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Box Side (click to enlarge)
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Catalog Description:
STAR WARS ACTION DISPLAY STAND FOR STAR WARS ACTION FIGURES Sturdy, plastic Display Stand complete with Intergalactic space setting provides realistic STAR WARS backdrop for added play. Action levers on display stand move figures back and forth. Spaces for 12 STAR WARS Action Figures. Figures easily removalbe for individual play. Source: 1979 Kenner Deptartment Store Program |
Description:
Technically, this boxed version of the Action Display Stand--an item first available as a mail-away premium in 1978--was not a regular-release Kenner toy. It was produced solely as a bonus, or "Special Offer," item for larger retailers, and thus was not widely available to consumers. But since it featured a unique package and not just a sticker as did most of the Special Offer items that Kenner produced, the Action Display Stand merits special mention here.
The mail-away version of the toy was shipped to consumers in a white cardboard box, which featured no graphics whatsoever. The stand itself included a sticker bearing the names of the first 12 figures released. For the store-boxed version, however, Kenner whipped up a really striking package; and, since it was released in 1979 when more figures had been added to the line, a new sticker was included, which featured the names of some of the later releases (Greedo, for instance, is shown on the box front).
As one might expect, this is a fairly rare item; like most of the Special Offer toys, including the infamous action figure three-packs, it was offered for a limited time only and was likely never available in certain regions. Consequently, nice examples bring high prices on today's collector's market.
Interestingly, Kenner also offered a version of their display stand in their Department Store Program of 1980. (Department Store Programs were the promotional vehicle that Kenner used to pitch their Special Offer items to the aforementioned large retailers.) The catalog shows the stand as bearing a sticker printed with the names of several Empire Strikes Back figures and coming in a box adorned with both an ESB logo and an entirely new photograph. Most surprisingly, this version of the stand was supposed to come with 6 action figures! A very few examples have surfaced, mostly through Kenner sources. They are generally looked upon as prototypes only, not as officially released products.
In 1981, Kenner used the molds developed for this toy to produce a mail-away stand for their Glamour Gals line of fashion figures. The base of this item was molded in black plastic and its backdrop was printed with the image of a city skyline. For more information on Star Wars toys that were developed into other lines, click here.
First Issued: 1979 (SW packaging)
Re-issues: 1980 (ESB packaging, with new box and 6 figures--probably not released)
