Star Wars: Droids (toy line)
- "Journey to the all-new world of adventure with the Star Wars: Droids."
- ―Kenner toy commercial
The Star Wars: Droids 1985 Kenner toy line complemented the Star Wars: Droids animated television series, which aired on ABC from 1985 to 1986. Kenner's Droids line featured twelve characters and three vehicles from the animated series before the show's cancellation.
Development
Kenner created its Star Wars: Droids toy line to coincide with the Star Wars: Droids animated television series, which began airing on ABC in 1985. The cartoon focused on the early adventures of the droid duo C-3PO and R2-D2 prior to the events of the Star Wars original trilogy.[1]
The Droids line released twelve action figures and three vehicles featured in the animated series. The 1986 Kenner catalog previewed nine additional figures for the toy line's second series, but they were never released[1] before the cartoon was canceled.[4] The toys were sold at the same time as the Ewoks toy line based on that animated series, and The Power of the Force line continuing Kenner's film-based toys.
Reception
Kenner's Droids line did not sell as well as its Star Wars: Ewoks line, another 1985 toy collection based on an accompanying animated series.[1]
Legacy
One of the prototype figures originally planned for Kenner's unreleased second series of the Droids line was the character Vlix.[1] Although American collectors had been aware of the prototype figures for years, fans learned in the early 1990s that the Vlix character had actually been produced and released in Brazil by the Glasslite company. The fan site The Star Wars Collectors Archive declares that this Vlix figure is the rarest of all Star Wars figures to be commercially released and speculates that probably less than a dozen currently exist in American collections.[5]
Appearances
| Characters | Creatures | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
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Droid models
Locations
|
Organizations and titles
|
Sentient species
|
Vehicles and vessels
|
Weapons and technology
Sources
"Scouting the Galaxy: Droids, Ewoks and the Mysterious Vlix (And the Truth about 4-LOM and Zuckuss!)" – Star Wars Insider 27
"Galactic Bazaar: Stamp It First Class, To Coin A Phrase" – Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 8- "Galactic Bazaar: Collectors' Comlink" – Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 8
- "Galactic Bazaar: Super Sleuths" – Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 10
"The Man Who Shot Luke Skywalker" – Star Wars Galaxy Collector 1- "Star Wars Stuff: Rescued from the Trash Heap of History" – Star Wars Galaxy Collector 2
- "Around the Galaxy" – Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "An Elegant Toy" – Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
- "Market Wars: What's Hot and What's Not in the World of Star Wars Collecting" – Star Wars Galaxy Collector 8
Auctioning off the Galaxy... For a Great Cause! on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)- Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection
- "Boba's Bounty" – Star Wars Insider Special Edition 2014
- "Blaster" – Star Wars Insider 159
The Vintage Vault: Exploring Kenner's Droids and Ewoks Toys on StarWars.com (backup link not verified!)
We Unearth Super Rare Star Wars Toys, Talk with John DiMaggio and Danny Jacobs, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
Notes and references
External links
- The Original Collection 1977-1985 by Kenner Vintage Star Wars Photo Archive at Rebelscum.com
- Jedi Temple Archives Vintage Visual Guide
