Compiled and Maintained by Ron Salvatore

Introduction:
Kenner's line of Star Wars dolls....err, I mean large size action figures, was well-done but ultimately unsuccesful. When they were released in the late '70s, figures in the scale of eight to twelve inches, which had for some time been the industry standard, were beginning to experience a decline in popularity. Ironically, this was due in large part to Kenner's success with their small series of figures, which averaged out at about four inches in height. Kids quickly latched onto these "mini action figures," in part because they liked the way they could be combined with a whole range of vehicles and playsets-- accessories which the larger figure line lacked.

In the end, sales of the large figures were slow and the line petered out after only two years. Coincidentally, this occured just as the second Star Wars installment, The Empire Strikes Back, was entering theaters in 1980. As one might expect, Kenner planned to re-issue several of their original large size figures in updated Empire packaging. But they also sought to release versions of the main human characters (namely, Luke, Han and Leia) dressed in entirely original outfits from the new film. They even prototyped an wholly new figure, a representation of one of Empire's debut characters, Lando Calrissian, the dashing administrator of Cloud City.

But alas, these new figures never made it toy store shelves. Presumably, retailers, pessimistic about the profitability of the line as a whole, balked at carrying the toys, thereby forcing Kenner to cancel them entirely. However, a very few prototypes of the unproduced large figures are known to exist, as are many prototype examples of Empire Strikes Back large figure packages. In addition, several of the original large figures are thought to have actually been released in Empire boxes. Of these, Boba Fett is the only one that turns up with any regularity. The last addition to the line, the bounty hunter IG-88, was issued only in an Empire box. Today it is the rarest (and most valuable) piece in the line.

For more information regarding the unproduced Empire Strikes Back large size figures, see our Unproduced Toys gallery.

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