A Collectors Guide To Kenner Baggies

A Collector's Guide To

Baggies

By Todd DeMartino and Bill Wills

It's funny to watch all of the little niches that begin to pop up over time within any collectible community. Some are the result of a collector's desire to add a little variety and uniqueness to their collection by focusing on areas that aren’t as intensely competitive as some of the more mainstream segments. But online communities with large, active membership roles and a steady influx of new collectors may very well be the biggest factor in shaping collector tastes as they can dramatically increase the amount of exposure that these niche areas might not receive otherwise. Of course an increase in supply through venues like eBay certainly doesn’t hurt either. One such area in the vintage Star Wars toy hobby that has experienced growth over the past couple of years is Kenner baggie collecting.

Kenner baggies were available in the U.S. from a variety of sources, the very first being the Star Wars Early Bird Kit. But the majority of Kenner baggies were undoubtedly purchased in the over 90 different multi-packs that Kenner produced from 1978 through 1984 and sold through the catalogs of Sears, JC Penney, Montgomery Wards, Spiegel and Alden. These multi-packs ranged anywhere from 2 figures up to 16 figures in a single pack.

And once Kenner realized they could sell even more figures by pairing them with inexpensive plastic bases and/or cardboard backdrops, they began including bagged figures as a “bonus” in their Sears Cantina, Cloud City, Rebel Command Center, and Jabba’s Dungeon playsets. But perhaps the most familiar source of baggies was Kenner’s mail-away figure promotions that appeared on Star Wars, Empire and Jedi card fronts. The figures used in these promotions were Boba Fett, Bossk, 4-LOM, Admiral Ackbar, Nien Numb, Emperor, and Anakin.

By the time Jedi rolled around, the line was beginning to fade and Kenner probably overestimated demand for these promotions, which likely accounts for the overabundance of bagged Emperor, Admiral Ackbar and Nien Numb figures seen today. One source, albeit a small one, that often gets overlooked is the Special Offer store exclusives. Kenner would take an existing product (such as a boxed Tie Fighter for example), insert 1 or 2 bagged figures, and apply a large yellow sticker to one or both sides of the box with the words “Special Offer” and a picture of the bonus figure(s) that were included.

Bagged figures that made their way into one or more Special Offer boxed toys were Luke (Tatooine), Han Solo (small head), Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, C-3PO (original), R2-D2 (original), White Bespin Guard, Hoth Stormtrooper, Rebel Soldier, Boba Fett, Bossk, IG-88, Yoda, Bespin Luke, Rebel Commander, AT-AT Driver, 2-1B and AT-AT Commander. One figure of note is the small head Han that was included in the Special Offer X-Wing Fighter. This is believed to be the only known source for bagged small head Han’s since no examples have been located in multi-packs to date.

One source that remains a bit of a mystery is the solid pack case. These were 200-piece shipping cases that contained the same loose figure in a Kenner baggie.

The general consensus is that these figures were factory overstock and given the figures that have turned up in these cases, that is the most plausible explanation. These cases were almost certainly offered to retailers, but since most department stores and mass merchandisers typically didn’t sell loose figures at any point of purchase, it is conceivable that Kenner had other purposes or target markets in mind. The known solid pack case assortments are Removable Limbs C-3PO, Prune Face, B-Wing Pilot, and AT-ST Driver. It is likely that solid pack cases existed of Luke Bespin (brown hair), R2-D2 Sensorscope, Nikto, 8D8, Emperor and AT-AT Commander as well. These particular bagged figures were available in abundance through toy dealers, especially those that specialized in factory overstock, during the early to mid 90’s through magazines like Toy Shop and Tomart’s Action Figure Digest. It also wasn’t uncommon to find dealers at toy shows selling figures from these solid cases for a couple of dollars apiece. These solid pack cases account for the large supply of these figures seen on the market today. There are also credible stories of Kenner donating slews of bagged figures to local charities, hospitals, as well as Salvation Army thrift stores.

So what real purpose did baggies serve? Kenner employed factories all over the orient (Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Macau) as well as Mexico to produce Star Wars action figures. During various stages of the production process, samples were shipped back to Cincinnati for the designers and engineers to inspect. Baggies served a few different purposes. They were primarily a method of demarking where the figure was manufactured, but they were also an ideal way to keep the figure and their small accessories together as well as providing some measure of protection for the figure. When the decision was made to offer the Early Bird Kit and figure multi-packs, baggies were a perfect and inexpensive part of the packaging solution.

There are a lot of reasons why people collect Kenner baggies. Created with function in mind, there’s not much to a Kenner baggie aesthetically speaking, so it’s doubtful many people collect them for their visual appeal. And while a few retailers sold individual bagged figures on clearance (Sears Surplus, Boscov’s, etc.), most collectors remember buying their figures on the card, so there’s little if any sentimentality associated with a baggie. However, since every figure through Return of the Jedi (including the Max Rebo Band members, Jabba the Hutt and Salacious Crumb) as well as Anakin, EV9-D9, Amanaman and Barada from the POTF line were available in Kenner baggies in the U.S., we suspect many collectors see them as a way to get a mint, complete figure at a fraction of the cost of a carded figure. They also take away the worry of getting reproduction accessories when buying a loose figure, which plagues today’s market. Kenner baggies also offer the character focus collector another avenue to further expand their run. For example, Tatooine Luke and Darth Vader can be found in 9 different baggie styles. Han Solo appears in 7 different baggie styles. Pictured below are all 6 versions in which Boba Fett can be found.

Finding out all the baggie styles a figure appeared in and then actually tracking them all down can be a real challenge. Considering that Kenner used 25 different baggie types during the 8 years that bagged figures were being produced, baggies have a lot to offer the variation collector. Tracking down the almost 300 possible figure/baggie combinations is a daunting task. But if you were to ask most baggie collectors why they collect, they’ll tell you that there’s just something about a mint figure in crisp, clean, factory sealed baggie. Once you buy your first, they can be very addictive.

For the most part, baggies are very affordable, although since AFA began grading loose figures and with un-circulated examples commanding such premiums on eBay, even more common baggies are now fetching record prices. With the exception of Cat IV’s and the insanely rare Cat V’s (which can get very pricey), most can be had for less than $50. Interestingly enough, there isn’t always a correlation between rarity and price. Some of the more popular characters like a Cat II Vader, Fett, and Ben are fairly common, yet because of increased demand, their prices can be equal to (or even higher in some cases) than some Cat III baggies, or even a very tough Cat IV baggie like a black Bespin Guard. One other factor that can increase or decrease the price is the baggie version. For example, most of the original 12 figures can be found in multi-packs all the way through ROTJ. However, any of the original 12 in the very early SW-b style tends to be more desirable and usually command a premium over their latter tape-sealed counterparts.

This feature was created to help collectors understand what was produced, when it was produced, and provide a rough estimate of rarity. As with anything that was mass-produced, it’s just about impossible to be definitive on anything as there are so many factors and unknowns in the production and distribution process, but history and enormous amounts of research definitely go a long way. Hopefully this feature will help collectors be better informed on what to look for and what to avoid. Lastly, we are focusing solely on baggies that were only available in the U.S. The foreign baggie market is another world entirely. If you have a bagged figure that is not known to exist or appears to contradict information contained within this feature, feel free to contact us (Bill or Todd). Thanks and enjoy!

Baggie Types

The purpose here is to identify all known styles and associate them with a release year. Listed below are all 25 (yes, twenty-five!) different baggie styles employed by Kenner from 1978 through 1984. This baggie style chart is based on several years of collective experience and this information has been reinforced by documenting the contents of sealed multi-packs from all years, so it should be considered comprehensive.

*** "MIHK" = Made in Hong Kong

Category	Year(s)	Text	Seal	Type	Img
SW-a	1978	White horizontal “MIHK”	Tape	Crisp
SW-b	1978	Black vertical “MIHK”	Heat	Soft
SW-c	1978, 1979	Blue Kenner horizontal “General Mills-G”	Heat	Crisp
SW-d	1978, 1979	Black horizontal “MIHK”	Heat	Soft
SW-e	1979, 1980	Blue horizontal “MIHK”	Heat	Crisp

Category	Year(s)	Text	Seal	Type	Img
ESB-a	1980, 1981	Blue/Blue-Green Kenner horizontal rectangle with “MIHK”	Heat	Soft
ESB-b	1980, 1981	Blue & White Kenner horizontal rectangle with “MIHK”	Heat	Soft
ESB-c	1980-1984	Blue Kenner with “MIHK”	Tape	Crisp
ESB-d	1980-1984	Blue Kenner with “MIHK”	Heat	Crisp
ESB-e	1981	Blue Kenner vertical “General Mills-G”	Heat	Soft
ESB-f	1982, 1983	Blue Kenner vertical rectangle with “MIHK” to edge of rectangle	Heat	Soft
ESB-g	1982 - 1984	Blue Kenner vertical rectangle with “Made In China”	Heat	Soft
ESB-h	1982 - 1984	None	Heat	Soft

Category	Year(s)	Text	Seal	Type	Img
ROTJ-a	1983	Blue “Made in Taiwan”	Heat	Crisp
ROTJ-b	1983	Blue Kenner “Made in Taiwan”	Heat	Crisp
ROTJ-c	1983, 1984	Blue/Green Kenner with “MIHK”	Tape	Crisp
ROTJ-d	1983, 1984	Kenner vertical rectangle “Made In Macau”	Heat	Crisp
ROTJ-e	1983, 1984	Blue Kenner with “Made In Mexico”	Heat	Soft
ROTJ-f	1984	Blue Kenner vertical rectangle with “MIHK” outside edge of rectangle	Heat	Soft
ROTJ-g	1984	Black horizontal “Made In China”	Heat	Soft
ROTJ-h	1984	Blue Kenner “Made In Taiwan R.O.C.”	Heat	Crisp
ROTJ-i	1984	Blue Kenner horizontal rectangle with “Made In China”	Heat	Soft
ROTJ-j	1984	Black “MIHK” vertical	Heat	Soft
ROTJ-k	1984	None	Tan strapping tape	Soft - Plain large/square

Category	Year(s)	Text	Seal	Type	Img
POTF-a	1984	Blue Kenner horizontal rectangle with “MIHK”	Both tape and open	Soft

This baggie style was used exclusively for a Removable Limbs C-3PO that was handed out at Toy Fair in 1982.

Baggie Rarity Category Descriptions

The purpose of the following Rarity Categories is to help collectors assess how difficult individual figures are to locate in a Kenner baggie. It is not meant to address the rarity level of a particular figure in a specific baggie style. For example, Darth Vader is relatively common, but Darth Vader in a SW-a style baggie is much more difficult to locate.

Category I - Supply is plentiful and they are by far the easiest to locate. Figures in this category range from very common Jedi promotional figures to figures that were offered in 200 pc. solid pack cases. Whatever the reason, they exist in very large quantities in comparison to the other categories.

Category II - Almost half of all Kenner baggies fall under this classification. While not as plentiful as a Cat I, these figures turn up with regularity and can be located with minimal effort. Most figures in this category either appeared in a large number of multi-packs or in some of the most common Jedi multi-packs.

Category III - Figures in this category are a bit more difficult to track down and turn up with less frequency than Cat I & II figures. Many of these figures were released in a relatively small number of multi-packs, or in SW and ESB multi-packs that exist today in much smaller numbers than those released in 1983 and 1984.

Category IV - With Cat IV, demand far outweighs the supply. All figures in this category were released in only 1 or 2 multi-packs with the exception of the Cloud Car Pilot, which was included in 3. The DT Luke made its one and only appearance in some of the very first Early Bird Kits. These figures don’t turn up for sale often and usually command a premium when they do.

Category V - These figures are exceedingly rare with only a handful of known examples in existence. Unless the supply changes dramatically in the future, most baggie collectors will never have an opportunity to add these to their collection.

Category VI - Baggies in this category were not sold at retail and include any bagged figure used during the toy pre-production process as well as internal samples. These can range from QC/sign-off samples to first shots sent from the vendor to Kenner for inspection.

Figure Release Number	Character	Rarity Category	Img
1	Luke Skywalker - DT Saber	IV
1a	Luke Skywalker - Regular Saber	III
1b	Luke Skywalker - Brown Hair	IV
2	Princess Leia	III
3	R2-D2	III
3a	R2-D2 Sensorscope	I
4	Chewbacca - Green Crossbow	III
4a	Chewbacca - Black Crossbow	II
5	C-3PO	III
5a	C-3PO - Removable Limbs	I
6	Darth Vader	II
7	Stormtrooper	II
8	Ben Kenobi - White Hair	III
8a	Ben Kenobi - Gray Hair	II
9	Han Solo - Small Head	V
9a	Han Solo - Large Head	II
10	Jawa	III
11	Sand People	III
12	Death Squad Commander	III
13	Greedo	II
14	Hammerhead	II
15	Snaggletooth - Blue	III
15a	Snaggletooth - Red	II
16	Walrus Man	II
17	Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot	II
18	R5-D4	IV
19	Death Star Droid	IV
20	Power Droid	IV
21	Boba Fett	II
22	Leia Bespin	III
22a	Leia Bespin - Turtle Neck	V
23	FX-7	II
24	Imperial Stormtrooper Hoth	II
25	Rebel Soldier Hoth	II
26	Bossk	III
27	IG-88	III
28	Luke Bespin - Yellow Hair	III
28a	Luke Bespin - Brown Hair	II
29	Han Solo Hoth	II
30	Lando Calrissian - No Teeth	II
30a	Lando Calrissian - Teeth	II
31	Bespin Security Guard - White	III
32	Yoda - Orange Snake	III
32a	Yoda - Brown Snake	II
33	Ugnaught	II
34	Dengar	II
35	Han Solo Bespin	III
36	Lobot	II
37	Leia Hoth	III
38	Rebel Commander	II
39	AT-AT Driver	II
40	Imperial Commander	II
41	2-1B	II
42	Luke Hoth	II
43	AT-AT Commander	I
44	Cloud Car Pilot	IV
45	Bespin Security Guard - Black	IV
46	Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot	III
47	Zuckuss	II
48	4-LOM	II
49	Admiral Ackbar	I
50	Luke Jedi Knight - Blue Saber	IV
50a	Luke Jedi Knight - Green Saber	II
51	Leia Boushh Disguise	II
52	Gamorrean Guard	II
53	Emperors Royal Guard	II
54	Chief Chirpa	III
55	Logray	III
55a	Logray - No COO	II
56	Klaatu	III
57	Rebel Commando	III
58	Weequay	III
59	Squid Head	II
60	General Madine -Gray Hair	II
60a	General Madine - Green Hair	II
61	Bib Fortuna	II
62	Ree Yees	III
63	Biker Scout - Long Mask	III
64	Lando Calrissian Skiff Guard Disguise	II
65	Nien Numb	I
66	Nikto	II
67	8D8	II
68	Leia Combat Poncho	III
69	Wicket W. Warrick	II
70	The Emperor	I
71	B-Wing Pilot	I
72	Klaatu Skiff Guard	III
73	Han Solo Trench Coat - Plain Lapels	III
73a	Han Solo Trench Coat - Camo Lapels	I
74	Teebo	III
75	Prune Face	I
76	AT-ST Driver	I
77	Rancor Keeper	II
78	Lumat	IV
79	Paploo	IV
80	Amanaman	II
81	Barada	II
82	Anakin Skywalker	II
83	EV9-D9	III
NA	Jabba The Hutt	I
NA	Salacious Crumb	1
NA	Max Rebo	1
NA	Droopy McCool	IV
NA	Sy Snootles	IV
NA	Yak Face	VI
NA	Luke Hoth first shot	VI

Identifying Fakes

As with anything of value, if there’s money to be made by creating fakes, you can be guaranteed that some unscrupulous individuals are putting their skills to the test. Unfortunately, Kenner baggies are no exception. In recent years, we’ve seen many reseals hit the market and there’s no small supply of willing takers. The best defense against this is an educated collector, so what follows is a list of things to consider when determining if a baggie is legitimate. It is by no means exhaustive or definitive. It’s simply intended as a guideline to help the collector build a body of evidence to either confirm or refute the legitimacy of a questionable Kenner bagged Star Wars figure. And as with any mass-produced item, there are always exceptions. But if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Taped baggies are the most commonly faked for obvious reasons. Since some baggies only came heat sealed, make sure the type of seal matches the baggie style.
Make sure the figure was actually available during the same time period that the baggie style was in use.
Compare the length of the baggie to other known good examples. There have been instances of people cutting the bottom of a heat sealed bag, removing the existing figure and replacing it with a more desirable one, and then re-sealing it with tape or a home heat-sealing device. Each baggie style should be virtually identical in length, so if there’s a discernable difference, it could be a reseal. Also, examine the heat seals closely. The patterns at the top and bottom should match.
Look for evidence that the bag has been folded in more than one position. Many reseals are the result of an empty baggie being recycled and close inspection will reveal stray creases and fold lines that don’t match up with the current folding pattern.
Creasing underneath the tape not caused by the current folding pattern is a possible indication of a reseal.
Is the figure known to exist in a Kenner baggie? If an example hasn’t surfaced yet, you should be extremely skeptical. For example, there are no known examples of any POTF figures outside of Anakin, Amanaman, Barada and EV9-D9 in U.S. Kenner baggies.
Certain figures only exist in one style of baggie. For example, Blue Snaggletooth only exists in the SW-c baggie.
Make sure the figure was actually made in the country of origin on the baggie. For example, not all figures were made in Taiwan, so if you find a figure that was never made in that country in a ROTJ style a, b or h baggie, you know it’s a reseal.
When a new baggie style surfaces, overwhelming evidence is required to confirm its legitimacy. There are recent examples of baggies being used for reseals that were never used at any time in the Star Wars line. If a Star Wars figure in a previously unknown baggie style surfaces, it’s likely a reseal.

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John J. Alvarez (southside_201@yahoo.com)

A Collector's Guide To Baggies

By Todd DeMartino and Bill Wills

Baggie Types

Baggie Rarity Category Descriptions

Identifying Fakes

A Collector's Guide To

Baggies