/ Coin Offer (Warok)	Standee/Header Assembly	1985 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced	Image Not Available
Ewoks/Droids Display Stand + Header w/ Coin Offer	Standee/Header Assembly	1985 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
POTF Logo Toy Area Header	Header	1985 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
POTF Shelf-Talker	Shelf-Talker	1985 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced	Image Not Available
Ewoks Logo Toy Area Header	Header	1985 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
Ewoks Shelf-Talker	Shelf-Talker	1985 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced	Image Not Available
Droids Logo Toy Area Header	Header	1985 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
Droids Shelf-Talker	Shelf-Talker	1985 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced	Image Not Available
Die-Cast Mock-Up Display Bin + Header	Bin/Header Assembly	1978 Toy Fair Catalog--Unproduced
Toy Fair Displays
ESB Foam-Core Logo Mock-Up	Toy Fair	1980-1982 Toy Fair
ESB Logo Metal Toy Area Sign (silver background)	Header	1982 Toy Fair
Micro Collection Foam-Core Logo Mock-Up	Toy Fair	1982-1983 Toy Fair
ROTJ Foam-Core Logo Mock-Up	Toy Fair	1983-1984 Toy Fair
ROTJ 3-Dimensional "Chrome" Sign	Toy Fair	1983-1984 Toy Fair
POTF Foam-Core Logo Mock-Up	Toy Fair	1985 Toy Fair
POTF Boba Fett Coin Mock-Up	Toy Fair	1985 Toy Fair
POTF Darth Vader Coin Mock-Up	Toy Fair	1985 Toy Fair
Droids Thall Joben Coin Mock-Up	Toy Fair	1985 Toy Fair
Ewoks Logray Coin Mock-Up	Toy Fair	1985 Toy Fair

Ron Salvatore (salfamily@aol.com)