Action Figures From the 70s Through the 90s
Kenner released three Star Wars “Three Pack” sets in 1978. This is the Villain set which includes a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader and a Death Squad Commander. It has the long play logo and white price sticker area at the top right corner that the original 12-back cards also have. The card back shows all three trio sets from Kenner. They include the Villain set, Hero set, and Android set. These …
After the success of Star Wars in 1977 came a movie two years later that would scare movie goers to no end. It was the 1979 release of Alien starring Sigourney Weaver and directed by Ridley Scott. Alien was a blend of horror and sci-fi and with a R rating was a step up from the PG rated Star Wars. Leveraging the success of the movie Kenner came out with …
In 1974 a new idea blossomed in the action figure arena. From the imaginative mind of a Kenner employee a new type of figure, Stretch Armstrong, was born. He was no ordinary action figure. He was filled with corn syrup and his arms and legs could stretch to almost four times their original size. Children of the world responded with such enthusiasm that Stretch Armstrong eventually became a toy icon. …
Kenner toy company had scored big time when they won the rights to produce Star Wars related toys. Unfortunately, at the time, they didn’t realize it. It wasn’t until after the contract was signed and the movie came out that everyone realized how big a hit Star Wars going to be. Kenner may not have even planned to create an action figure line based upon the movie but once it …
The “Stretch” series of action figures from Kenner includes what is now one of the rarest toys around. It is the Stretch Serpent. Not too many were made and far far less have survived over the years, making them extremely rare and difficult for collectors to find. The Stretch Serpent goes by more than one name and is regarded as one of the most collectable of the Stretch action toys …
Every hero needs an enemy and the Stretch Armstrong action figure had “Stretch X-Ray” for his arch-enemy. The evil X-Ray was designed as a “see through” (as in transparent) nemesis to the good guy Armstrong. He could be stretched to lengths of four feet and still snap back to his original size. Stretch X-Ray was to Stretch Armstrong what Lex Luthor was to Superman. He was ugly, and his guts …
This 1985 Kenner Star Wars Yak Face action figure was never available at the retail level in the U.S. Production started just before Kenner discontinued the Star Wars line. Some say that Kenner destroyed their overstock while others maintain that left over figures were sent to outlets in Europe and Canada. Some years later collectors realized the rarity of the Yak Face figure and started scooping them up. That sparked …
You don’t see this action figure come up for auction too often but when it does it brings big dollars! Star Wars action figure aficionados will recognize this figure as Kenner’s 1978 Luke Skywalker. Not just any Luke Skywalker but a 12 Back A double telescoping lightsaber Luke Skywalker. It sold in March of 2012 for a cool $13,000! It is unpunched and AFA graded at 90 or NM/MT. A …
