We start things off with the very first toys I can remember! I'm talking about Luke, Chewbacca, Leia and R2-D2! The first four figures issued by Kenner in the Star Wars Early Bird set from 1977.
Right now, Baby Yoda (AKA The Child from The Mandalorian) is the hot toy of 2019. But in the year I was born, it was anything Star Wars that was the hot property for kids to own. However, because nobody thought that Star Wars was going to be a hit, when Christmas of '77 rolled around, there weren't anything from a galaxy far, far away for kids to play with.
So Kenner and Sears got this great idea to offer an early bird special. With this, kids would get an empty box with a fill-in sheet promising to send the recipient of the first 4 figures sometime in early 1978. Never has anyone, except maybe cats, ever been so excited to get an empty cardboard box for the holidays!
True, I was only a month old in Christmas of 1977. But my dad had the forethought to go ahead and order a set for me at such a young age. Yes- by the time I was two, I already had the entire original run of Star Wars action figures plus a lot of the playsets and vehicles.
I am also quite sure that my dad play with all of my stuff before I was old enough to play with them, citing quality control or something else ridiculous that new dad's claim.
So as my Advent gift to you, I present you with the TV ad that ran prior to the 1977 holiday season for the early bird set.
Enjoy!
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