Sometimes we just need a heavy dose of pop culture nostalgia, and what’s more nostalgic than a photo gallery of vintage Star Wars Kenner action figures?
For many, myself included, vintage Star Wars Kenner action figures were as much a part of a Star Wars childhood as the movies themselves. Two of my keenest memories are from when I was about seven or eight years old.
At my father’s house we somehow had Star Wars on VHS. I don’t remember how he got it; I’m assuming he recorded it off of HBO or something. I must have watched that tape a hundred times. But always, bearing equal weight in my mind while watching that tape, was my Kenner AT-AT. My sister had her Barbie McDonalds, and I had my AT-AT. It’s one of those moments that is fixed like a photograph in my memory. Full Star Wars immersion.
Back at my mother’s house, where I actually lived (and had my own room) was my all-time favorite toy: my Ewok Village Action Playset. If I wasn’t climbing trees in the woods behind my house, I was playing with my Ewok Village. My mom didn’t have the movies on VHS, and I certainly didn’t have a TV in my bedroom, so my full immersion came in the form of The Return of the Jedi read-along. I can’t remember whether or not I had upgraded my record player by then, but if memory serves correctly I was spinning that sweet vinyl on the Fisher-Price Phonograph.
And so now that I own a small collection of vintage Kenner figures again—that Ewok Village, AT-AT, and everything else are long gone—it’s nice to once in a while put away the Black Series, take a break from the Figuarts, pop on my Phantom Menace Soundtrack (my current favorite vinyl I have) and play with some Kenner figures.
Thanks for checking out my photos. Let me know what you think: @LostStarWars on Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit.
Born in 1976, Bill Drewnowski grew up surrounded by Star Wars, the likely reason for his love of a great story. Now a father living in New England, Bill teaches high school English, including courses in science fiction and fantasy. Bill enjoys collecting books, posters, action figures, trading cards (including a huge Magic the Gathering obsession), and of course all things Star Wars. His favorite book is Moby Dick by Herman Melville. You can follow Bill on Twitter @DorkLair and Instagram @TheDorkLair.