Eightiesologo, Episode V

Eightiesologo continues with a look at the centerpiece of the banner image, the Han Solo action figure. To this day, Solo remains one of my favorite fictional characters and this figure captures the character in my favorite setting from the Star Wars movies, the snow planet of Hoth!

Star Wars has become a periodic cycle of nostalgia as the last 10+ years have been filled with buzz regarding the prequel films and now as Lucasfilm embarks on animated and live-action television endeavors. But the core of Star Wars nostalgia resides in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, wrapped around the release of the original trilogy of films. And at the center of what became a merchandising empire was the release of action figures based on almost every character from the films. These action figures also happened to be the first of their kind for our generation, triggering a genre that lives on to this day.

Because the first Star Wars film was released when I was three years old, my affinity for that film really only happened in retrospect via rereleases and televised airings. The Empire Strikes Back though was really the preeminent film of the series and perhaps even the entire decade. Despite arriving in the first year of the ‘80s, the movie was so immensely popular that its influence and popularity virtually extended through the release of the last of the trilogy (Return of the Jedi) and beyond, until Star Wars gave way to its successors in genre entertainment and collecting. G.I. Joe and Transformers, as well as a host of other popular franchises (such as Thundercats, He-Man, M.A.S.K., etc.), climbed their way to the top of our collective conscience, and slowly nudged Star Wars toys to the periphery.

But Star Wars action figures, made by Kenner, had a mighty heyday. Perhaps our female audience may not relate to this post but so much of the appeal of action figures has to do with their connection to moving pictures. Whether it’s an animated television show or a live-action film, you’re now able to project your own adventures through this tiny piece of plastic based on an existing fictional character. With Han Solo, this became extra relevant because when our neighborhood was hit with a large amount of snow, the Assumption schoolyard had its snow plowed into piles lining the fence. This created our own Hoth to build tunnels and snow forts on. I could be Han Solo myself.


My first Star Wars toys actually came as a hand-me down gift one Christmas since my brother (five years my elder) had advanced past the notion of playing with such toys. I can still remember opening the box and seeing an assortment of figures, accessories and the Tie-fighter! By the time Empire Strikes Back rolled around, I was now getting new figures as gifts, under the Christmas tree or in arbitrary visits to a toy store. In fact, upon Return of the Jedi’s arrival, I have a vivid memory of crossing over to the Toys ‘r’ Us that was right next to the Tenplex on Route 4 in Paramus. I likely came away with Admiral Ackbar!

But no matter what new toy came along, Han Solo always led my crew of figures. (And his Millennium Falcon was my most treasured toy set for years.) Kenner produced lots of variations of major characters from the films so someone like Han Solo was represented in a number of formats: his classic gear, a Bespin outfit, in carbonite, and Endor forest fatigues. But to me he was never cooler than when he was simply wearing a snow jacket with that bushy hood. This is what he wore when Han and Chewie attacked the Probe Droid! And when he heroically ventured out to find Luke Skywalker, who had been stranded after a Wampa attack! This was really Han Solo at his coolest, taking that last step from smuggler to rebel hero.

I still love to visit toy stores as part of something I call ‘toy store therapy.’ Like this blog, the nostalgia and feeling of walking through a toy store is a great escape for me.  The stores are a little different now but it’s very easy to slip back in that mode of anxiousness heading towards that particular aisle. Occasionally, I’ll scoop an action figure to adorn the desk of the kid who’ll never grow up. The toys they create today are so ridiculously well-crafted, it actually makes me a little envious. But you can’t replace the charm and simplicity of an old Han Solo action figure. Or the limitless aspirations of a six-year-old playing in the snow and dreaming of being a hero.

Click This! RebelScum.com is an exhaustive web site featuring news, rumors, pictures, reviews and other notes about the entire history of Star Wars collecting.

Of special note, this was the first image I picked for the banner, scooping it off of an eBay listing. The perspective in this picture is ‘as photographed.’ Because I dug that perspective, I chose to warp the rest of the images for the banner to the same view. Much of these images were flat, without any sort of dimension. Thanks to Photoshop I was able to manipulate the images and give them this depth. So in much the same way this action figure once inspired my toy collecting, you could say the picture ended up inspiring the banner design.

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