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In 1978, a little-known director released a gamble of a movie called Star Wars upon an unsuspecting populace. Coming off of his first monster hit, American Graffiti, George Lucas was in a position to make himself a large payday on his next major motion picture. What he did instead would change the landscape of film for all of time.
Lucas asked for a small sum of $150,000 and in exchange, he would retain the rights to any sequels and all merchandising. 20th Century Fox took the deal, which eventually made Lucas a billionaire, thanks to the ensuing mania over all collectable Star Wars items. Over the last 35 years, those merchandising rights became worth over $27 billion.
No Star Wars merchandise is as iconic as the countless number of action figures that have been released in conjunction with the films. Explore how these awesome toys have changed over the last 37 years as we concentrate on that farm boy turned Rebel hero, Luke Skywalker.
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The Action Figure Evolution of Luke Skywalker Transcript
Star Wars stands atop a storied franchise valued at over $27 billion dollars. The merchandise and toy lines encompass the lion's share of that pile of money. These toys line the walls of fanboys' basements and the floors of children the world over. There is limited time for us to review ALL of the thousands of figures created in the last four decades, so instead we concentrated on the iconic Luke Skywalker, his primary looks, and how these four simple versions of his action figure have evolved over Star Wars' long and successful history.
A New Hope Action Figures
Before he suited up to take on the Death Star, this toy detailed the outfit Luke wore the first time we laid eyes on this backwater farm boy from Tatooine. The earliest action figure rendered Luke's hair bright blond and his original saber yellow. As time passed and toy-making technology became more advanced, the details on the figure became more and more accurate.
1978 Vintage Star Wars
- Toy Line: Vintage Star Wars
- Released By: Kenner
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, and legs
- Accessories: Telescoping lightsaber
1995 Power of the Force 2
- Toy Line: Power of the Force 2
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, legs, and waist
- Accessories: Grappling hook, blue lightsaber
2002 Power of the Jedi
- Toy Line: Power of the Jedi
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Neck, arms, legs, and waist
- Accessories: Grappling hook
2003 Star Wars Saga
- Toy Line: Star Wars SAGA
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, elbows, legs, and waist
- Accessories: Blue lightsaber
2011 The Vintage Collection
- Toy Line: The Vintage Collection
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Ball-jointed neck, shoulders, legs, knees, ankles, and elbows with swivel wrists and waist
- Accessories: Imperial blaster, commlink, and white rope with grappling hook
X-Wing Pilot Action Figures
The first iterations of Luke in his pilot gear make him almost unrecognizable, with bland facial features, unexplained dark hair, and black pinhole eyes. Each version of Luke in his pilot uniform has vastly different facial expressions, with 2009's Legacy Collection sporting a smile.
1978 Vintage Star Wars
- Toy Line: Vintage Star Wars
- Released By: Kenner
- Articulation: Swivel Neck, arms, and legs
- Accessories: Blaster
1995 Power of the Force 2
- Toy Line: Power of the Force 2
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, legs, and waist
- Accessories: Blue lightsaber and blaster pistol
2001 Power of the Jedi
- Toy Line: Power of the Jedi
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, legs, and waist
- Accessories: X-Wing pilot helmet and cable
2006 The Saga Collection
- Toy Line: The Saga Collection
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Ball-jointed head, shoulders, elbows, arms, waist, legs and ankles
- Accessories: Helmet, lightsaber hilt, blue lightsaber, and removable chest box
2011 The Vintage Collection
- Toy Line: The Vintage Collection
- Released By: Hasbro, Target Exclusive
- Articulation: Ball-jointed neck, shoulders, elbows, forearms, waist, legs, knees, and ankles
- Accessories: Blaster pistol, helmet, and Vader's lightsaber hilt
Bespin Fatigues Action Figures
The earliest iteration of Luke in his Bespin gear rendered him with an all-yellow lightsaber alongside a laser pistol. Similar to its predecessors, the first versions also portrayed Luke's hair as bright blond. The color of the fatigues themselves changed drastically across collections, starting as beige and transitioning between grays, a speckled granite coloring, and back to beige.
1980 Vintage Star Wars
- Toy Line: Vintage Star Wars
- Released By: Kenner
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, and legs
- Accessories: Yellow lightsaber and blaster
1998 Power of the Force 2
- Toy Line: Power of the Force 2
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Swivel neck, shoulders, right wrist, waist, and legs
- Accessories: Blue lightsaber and blaster
2004 Original Trilogy Collection
- Toy Line: Original Trilogy collection
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, elbows, wrists, waist, legs, and ball-jointed knees
- Accessories: Display stand, blue lightsaber, blaster, tourniquet, and removable hand
2007 The Saga Collection
- Toy Line: The Saga Collection
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Ball-jointed neck, shoulders, elbows, waist, legs, knees, ankles, and swivel wrists
- Accessories: Blue lightsaber, blaster
2010 The Vintage Collection
- Toy Line: The Vintage Collection
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Ball-jointed neck, shoulders, elbows, waist, legs, knees, ankles, and swivel wrists
- Accessories: Blue lightsaber, lightsaber hilt, blaster, and belt with holster
Jedi Knight Action Figures
The first release of Luke in his Jedi Knight garb shared the same basic facial features as previous introductory models. The lightsaber was the correct color this time and as Luke evolved, so did his cloak. The Power of the Force used a rubber cloak with later versions using black cloth and the latest version using a brown cloak with sleeves.
1983 Vintage Star Wars
- Toy Line: Vintage Star Wars
- Released By: Kenner
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, and legs
- Accessories: Green lightsaber, blaster, and Jedi robe
1996 Power of the Force 2
- Toy Line: Power of the Force 2
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, waist, and legs
- Accessories: Green lightsaber and black cloak
2003 Star Wars Saga
- Toy Line: Star Wars SAGA
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, elbows, and legs
- Accessories: Green lightsaber with removable blade and 3-piece stand
2004 Original Trilogy Collection
- Toy Line: Original Trilogy Collection
- Released By: Kenner
- Articulation: Swivel neck, arms, elbows, wrists, waist, legs, knees, and ankles
- Accessories: Green lightsaber, display stand, skiff guard blaster, and Jedi robe
2010 The Vintage Collection
- Toy Line: The Vintage Collection
- Released By: Hasbro
- Articulation: All-jointed neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, legs, knees, ankles, and swivel waist
- Accessories: Green lightsaber, binders, and lightsaber hilt
Sources: http://jedibusiness.com, wookieepedia.com
Did you collect any of these Luke Skywalker figures? Which one was your favorite? Check out some of these Star Wars gifts, figures, and many more, as you gear up for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens! May the Force be with you!
Design Credit: Travis Green
