Any May 3, 1999/April 23, 2002 days?

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Do any of you Vintage-era collectors remember anything similar to the Midnight Madness sales for E1 and E2 merchandise for the Kenner products? Now I know there never was such a thing, but individually, did any of you have massive purchases of SW stuff? Where you could just pick and choose (maybe even get ALL that was there! ) whatever you wanted, and then gorge on all the plastic glory at home? Alas, I do not; only Christmas or birthday times where I'd get maybe 3 figures and a ship.

[JediBoulton]

Just for memories sake -- I remember seeing the toys for the first time. The movie came out in May and my B-day is in August. I so bad wanted all those figures (all 12 I guess -- haha). I pleaded with my mom and she said -- "nope -- too close to your B-day"

Few months later I got up B-day morning and ran to parents room. I wanted PRESENTS !! -- Mom handed me a "luke skywalker" figure and said that there were six more hidden in the house -- go find them. For 30 mins. I went through the house looking up and down; I found R2-D2, C-3P0, Vader, Stormtrooper, and Han solo (small head). Mom said that I was missing one..I kept looking and looking. She forgot which one she had gotten me. Finally a few hours later -- I found my Chewy. We went out to eat that night at the local Dairy Queen and when I came back, my grandparents had taped a Princess leia to our back door.

This was a sure sign that I would become a "STARWARS" NUTT!!!

Thanks for the walk down memory lane...

[S3PO]

I remember going to Lionel Play World and the ESB figures were out before the movie was in theaters. My father let me get two so I got Bespin Luke and Leia but I had to wait for my b-day to get Han Hoth, Lando, Bespin Guard, Rebel Soldier and Snowtrooper.

[Taichi]

Well, I was young when Jedi came out (3)....

so, I was pretty much picking up the leftovers when I was a kid....

add to that, fleamarkets, garage sales, and other wonderful things, and I had amassed a large collection of loose, incomplete figures (I have about 1/3 of the Vintage figure collection)....

I'm happy with my collection, despite the fact that most figures are dogeared, played with, dirty, and spotted due to age.....

I still love my vintage figures, and wouldn't get rid of ANY ONE of them.......even for perfect condition carded versions of the same ones.......

[LusiferSam]

I remember for ROTJ my local toy store had a lot wall of mostly Star Wars figures. Lots of playsets and vehicles too. Had I had the money (and had mom let me) I could have most every one thing. Oh they also had a bunch of "Force" lightsabers me and a friend like to play with. Those were the days.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I remember a kinda Midnight Madness instance. My local Thrify Drugs (now a RiteAid) had several POTF figures there, and my mom had driven a few of my friends and I there for ice cream. She allowed me to get just one, and I chose General Lando. I begged to get the rest, but I think she didn't want to buy a bunch of toys for only me in front of my friends. When I went back, only an opened Barada was left.

[skyywalkerr]

Jedi Boulton...was this for Empire? I thought the figs didnt make an appearance till the early spring of 1978 with the early bird kit. Was it maybe for Empire?

[bigbarada]

The Early Bird Kit certificates showed up in Christmas 1977, and the first figures didn't hit stores until Spring 1978 at the earliest. Movies were considered merchandising poison in those days, it was the success of Star Wars that changed all that, even though it took almost a full year after the movie's release for the first figures to show up.

[mark2d2]

They're right about no toys until 1978.

Strangely, I also don't remember this lapse. I remember seeing the movie. And I vividly remember getting the my first two figs ----- Leia and Artoo.
I think part of the confusion was that the movie played forever nearly everywhere. In some places ANH ran for well over a year in the theatres!

My biggest coup was the day I came home and found Chewbacca, C3-P0, and Obiwan Kenobi laid out on my bed which totally completed my collection. (Mom had been to Target!) I couldn't believe I actually had all twelve figures . . .

[JEDI_REDEEMER]

WOW What memories...Christmas 1978 brought me The Tie Fighter, 12" Stormtrooper, Death Star Playset, and the landspeeder...At that time I was 3 years old and didnt realize therewere Action Figures too until my Mom told me there was something hidden in the tree...and sure enough there were all 12 figures MOC stuck in the tree... I still have polaroid Photos of that day my fav is the one where Im pulling out the figures and you can see vader, chewie and luke all nice and MOC....good thing I still have all those toys Star Wars had me hooked from that day till now...and forever.