Here are all the relevant pages on this blog for Star Wars 12" dolls:
In the early 1990s Hasbro bought out the Kenner toy company and took over the production of Star Wars toys. Before long Hasbro began producing a new series of smaller action figures and shortly after, in 1996, they introduced their first four 12" Star Wars dolls. This was the first Star Wars 12 inch doll series to be produced by any manufacturer since the Kenner 12" series that was made from 1978 -1980.
You probably won't believe this but...
Something else that happened in the early 1990s is that I wrote a letter to Hasbro suggesting that they make 12 inch Star Wars dolls using the bodies from their new 12 inch G.I.Joe dolls, which had recently been introduced in 1991. Among the characters that I suggested for the series included Luke in his Bespin outfit and Lando Calrissian which had both been previously made as prototypes for the original Kenner 12 inch series but never produced. I also suggested Luke in his X-Wing outfit, Greedo, Admiral Ackbar, Tuskin Raider, Chewbacca with actual fur rather than sculpted fur, Darth Vader with a two-piece removable helmet, a Stormtrooper with the armor as separate pieces rather than sculpted, and the same for Boba Fett.
All of those characters were made in 1996 and 1997 within the first several series of the collection, with the exception of the removable helmet Darth Vader which came the following year in 1998. I had also suggested they make a Taun Taun for the 12 inch dolls that would be "slightly larger than a Barbie horse". The first accessory toy to be made for this series was the Taun Taun packaged with a 12 inch Han Solo doll. I also suggested that they make a Speeder Bike with the Scout Trooper, and this too was eventually made for the collection.
There were two vehicles that I suggested that unfortunately were not made, the first was a large sized X-Wing for the Luke 12 inch doll, with a space for the R2-D2 figure from this set to fit into as well. The other one was a Landspeeder vehicle. Both of these would have been epic!
A representative at Hasbro was kind enough to reply and thank me for my interest in their products. Of course, they likely received several letters from Star Wars fans asking for these types of toys as well, otherwise Hasbro wouldn't have made them. Still, I like to think that my letter played some role in getting this awesome collection of Star wars toys made. I'm quite happy that so many of those dolls became a reality and I now have them all in my collection.
But will the dolls actually sell???
In order to test if there was a market for a new series of 12 inch Star Wars dolls, Hasbro released a small set of only four dolls in 1996 that included Luke, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. This collection was very well received and soon Hasbro's 12 inch doll series became extremely popular. It was sold in countries all over the world and is responsible for creating the market for all other Star Wars dolls that followed from other companies... including those that are still being produced to this day.
For the first three years of the series, until 1998, the Kenner logo appeared on the boxes. When Hasbro introduced the "Episode 1" series in 1998 they stopped using the Kenner logo on boxes and switched to the Hasbro logo. The first few series of dolls in 1996 were made with head sculpts that were poorly done, with faces that often did not look like the actors (Luke, Han Solo) or heads that were too small for the figures (Darth Vader, Boba Fett), but this improved as the series expanded.
For the first three years of the series, until 1998, the Kenner logo appeared on the boxes. When Hasbro introduced the "Episode 1" series in 1998 they stopped using the Kenner logo on boxes and switched to the Hasbro logo. The first few series of dolls in 1996 were made with head sculpts that were poorly done, with faces that often did not look like the actors (Luke, Han Solo) or heads that were too small for the figures (Darth Vader, Boba Fett), but this improved as the series expanded.
Today there are more than 18 different Luke Skywalker dolls available in this series, with over 100 dolls in the collection! My own collection includes 40 of these Star Wars dolls, and there's still many more that I'd like to find. Frankly there are some dolls in this series that I'm not interested in owning, but it would be quite remarkable for someone to acquire this entire 12 inch collection! It would take quite a lot of dedication to do so, as well as a large space to display them all!
Star Wars, 12 inch dolls by Hasbro
1996
Series 1
"Collector Series" is the title of the collection on boxes which have the Kenner logo and a flap on front of box.
Luke Skywalker, Tatoonine outfit, this head sculpt does not look like Mark Hamill, costume is very well done
Han Solo, vest with navey blue pants, this head sculpt is poorly done, costume is okay but a different fabric would have been better for the shirt, which seems kind of cheaply made. (The fabric Hasbro made the shirt and pants for "Snake Eyes" from their 12" G.I.Joe doll series would have been perfect here.)
Obi-Wan Kenobi, with brown robe, this head sculpt is okay, this costume is perfect
Darth Vader, unfortunately the head for this doll is way too small for the body even though it's nicely sculpted, the costume is very well done
Obi-Wan Kenobi, with brown robe, this head sculpt is okay, this costume is perfect
Darth Vader, unfortunately the head for this doll is way too small for the body even though it's nicely sculpted, the costume is very well done
Here are the boxes with the front cover flaps open.
Chewbacca was shown on the back of boxes as part of the assortment but was not yet released. Boxes for Series 1 were made with English text (as shown above on the Darth Vader Box) or text in three languages (shown on all the other boxes).
The first two series of Hasbro Star Wars dolls used the exact same doll bodies as Hasbro's G.I.Joe doll series that was released in 1991. Shown here is Snake Eyes from Series 1 of the G.I.Joe collection made in 1991, next to Luke from Series 1 of the Star Wars collection made in 1996.
Series 2
Boxes are the same a series 1: "Collector Series", Kenner logo, flap on front of box
Luke Skywalker in Bespin Outfit (with jacket) For some bizarre reason Hasbro made this outfit with fabric that is moss green in colour rather than tan, as was seen on the front of the box. Otherwise the costume is very well done with a lot of detail. The same head sculpt as the Series 1 Luke doll was used but with light brown hair. Such a shame the costume was made in the wrong colour as it was otherwise very well made.
Lando Calrissian, the head sculpt on this one was poorly done, the costume is okay but could have been better if made with nicer fabric.
Tusken Raider with Gaderffii Stick, this doll was very well done, no complaints!
Tusken Raider without Gaderffii Stick, (not shown) the same doll was also packaged, purposefully, without a Gaderffii Stick just to drive collectors nuts! This one came with a blaster and binoculars (the same ones that series 1 Luke has) instead of the Gaderffii Stick. I suspect that this was likely done in order to have a fourth figure in this set to fill orders with, as a way to replace Chewbacca which was still not ready to be released.
Here are the boxes with the flap open. I assume these boxes were also available with only English text. Shown here are the boxes with text in three languages.
Chewbacca was once again shown on the back of boxes as part of the assortment but was not yet released, which also drove collectors nuts!
Here is a look at Series2 Luke. Hasbro did an awesome job on his Bespin outfit adding lots of details but unfortunately used the wrong colour of fabric. His outfit should be tan, as shown on the box, rather than the greenish fabric that was used. The head sculpt is the same one that was used for Series 1 Luke, but painted with a different colour of hair. This head does not look a thing like actor Mark Hamill, but it was used again for Series 3, Luke in X-Wing outfit, and for the special edition Luke in Stormtrooper Outfit (sold in a two-pack set with Han Solo in Stormtrooper Outfit) before being replaced with a new head sculpt for Series 6, Luke in Ceremonial outfit (shown further below in the yellow jacket).
Series 3
Boxes are the same a series 1: "Collector Series", Kenner logo, flap on front of box.
New, improved male doll bodies were introduced for this series that had jointed wrists, elbows and waist. Princess Leia was the first female doll in the series and has a jointed action figure style body rather than a Barbie doll style body.
Luke Skywalker in X-Wing Pilot Outfit, uses same head sculpt as Series 1 Luke but with lighter coloured plastic (bright, light pink face) and light brown hair
Princess Leia, in white robe from original movie, this was the first female doll in the series and uses a new multi jointed female doll body.
Boba Fett, (non-electronic), the costume on this doll was very well made with great detail, unfortunately the head is way too small!
Boba Fett, (non-electronic), the costume on this doll was very well made with great detail, unfortunately the head is way too small!
Stormtrooper, this doll is perfect with excellent articulation! It's one of my favourites from the collection! Unfortunately the plastic used for the head tends to discolour over time so that it is now no longer bright white to match with the rest of the outfit. However, it was originally the same colour.
Boxes with the front cover flaps open.
The still unreleased Chewbacca disappeared from the back of boxes for this third wave, which caused collectors to be quite confused!
The back of Series 3 packages also shows a photo of a space ship with the title "Collector Fleet" underneath it. I've never figured out what product this was advertising, and can only assume that the "Collector fleet" was a collection of smaller space ships. To this day I have absolutely no idea what this was about?
Here is a closer view of Princess Leia's face to show how uneven her hair buns are. They are made out of doll hair and glued into position so that they can't be removed. I've seen other copies of this Leia doll with the hair buns done much more evenly, but when I bought this at the store all of the Leia dolls they had on the shelf had uneven hair like this one.
Update Nov 2024: I bought a Leia doll with even hair buns! They're still not perfectly even but they're far better than the first doll I bought! I'm keeping this one in the box!
Here is a closer view of Boba Fett's jet pack. The rocket can be removed by hand, shown below.
The jet pack just clips on using the two slots in the jet pack.
The armor on Boba Fett's back has two clips that fit into the slots on the jet pack.
You can also see his braided Wookie scalps.
For Hasbro's third series of Star Wars dolls a new doll body was introduced that allowed more articulation. Joints were added at the elbows, wrists and waist. Shown above on the left is the first Luke doll from Series 1, made in 1996, on the right is an example of a Luke with the revised doll body. (The Luke on the right was made in 1998 but the body is the same as those from Series 3, made in late 1996. I just didn't want to take the costumes off of any of the series 3 dolls.) The Princess Leia doll in this third series also introduced a new female doll body.
Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper gear, two pack set (not shown)
This set was released at some point in 1996 as a KB Toys exclusive. This was also the first two pack set for the collection.
1997
Year two of the collection really exploded. It was difficult to keep tack of what was available and when, so from this point on I don't have all of the dolls in the collection listed. Also, the series number that I've put the characters under may not be accurate but the order that they are listed in is still more or less correct. The character assortment and year is taken directly from the boxes.
Series 4
This is the last assortment to use "Collector Series" as the title of the collection. Boxes still have the Kenner logo and a flap on front. It's also the only assortment released from 1996 to 1998 prior to the release of the Episode 1 dolls that didn't include Luke Skywalker (with the exception of the smaller sized Yoda/R2-D2/Jawa series)!
Series 4 pretty much exploded this Star Wars series wide open offering 12 new dolls to collect!
Chewbacca with fake fur (no chains), this doll was very well done! At last, after a year of waiting, the illusive Chewbacca was available for collectors! These days with websites like eBay it's easy to find this doll, unfortunately it was very hard to find in 1997 as it was short packed in shipping boxes. Shortly after this version of Chewbacca was released it was reissued as "Chewbacca with chains" and came with handcuffs on his wrists. That version was packaged in a box without a flap on the front. It also has a dark brown bag on Chewbacca's bandolier instead of a light brown one.
C-3PO, non-electronic, this large size action figure was perfectly done!
Admiral Ackbar, this doll was perfectly done!
TIE-Fighter Pilot, the head was very well done, as were the gloves, but the jumpsuit part of the costume could have been better (I find the legs look quite silly)
At-At Driver (not shown) this character wasn't shown on the back of the boxes. This doll uses the same head and gloves as the Tie Fighter Pilot but was made with different coloured plastic and detailing, as well as a different jumpsuit. I still need to find this one for my collection!!! This version of the At-At Driver came with a standard solid plastic gun. The same At-At doll was later reissued in a box without a flap as part of series 7 (listed below on this page), that version came with a gun that fires missiles.
Sandtrooper (orange shoulder armor), (not shown) This doll is the same as the Stormtrooper from series 3 but with the added shoulder armor. This character was not shown on the back of boxes. Later the same year in series 6 a Sandtrooper with white shoulder armor was released which has black paint speckles on the armor. A third version with black shoulder armor was sold with the Patrol Dewback creature.
Cantina Band Aliens (not shown)
These six dolls were released with series 4 in similar boxes with a flap on the front and series 4 assortment on the back, rather than showing the assortment of Cantina Band aliens that were available. The only difference in the boxes for each alien was the name of the alien on the front of the box. Each one is the same doll packaged with a different instrument. A seventh Cantina Band Alien was released separately with series 8. Who knew that the aliens each had different names before this set came out? I certainly didn't!
Tech
Nalan
Doikk Na'ts
Ickabel
Tedn
Figrin D'an (not to be confused with Barquin D'an, released the following year in series 8)
Boxes with the front cover flaps open. I put them all back into their boxes for this photos, so the figures are not in the exact position that they were originally packaged in.
The back of Chewbacca's box (above left) was designed the same as the back of the series 2 boxes with the series 2 characters on the back and dated 1996, even though it wasn't released until series 4. I suspect that the boxes for Chewbacca had already been printed in anticipation of releasing him with series two, but then when he wasn't ready for release the boxes were stored until now. The other series 4 boxes have the series 4 characters on the back and are dated 1997. The back of series 4 boxes list Yoda and R2-D2 as "coming soon".
Here's a closer look at Chewbacca's face which was made with actual fur.
A closer look at the 1st version of Chewbacca (without handcuffs). Note that the side bag is light brown while the reissued version of this doll "Chewbacca in chains" has a dark brown side bag.
I was so excited to finally get Chewbacca for this series but to be honest, I was a little bit disappointed when I opened it to find out that he is not a solid figure like the rest in this series. His body is essentially a stuffed toy with a skeleton made out of bendable wire with the fake fur fabric overtop, so he is actually a bendy figure rather than a jointed doll. Very anti-climatic. In any case, I still like how he looks. The folks at Hasbro who designed this doll did an amazing job making him entirely out of fur including his face. Not an easy thing to do for a mass-produced toy!
Series 5
First "Action Collection" assortment, Kenner logo, no flap on front of box, these were the first smaller sized boxes in the collection
Yoda, head was perfectly done, unfortunately the body does not have much movement and does not have separate movable legs.
Jawa, with light up eyes (this is controlled by pressing a button on the figure's back), a very well made figure.
Here is the Hasbro Yoda for the 12 inch series. He is 4.5 inches tall. I've shown it above next one of the 12 inch Luke dolls for size comparison. This is actually an action figure with a fabric jacket. The figure has a brown cloak molded as part of the body. Rather than separate legs, this figure is jointed to bend at the waist with the lower half of the body as one piece. Below is Yoda "sitting" to show how the figure has no legs. I was a bit disappointed that this wasn't an actual doll, but the head sculpt is so awesome it makes up for that.
Series 6
"Action Collection", Kenner logo, this is a transitional series as Hasbro changed to boxes without a flap on the front, therefore two characters in this series did not have a flap on the front of the box (Luke and Grand Moff Tarkin), and the other two characters (Greedo and Sandtrooper) came in both styles of boxes - one version with the flap, and one without. Shown below are the boxes without the flap.
Luke Skywalker, Ceremonial outfit with medal, new head sculpt, perfect doll, one of my favourites from this collection!
Greedo, this doll was perfectly made and is one of my favourites from this 12" series!
Grand Moff Tarkin, same doll as two pack set, this doll was very well made, the head sculpt is very well done, unfortunately Hasbro used the wrong colour fabric for his outfit, making it dark moss green instead of grey. They did the same thing with Bespin Luke's outfit, making it moss green instead of tan. Very bizarre!!!Grand Moff Tarkin and Death Star Gunner, two pack set (not shown)
Sandtrooper (white shoulder armor), (not shown) This doll is the same Stormtrooper from Series 3 but it has the added white shoulder armor piece and black paint speckles on the outfit. It's also the same shoulder armor piece that came with the series 4 Stormtrooper with orange shoulder armor, only this time it's white instead of orange. The photo on the back of the series 6 boxes shows the Sandtrooper with white shoulder armor. This doll was only available in a box without a flap on the front.
A Sandtrooper with a black shoulder piece and a black back pack was also packaged with the large size Patrol Dewback creature (not shown), which is also at the top of my "to find" list.
Sandtrooper (white shoulder armor), (not shown) This doll is the same Stormtrooper from Series 3 but it has the added white shoulder armor piece and black paint speckles on the outfit. It's also the same shoulder armor piece that came with the series 4 Stormtrooper with orange shoulder armor, only this time it's white instead of orange. The photo on the back of the series 6 boxes shows the Sandtrooper with white shoulder armor. This doll was only available in a box without a flap on the front.
A Sandtrooper with a black shoulder piece and a black back pack was also packaged with the large size Patrol Dewback creature (not shown), which is also at the top of my "to find" list.
Hasbro made Greedo early on in the collection and they did an awesome job on him. Below is a closer look at the head sculpt to show all the detail. Greedo has such long fingers that his laser gun is molded as part of his right hand. I also like his 70s style shiny jumpsuit and plush vest. Very retro! Hasbro did an awesome job on the Ceremonial Luke and Greedo dolls.
Series 7
"Action Collection", Kenner logo, with exception of the At-At Driver, boxes from this point on no longer have a flap on the front
Luke Skywalker in Hoth Gear, single box, (not shown) same doll as two pack set
Luke Skywalker in Hoth Gear with Wampa Beast, two pack set (not shown)
Han Solo in Hoth Gear, single box, (not shown) same doll as two pack set
Han Solo in Hoth Gear, single box, (not shown) same doll as two pack set
Han Solo in Hoth Gear with Taun Taun, two pack set
Snowtrooper, single box, with missile firing gun
At-At Driver (not shown) in a box with a flap on the front, released as part of series 4, non-firing gun
At-At Driver (not shown) in a box with a flap on the front, released as part of series 4, non-firing gun
At-At Driver (not shown) in a window box without flap, same doll as flap box, with missile firing gun
Luke, Han Solo, Snowtrooper, At-At Driver four pack set, (not shown) same dolls as above
Electronic Darth Vader with removable helmet and sound effects
Wedge Antilles and Biggs Darklighter two pack set (not shown)
The "Han Solo in Hoth Gear" doll from this series was also released with the Taun Taun, which came in a black box. At the same time, the "Luke in Hoth Gear" doll was released with the Wampa Beast in a two pack set, also in a black box. Much later in the series a "Luke in Hoth Gear" doll was also released with the Taun Taun, this set came in a blue box. I suspect that the Luke with the Taun Taun may have been a different version than the one from this series. The Tuan Taun itself was the same only the face and gear wear painted different colours, and the right horn has the tip made to look like it was broken off. The 4 Hoth themed dolls from Series 7 - Han Solo and Luke in Hoth Gear, Snowtrooper and At-At Driver - were also available in a 4 pack set.
Hasbro did an awesome job on these two dolls, adding lots of detail to the costumes and accessories. Han Solo was especially well made with awesome detail in the costume and accessories, but unfortunately uses the head sculpt from Series 1 that was poorly done.
The back of the Taun Taun box is quite sparse with only a snowy Hoth scene and some text. This large box would have been a good space to promote the various dolls in the collection, but no other dolls were mentioned.
Here is a back view of the Snowtrooper to show more of the detail in the outfit. Underneath the Snowtrooper's mask his face is just blank as shown below.
Electronic Darth Vader, 13.5 inch talking doll by Hasbro, 1998
Although he was released in 1998, the back of the box for this awesome Darth Vader doll features the assortment for series 7, the last set to be released in 1997, so technically this Darth Vader is part of series 7.
Left button:
Right button:
Here is a comparison of Hasbro's 13.5 inch Darth Vader with the 1st series 12 inch Darth Vader from 1996. All of the plastic parts for the costume of the 12 inch doll were re-sculpted in the larger size to suit the 13.5 inch doll, so there are no reused costume parts between these two dolls. The lightsaber for the 13.5 inch doll is also longer than the 12 inch doll and has an area on the handle that has been painted silver. This 13.5 inch Darth Vader with removable helmet was also released in a "Sith Lords" two pack set with a doll of Darth Maul that was "cut in half". I'm not certain if the Darth Vader in the two pack set also has the talking feature, or if that is unique to the above "Electronic Darth Vader" doll.
There are more Hasbro Star Wars dolls on the next page of this blog, showing the continuation of this awesome collection!
Hasbro did an awesome job on these two dolls, adding lots of detail to the costumes and accessories. Han Solo was especially well made with awesome detail in the costume and accessories, but unfortunately uses the head sculpt from Series 1 that was poorly done.
Here is a side view of the Han Solo and Taun Taun box.
The back of the Taun Taun box is quite sparse with only a snowy Hoth scene and some text. This large box would have been a good space to promote the various dolls in the collection, but no other dolls were mentioned.
This set with Han Solo in his Hoth outfit with a large Taun Taun figure to ride on is a very awesome addition to the Hasbro Star Wars 12" doll collection.
The "Han Solo in Hoth Gear" doll comes with quite a few accessories.
Here is a back view of the Snowtrooper to show more of the detail in the outfit. Underneath the Snowtrooper's mask his face is just blank as shown below.
1998
Series 7 continued
Electronic Darth Vader, 13.5 inch talking doll by Hasbro, 1998
Although he was released in 1998, the back of the box for this awesome Darth Vader doll features the assortment for series 7, the last set to be released in 1997, so technically this Darth Vader is part of series 7.
Here is my favourite Darth Vader doll ever made. This is the Electronic Darth Vader made in 1998 which is a talking doll with two buttons on the back for playing sounds. One button makes the lightsaber sound effects and the other plays dialogue from the film:
Left button:
1) You don't know the power of the Dark Side! (breathing)
2) Help me take this mask off. (breathing)
3) Let me look at you with my own eyes.
4) Now go my son.
Right button:
1) Lightsaber opens and hums
2) Lightsaber battle
3) Lightsaber closing
The interesting thing about how Hasbro made the Right button work is that to hear the 2nd and 3rd lightsaber sounds you need to press the button before the 1st sound finishes playing, which makes this a very cool interactive toy!
As if that wasn't awesome enough, Hasbro also made Darth Vader's helmet removable in two pieces to reveal Anakin Skywalker! The costume is also perfect with lots of detail. I especially like the sculpting of the gloves which are attached as the doll's hands, and can swivel to allow some different poses. Hasbro went all out on this one! Oddly enough the packaging was very simple and seemed to miss out on showing off how awesome this doll really was. The box was also too short for the doll so the legs were bent to fit it in the box (shown below).
As if that wasn't awesome enough, Hasbro also made Darth Vader's helmet removable in two pieces to reveal Anakin Skywalker! The costume is also perfect with lots of detail. I especially like the sculpting of the gloves which are attached as the doll's hands, and can swivel to allow some different poses. Hasbro went all out on this one! Oddly enough the packaging was very simple and seemed to miss out on showing off how awesome this doll really was. The box was also too short for the doll so the legs were bent to fit it in the box (shown below).
Here is a closer look at the removable mask. The helmet comes off separately from the mask.
It seems odd that a more impressive display box was not used for this awesome 13.5 inch doll, especially as it is well known that many collectors like to display their figures unopened in mint condition. As this 13.5 inch doll is a tad taller than the actual box, the Dark Lord of the Sith was packaged with his legs bent so that he would fit inside, which made him look quite scrunched up and not very imposing at all!
However, if ever there was a doll to leave unopened in the box, this would have been the one to do it with. Recently I noticed that the shiny fabric on the arms and legs of this doll has begun to break down, so that if it is touched the surface of the fabric cracks. That's a real bummer! If you have one of these mint in the box I would suggest you leave it there. Strange to think that this doll is now over 25 years old, seems like I just bought it yesterday!
The back of the box shows the final series of 12 inch dolls to be released in 1997 and is dated 1998. The side of the box says "Action Collection". The Kenner logo is still being used on the box in the bottom right corner, which will change later in the year for other dolls in this collection.
Wedge Antilles and Biggs Darklighter two pack set (not shown)
This box set shows an assortment of characters on the back of the box that includes the above Electronic Darth Vader and the four Hoth themed dolls from series 7, along with Grand Moff Tarkin, Sandtrooper with white shoulder armor, and the three smaller sized figures from series 5 (R2-D2, Yoda, and the Jawa). Of these, Darth Vader is the only one released in 1998 which suggests that this Wedge and Biggs box set was part of series 7 and released with or shortly after the Electronic Darth Vader.
Series 8
Hasbro did an amazing job on the Emperor. His costume is very detailed for just being a robe, and he has two layers. He also comes with his evil cane! Oooo! Scary!!!
Here is the first Hasbro Boba Fett doll from series 3 on the left next to the Electronic (talking) Boba Fett doll on the right from series 8. I found the Electronic Boba Fett second hand at a nostalgia store so I don't have the original box for him or his gun and jet pack. I assume the guns for the two dolls were the same. however the jet packs are different, as noted below. Both outfits are essentially made the same with the same plastic armor pieces and only a few variations....
Although released in 1998, the boxes for this set still features the "Fully Poseable" sticker on the front of the box which matches with the boxes from late 1997. The 1998 boxes released later in the year have a different design that no longer use those stickers, so it's safe to say that this is definitely series 8 and that it was released after the above Darth Vader doll, which has the series 7 assortment on the back of the box, rather than series 8.
Emperor Palpatine single box, shown above
Emperor Palpatine with Royal Guard, two pack set (not shown) The Royal Guard is the red guy that says nothing and we never actually get to see them fight anyone in the original movie, but that doesn't matter because they look really cool! LOL
Luke Skywalker in Jedi outfit, single boxed version, this doll uses a new head sculpt with lighter brown/blondish hair painted, (not shown) with a brown or dark brown vest (the colour variation of the vest seen in photos online may simply be a result of the flash photography being taken at different angles and distances from the doll), this one came packaged with a large bone from the scene with the Rancor Monster
Luke Skywalker in Jedi outfit with Bib Fortuna, two pack set, (not shown) same head sculpt as above but with darker brown hair painted, wearing either a brown vest or a grey vest (which again may be a result of the flash photos) and does not come with the bone. Bib Fortuna can be found packaged with or without his gloves painted on.
Luke Skywalker in Jedi outfit, (not shown) yet another version of this doll was made much later on in 2003 and sold in a blue window box. It has a very different head sculpt from the above Luke doll and a solid black outfit.
Chewbacca in chains, (not shown) this was a re-release of the Chewbacca doll from series 4, only it came with handcuffs and the side bag is dark brown instead of light brown.
Barquin D'an, (not shown) one of the cantina band aliens, can be found with either a brown vest or a black vest. Sold only in a window box. Several other cantina band aliens were previously released in boxes with a flap on the front, all wearing the same solid black outfits, so Barquin D'an stands out as being the only single release from the band in his own outfit and unique window box.
Princess Leia in Hoth outfit, (not shown) this character was not shown on the back of boxes
Electronic Boba Fett, sold in a larger sized window box with three of the characters from this assortment pictured on the back: Barquin D'an, Emperor and Chewbacca.
Curiously enough I never saw this particular set of dolls at the Toys R Us store where I had been buying all of the dolls up until this point. I saw Luke and Barquin D'an at a comic book store but had never seen the other two.
I found this Emperor doll in Nov 2024 at a consignment shop and was quite happy to finally add him to my collection. I know it's bad to do this with vintage mint in package toys, but I couldn't help myself, I had to open the box and free him from the packaging so that he could join the rest of the gang on my shelf. Even though I open them all, I keep all of the boxes! I'm also particular about always opening the boxes from the bottom and keeping all the wire fasteners and any other pieces that were used in the packaging.
I'm weird enough and way too curious so I had to look up the Emperor's skirt! LOL His body was made with black plastic and he came with the standard Star Wars boots which everyone in the universe seems to wear regardless if they are a good-guy or a bad-guy!
Here is the first Hasbro Boba Fett doll from series 3 on the left next to the Electronic (talking) Boba Fett doll on the right from series 8. I found the Electronic Boba Fett second hand at a nostalgia store so I don't have the original box for him or his gun and jet pack. I assume the guns for the two dolls were the same. however the jet packs are different, as noted below. Both outfits are essentially made the same with the same plastic armor pieces and only a few variations....
To my knowledge there are seven differences between the two dolls:
1) The Electronic Boba Fett has a larger head, while the series 3 version has a much smaller head that is actually too small for a 12 inch figure.
2) The cloth outfit for the Electronic Boba Fett is a light blueish-grey colour, while the series 3 version has a cloth outfit that is a much lighter grey colour.
3) The Electronic Boba Fett has three Wookie scalp braids while the series 3 Boba Fett only has two, as shown below.
4) The fabric pockets on the upper leg of the Electronic Boba Fett are longer than the series 3 Boba Fett.
5) The boots for the Electronic Boba Fett are marked 1998 with the copyright info while the series 3 Boba Fett's boots are not marked.
6) The Electronic Boba Fett comes with a jet pack that has a button on it which I assume will launch the rocket out, while the series 3 Boba Fett doesn't have a button, though the rocket is still removable by hand (there is no spring inside the series 3 jetpack).
7) The Electronic Boba Fett has a button on it's left side under the arm that can be pressed to activate four different audio tracks: 1) He's no good to me dead 2) What if he doesn't survive 3) Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold 4) Sound effects of a laser gun firing
Last updated Nov 29, 2024
Text & Photos © Mike Artelle 2010, 2024
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