One thing I always look for from modern toy companies are items that are just good products. These require a combination of the right price, the right volume and the right innovation. Often, these toys aren't something I even collect or have any interest in. But, you can still see the appeal and understand that something is well done, even if it's not for you. The 3.75" Ghostbusters o-rings are an example. Maybe not my cup of tea. But, they are a great product. The most recent one, though, is the 6 figure Star Wars Retro Pack that is a Target exclusive. This release is a perfect product. The figures average out to $10 each. There are 5 figures in the set that everyone has always wanted in vintage Star Wars format. And, there are lots of new parts in the set that really add to the vintage aesthetic. It's the type of thing that really should be a big hit among collectors and casual buyers alike.
This background lead to the latest Retro product, a 6 figure pack of "Star Wars" figures from the first movie. The difference, though, is that this set included 5 brand new figures with just a single remake. It is that remake, though, that drives the focus of this profile. Walrus Man actually holds quite a few memories for me. From the original that my Grandmother bought my brother to the anticipation of a real "Ponda Baba" in the mid 1990's, to a super articulated version only sold at Wal Mart in the aftermath of "Rogue One", Walrus Man sparks the nostalgia like few other figures.
In the spring of 1978, my dad took me to the local Children's Palace. My youngest brother had just been born and was in the hospital with medical issues. Relatives came to take care of my younger brother and I. And, I'd see my parents for maybe a couple of hours per week. My dad was home on a Saturday, though, and wanted to get me a treat. We wandered the toy store, looking for something I would enjoy. Among the multitude of toys, one thing really stood out: a golden robot action figure. My dad bought it for me and C-3PO became the first Star Wars figure to enter my life. I hadn't see the Star Wars movie. But, there was something magical about this toy that just spoke to me. At some point thereafter, my dad took me to see Star Wars. And, I was hooked. On Christmas day of 1978, I had 11 of original 12 figures. My grandmother decided I needed the final figure: Obi-Wan Kenobi. We went out shopping on the day after Christmas. But, we couldn't find a Kenobi anywhere. Every department store in the mall stocked Star Wars figures that year. So, we hit several stores with no luck. My grandmother and mother, though, split from the rest of us to shop for themselves. At one of the department stores, my grandmother found a single Kenobi, at the back of a peg. My dad, grandfather and brothers had actually been to that same store and didn't find a Kenobi. But, that was because my grandmother had just been there and bought the final figure I needed for my early run.
At some point in the first half of 1979, I learned there were new Star Wars figures available. My mother took me to a small, independent toy store that was near our house. They had just two, new figures. They were on a spinning rack on the check out counter. The figures were the Death Star Droid, given to my younger brother, and Hammerhead, who was the figure I chose. Hammerhead exploded the Star Wars world even more. With him, there was a new world of aliens to battle against Han, Luke and Chewie. They could even fight against Darth Vader and the rest of the bad guys. On top of that, these new figures introduced bright, new colors to the toys. Not only were the weird creatures exciting, they used eye-popping colors to drive home their appeal.
Shortly before the end of my spring pre-school, my friend named Walker brought in a plastic bag full of his Star Wars figures. Among them were all the newly released aliens. He also had a Luke in X-Wing pilot gear. (The timeline is murky, but I remember seeing the Luke X-Wing pilot at the front of a display box that was on sale at a toy store at the Glendale mall. It might have been before or after Walker brought his loose one to school.) And, weirdly, a giant, blue Snaggletooth figure that was different from the small, red one I had seen on the cardback of my Hammerhead. I could not comprehend how cool all these items were. I never saw Walker again as we went to different schools for kindergarten. But, I still remember him due to the association with those amazing Star Wars figures.
As we moved into summer, I went to spend a couple of weeks with my grandparents. Naturally, my grandmother spoiled me rotten. And, we spent time every day going to various stores where she would fill out my Star Wars collection. She bought me many figures during this time. I don't recall which ones, specifically, she bought for me. But, one day, she did feel that we should get something for my younger brother so he wasn't jealous when I went home with so many new toys. The figure we chose was Walrus Man. I don't know why I chose this figure for him. And, I'm sure I got a new figure that day, too. I don't remember who it was, though. But, that Walrus Man called to me.
The real reason I remember all of this vividly is because of what was next. I was bugging my grandmother for the figure. She decided that it would be OK if we just slipped the figure out of the packaging for a little bit and then put him back to give to my brother. So, she took a butter knife and slit open the bubble so we could remove Walrus Man. I then got to play with him for a while. When done, we'd slide him back into his bubble: almost good as new. This subterfuge implanted the figure into my mind. When I went home and gave the figure to my brother, my mother was livid. She was mad that my grandparents had bought me so much stuff. But, was even madder that the one thing they got for my younger brother had been opened and played with. My mother and grandmother had a weird and sometimes strained relationship. Even as a little kid, I recognized this. Much of it stemmed from the unequal treatment I received in relation to my younger siblings. Now, my mother does the exact same thing with her grandchildren...favoring some in lieu of others.
After that, Walrus Man became just another figure in our collection. In time, we got duplicates. You'd often find him in the bathtub after someone was playing with him in the water. But, no other adventures stick out in my mind. As I outgrew Star Wars figures and focused on G.I. Joe toys, I actually became more of a fan of the Star Wars movie. One of my dad's friends had taped it off of HBO in the very early '80's. So, we could watch it whenever we wanted. I viewed it dozens and maybe even 100 times in the ensuing years. I memorized the dialogue from the repeat viewings. And, it became a comfort movie I'd watch whenever I had nothing else to do. From these showings, I drew a deep appreciation for the characters in the film who never got action figures. Sandtroopers, Rebel Troops, various cantina aliens and the doomed Rebel pilots all resonated with me and I wondered what it would have been like had those figures been released when I was a kid.
In 1995, Hasbro brought back the Star Wars line. I was in college. And, I could justify collecting toys that were really brought back to retail for nostalgic purposes. The early figures were the same characters that had been part of the vintage line. But, slowly, Hasbro began to fill out the missing pieces from the original films. While any Star Wars figures were kind of tough to find until the fall of 1996, I found myself a dedicated collector who spent many summer evenings traipsing through stores in a vain attempt to find a newly stocked case or a forgotten scalper stash under the shelves. As 1997 dawned, I spent more time looking up Star Wars information online. Usually, it was in newsgroups. But, you could find smatterings of info here and there. Through this, I learned there was a new Walrus Man figure coming that year. He was now under his "correct" name of Ponda Baba. And, in addition to his single carded figure, he'd also be in a boxed set with the first Dr. Evazan figure ever released.
I don't know why the idea of a new Walrus Man appealed to me, so. But, he did. And, once I heard he was out, I scoured stores until I found one. The loose figure stood in a prominent place on my desk for over a year. The Cantina Showdown set with Dr. Evazan, though, proved harder to find. I found it at a local Wal Mart in 1998. With it in hand, though, I finally had the pieces of the pivotal Cantina scene in my collection. The Evazan, though, wasn't a good figure. And, while it was awesome to finally own all the missing pieces of my childhood, there was still something missing from the toys as the action poses really limited the figures outside of a single pose.
Ponda Baba made one final appearance in my collection. While "Rogue One" was an amazing movie, it also lead to some pegwarming figures all over the country. At the time, super articulated figures were sold in smaller, black boxes than the 6" figures. They were tough to parse through. And, many stores would stash them on shelves around the toy aisle since they took up a lot of space and, frankly, weren't selling all that well. As I had been re-bitten by the Star Wars bug, I set out to find any original trilogy figures I could track down. In 2017, Wal Mart got an exclusive wave of figures that included a re-release of a Ponda Baba mold. But, my local store was knee deep in unsold figures from later films. Fortunately, I was able to order the figure online and have him shipped to my local store. I had to go to the back of the store to pick up the box with my figures inside. Again, though, there was something about this new Ponda Baba figure that spoke to something inside me. I have always had a soft spot for cantina figures. And, once again, I thought it useful to pick up new ones when they were available. I still have this Ponda Baba figure sitting in a case with a select few, other Star Wars figures. I have given most of my collection to my sons. But, this newer, more movie accurate Walrus Man remains among my small retained set of figures.
Back to the vintage figure, though, and this retro representation of him. Why does this figure have flipper feet? It's a wholly dumb and illogical leap to add these to the character design. But, it was also an ingenious bit of toy design on Kenner's part. They made Walrus Man an underwater monster. Suddenly, you didn't need a stupid, clear plastic octopus from the Fisher Price Adventure People line to fight divers. You had Walrus Man. And, he was way cooler than reality based toy. The flippers gave him that credibility and made him a good toy. And, in the end, Star Wars figures exploded not just due to the movie's popularity, but from the fact that they were amazing playthings. The bright colors made them appealing to kids who hadn't even seen the movie. This made them a ubiquitous part of any childhood experience for kids of the late '70's and early '80's.
For a hot minute, it looked like this Retro boxed set might end up as very expensive. The Target website sold out and it seemed that the sparse allotment sent to brick and mortar stores sold out almost immediately. Prices on the aftermarket more than doubled. But, then, more stock appeared on the website. And, after popping in and out of stock for about a week, the set became readily available. It's been nearly a month, now, and the set is available to ship tomorrow. So, that's quelled demand. Long term? Who knows? Hasbro has proven that they're willing to do a second production run to meet pent up demand. So, that bodes well should this set find good aftermarket life. Personally, I've found that if I open them up, they'll end up a hot collectible. And, if I keep them carded, they'll be worth less than retail. With these figures, though, I don't really care. The retail price was right and I've gotten my full money's worth of enjoyment out of them already. These figures scratch a collecting itch I've been ignoring for decades. And, while it's too late to really collect vintage Star Wars in earnest, sets like this allow me to have a few figures that I always wanted when I was a kid. So, I hope Hasbro continues to pop a couple of these out every year.
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