Sunday, August 09, 2015

At Flashbak: Star Wars Collectible Carrying Cases




This week at Flashbak, I looked back at toy carrying cases, specifically those of the Star Wars (1977) franchise.

Here's a snippet and the url: (http://flashbak.com/action-figure-luggage-remembering-kenners-star-wars-collector-cases-38052/)


As a kid growing up the 1970s and 1980s, the worst toy I could possibly receive as a gift was a carrying case. 

Why? 

Well, there was a universe of action figures out there to collect, play with, and enjoy, and I would end up with…luggage?

I don’t know if others felt the same way that I did about them. But getting a carrying case as a gift was more like a hint from your mother that you needed to clean your room and organize your toys than it like getting an actual toy.


Still, Kenner did its part with the Star Wars line, to make the carrying cases as attractive and cool as possible. Notice that Star Wars carrying cases are termed “Collector’s Cases.”  That description classes the whole thing up a bit.

Basically, Star Wars collector cases came in four cool varieties. 

One was forged in the shape of Darth Vader’s head, and was released in conjunction with The Empire Strikes Back (1980). 

The next three were all released when Return of the Jedi (1983) premiered. 

One was See-Threepio’s head, and it was infinitely less desirable than the similar Vader case.

The Laser Rifle collector’s case was cool too, but it didn’t much resemble a blaster from the Star Wars films. 

On the plus side, it could double as a pretend gun in laser battles with your best friends.

And finally, there was the most impractical collector’s case of the bunch: Chewbacca’s bandolier.

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