| Unlicensed Plush C-3PO | |
| Several of these bizarre-looking C-3PO toys have turned up over the years, but no one I've spoken to has been able to adequately explain them. The tag on mine indicates it was made in Korea and distributed by a company called Etone out of Jersey City, New Jersey. Yet another of New Jersey's contributions to world culture!
As you can probably tell, it's made of a naugahyde-like material and accented with gold-colored fur. One theory regarding the existence of these items holds that they were created as carnival prizes. "Knock all the milk bottles down with one baseball and win a hideous robot." That sort of thing. The presence of a small cloth loop on the back of the head would seem to lend some credence to that idea. You can almost imagine a row of these hanging from a rafter in some cheezy amusement park.
Here's a close-up of the head. Gotta love the hemispherical eyes and that big eyebrow flap. By the way, these are known to have been issued in a couple of different sizes, the larger size you see here and a smaller version.
This shot might bring to mind some kind of horrible Star Wars-themed Furry party, but it's really just a shot of our C-3PO beside another funky plush I own, this one in the familiar shape of R2-D2. Some toys you love because they remind you of something. Some you love because they're really rare. Others you love because they're just really, really ugly. |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | Ron Salvatore |
| From the collection of: | Ron Salvatore |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | A New Hope |
| Licensee: | Unlicensed |
| Year: | 1977 |
| Category: | Toys / Plush |
