When I was young the big toys that every boy wanted were the Star Wars toys.
They came in various price ranges. The models of characters were at the cheaper end of the range and EVERYONE wanted to get the popular characters. I knew quite a few people who had C3POs, Chewbaccas and Ewoks. Someone I know used to have an amazingly detailed Yoda glove puppet. They must have made millions of toys worldwide.
Next in the price ladder were vehicles. The cheapest was probably the speeder bike, a jet bike used to chase Storm Troopers through the Endorian forest in Return of the Jedi.
Next up was probably the X-Wing, a space ship with 4 wings at the back which formed a cross, then the Scout Walker, a two-legged walking machine, then the immense At-At…
Finally, the pinnacle of every boys Star Wars based dreams, the Millennium Falcon.
This was a huge spaceship with a lift-up top. Inside the Millennium Falcon you could see all the bridge. It had seats, it had buttons, and it was the size of a small child. I have no idea how much it cost, but it must have been incredibly expensive because throughout my entire childhood I only ever got to play with one. Can’t for the life of me remember who owned it, but I was amazed when I saw it.
At school in 1988, my English teacher put a plea out to us that if we had any Star Wars toys that we no longer played with, could be bring them in for him. At the time, being 14, we all thought he was just weird wanting old toys, but in retrospect people who gave him their old toys probably made him quite a lot of money years later.
High five to you, Mr. Ashby, for making money out of your pupils!
Photos supplied by Entertainment world. All toys and gifts can be found on their website: Entertainment World
