Hasbro And Target Offer Replicas Of The Original 'Star Wars' Action Figures

A long time ago (1977), in a galaxy far, far away (a land where stores sold nothing but toys), the entire children’s toy industry was flipped upside down when George Lucas’ first ‘Star Wars’ movie arrived in theaters, dazzling everyone who saw it, including kids. The following year, small Cincinnati-based toy manufacturer Kenner cranked out the first ‘Star Wars’ action figures, which clocked in at a tiny 3 3/4″ size in order to accommodate massive vehicles and playsets, and kicked the previous 12″ standard size for action figures like G.I. Joe into the grave.

Not only did Kenner’s ‘Star Wars’ collection revolutionize the toy industry, but the film franchise is still going strong. So if you want one of those original plastic playthings, it’ll run you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.

But Hasbro, who bought Kenner out in 1991, and Target are teaming up to get some retro goodies into your hands. An exclusive line of Old School ‘Star Wars’ figures, made to exactly recreate the originals, has been released, and they only cost $9.99 each!

There are six figures in this set, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, and a Stormtrooper. Vader and Luke have the telescoping lightsabre features, complete with the thin flimsy tips. Luke’s is also yellow, which collectors will inform you is inaccurate, because Luke’s lightsabre was BLUE in the movie. Vader and Leia sport vinyl capes and Han features his awkward pea-head that barely looks human, much less like Harrison Ford.

While Target will get this assortment first, plans are for them to be released in other stores by the end of the year. If you’re worried that unsavory types will try and pass these off as vintage, the packaging is clearly marked “Retro”, and surely the actual figures have enough copyright/trademark indicia to differentiate them. (For starters, these are by Hasbro, not Kenner.)

Check out the six new/old figures below: