1977 “Star Wars Toys For Christmas”

Last month I posted a newspaper article from 1977 that was all about Kenner’s Star Wars “Early Bird Kit.” I was thinking about it again, and something told me there just had to be more info on the “Early Bird Kit” hiding in the Google newspaper archives.

Yep. From November 24, 1977, and The Evening Independent newspaper comes this uncredited article on the year’s Star Wars toys and Christmas. That photo showing the Escape from Death Star boardgame is the icing on a fantastic piece of Star Wars history.

“According to Kenner, which is a division of the General Mills Fun Group Inc., it takes almost a full year to bring a toy from design and engineering stages to the production line. The company, however, has already begun to distribute a Star Wars Escape from Death Star board game; four puzzles; a Star Wars Dip Dots painting set and a Star Wars poster set.”

You’ll notice that the only Star Wars “toys” Kenner had prepared by the time of this article were all paper-based items. That’s because the printing of paper goods happened in the U.S. and because these didn’t require special steel tooling. Every item listed (in the above quote) was quick and easy for the company to produce.

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