Star Wars Action Figures
It's from 1978, before you were born.
- Maker
- Kenner
- Type
- Action figures
- Debuted
- 1978
- Note
- The 'Early Bird' empty-box Christmas
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About
As of 2026, it's 48 years old.
Star Wars action figures changed the toy industry forever — and almost didn't exist in time. The 1977 film was such a surprise smash that Kenner couldn't manufacture figures fast enough for the holidays, so they sold an 'Early Bird Certificate': an empty box promising figures would arrive in the mail months later. Kids unwrapped a literal IOU, and parents bought it anyway.
Those 3.75-inch figures established the small-scale-figure-plus-playsets format the whole industry copied, and they made licensing the real money in modern toys. A mint-condition vintage Boba Fett can now fetch a fortune.
Tiny, world-building, and industry-redefining, Star Wars action figures are the toys that proved a movie could sell more plastic than tickets.
