When it comes to vintage action figures and toys, very few come close to the impact that Kenner’s Star Wars line had. Besides some great action figures with features ahead of their time, the manufacturer also launched a series of vehicles and play sets so that we could get the full Star Wars experience. Of course, they are now considered vintage, and cost quite a bit of money, with some even going for tens of thousands of dollars on the collector’s market.
Their value is determined by their rarity, condition, and sometimes even manufacturing errors that make them stand out from the rest of the line. With toys of every kind, Kenner ensured that there was no gap in its Star Wars product line. In fact, it even introduced an inflatable version of a lightsaber. While that makes sense, considering lightsabers are the franchise’s most iconic weapons, Kenner decided to leave no stone unturned. Case in point: this 1978 AM radio that was built to look like Luke Skywalker’s headset in A New Hope that’s going up for auction.
You may be wondering why on Earth the manufacturer felt the need to incorporate an AM radio into their Star Wars toy line. Action figures and playsets make sense; you can even wave around the inflatable lightsabers without worrying about taking out an eye. But why would kids want an AM radio that looks every so slightly like Luke’s headset? It’s not even like it’s a defining feature of the character, he just wears it for a few minutes while manning the guns of the Millennium Falcon. I guess Kenner really wanted to cover all bases, even forgettable ones.
While I think we can all agree that the final product doesn’t really look like the one in the movie, it’s a decent marketing idea. Back in the ‘70s, AM radios didn’t really look like the most interesting devices. Their blocky shape and drab color schemes made them boring for kids, However, if you slap some Star Wars branding on it, you might suddenly be able to appeal to a whole new target audience. While that’s probably along the lines that the suits were thinking about, it’s still a very odd product choice that eventually didn’t work out. The interest for the item simply wasn’t there.
Thinking that AM radios would appeal to kids was already a stretch, then linking it to the headset that Luke wore for a few minutes in that one scene was perhaps too far of a reach. This strange decision clearly bombed, as the radio was discontinued only a year later. However, that means it’s pretty rare and a collectible grail for Star Wars fans, so get ready for the massive prices once bidding opens. Kenner made some iconic Star Wars toys over the years, but they should have had a bad feeling about this one.
