The original Star Wars trilogy remains one of the greatest film franchises of all time. The epic space opera from George Lucas is a classic tale of good versus evil featuring heroes and villains battling for control of the universe. All three films were box office hits but nobody was quite sure how the films would perform during production. 20th Century Fox wasn't confident Star Wars: A New Hope would be the hit it turned out to be so they negotiated a deal with Lucas they thought would be more beneficial to them. Instead of paying Lucas a large sum for his directorial work the 33-year-old signed a contract for less money but a majority stake in any merchandise sold. Lucas worked out a deal with toy company Kenner Products to sort the merchandise for Star Wars as he readied the film's release.
A New Hope hit cinemas worldwide in 1977 and quickly became one of the biggest flicks of the 70s. The film went on to gross over $775 million, won six Academy Awards, and made stars out of Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher. Not only did it do well in cinemas but merchandise for the film flew off the shelves. Kids couldn't get enough of the action figures and vehicles they had seen in the movie. Demand was so high that not long after the films initial release there was a shortage of toys, with Kenner having to double production to make sure they had enough toys available by Christmas.
Since A New Hope, every Star Wars film has spawned a new wave of toys inspired by the films, with the latest film, Solo, having its own collection of toys. While Star Wars toys continue to sell well it's worth remembering many of the toys from the original trilogy weren't that great. From the eye patch wearing Prune Face figure to Lando Calrissian's mustache disguise, there have been some awful Star Wars toys over the years, with this article looking at 20 of the worst original trilogy toys released (along with 10 of the very best).
30 Worst: Oh No Solo
As a fan favorite, during the release of the original trilogy, it's safe to say his figures sold well and were always in high demand, besides from the trench coat wearing Solo seen above. Released as part of the 1983 vintage collection this figure of Solo hit the shelves shortly after Return Of The Jedi made its way into cinemas.
Not only does it look strange on the figure but Solo's face looks nothing like Ford's, with his large nose, beady eyes, and horrible hair making this action figure hard to look at. Although it's not a well-designed figure this Star Wars toy is highly sought after by collectors, with versions of this figure still in their original cardboard box selling for over $250 on eBay. Guess that proves you can't buy taste.
29 Worst: Hot Wheels
For some reason, the brains behind the development of Star Wars toys decided it would be a great idea to create a range of Hot Wheels inspired by the Star Wars universe. This crossover followed hot on the heels (pun intended) of the Hot Wheels/Transformers collaboration that was widely derided by fans. These die-cast models of Star Wars characters as toy cars are so awful they have to be seen to be believed. Chewbacca has been turned into a four-wheel truck with a furry cab, Darth Vader looks like the Batmobile, while a Stormtrooper helmet has been compacted to look like some sort of sports car.
28 Best: Feel The Force
These models are usually not cheap and range anywhere between a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand. For those of you wanting something a little less expensive, there are many different options out there for the kid in you. One of the best variants of the lightsaber hit stores in 1996 when George Lucas decided to re-release the Star Wars films with added special effects and new scenes for an entirely new generation of fans. The Power of the Force Lightsabers came in green for Luke Skywalker and red and Darth Vader and laid the foundation for all lightsaber designs going forward. The blade of the lightsaber lit up, it contained cool sound effects, and had a retractable blade, making these lightsabers the ultimate playable Star Wars weapon.
27 Worst: Wrinkly Faced Baddie
The fantastic thing about Star Wars merchandise is George Lucas made sure fans could purchase just about every single character and vehicle seen in the films. Understanding how fanatic fans can get and their love of collecting every toy released, Lucas went to great lengths to ensure almost every character seen in the film - even ones with no speaking parts or who appear only briefly - would have their own action figure. This is the case for the unnamed Weequay who is employed by Jabba The Hutt as a guard and seen on the skiff during the Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon in Return Of The Jedi. The wrinkly faced humanoid looks quite similar to the character in the film, sporting his trademark ponytail.
26 Worst: Don't Shoot!
With so many Star Wars figures released it made sense Kenner would create a carry case for fans and children to keep their action figures safe and sound. What nobody expected was the case to come in the shape of a blaster rifle. It was supposed to be based on a laser rifle used by the Rebel Alliance and the Empire during Return Of The Jedi and came with a telescopic sight that didn't actually work. The carry case could hold up to 19 Star Wars action figures and also had a number of secret compartments to store accessories. The Laser Rife Carry Case ended up being a disaster for Kenner, as not only did it hold fewer figures than many of the other action figure Star Wars carry cases on the market but it had a bulky appearance that made it hard to store. The carry case also received backlash from people who thought a weapon wasn't a suitable piece of merchandise to carry other toys in, despite the fact you could buy an actual toy blaster. Because of these reasons, only a small number of the Laser Rifle Carry Cases were released, with the carry case becoming a highly sort after collector's item over the years.
25 Best: Looking Good Solo
When Kenner first started making Star Wars toys they created a wide range of 3.5-inch scale models that quickly sold out. Knowing toy fans had a thirst for anything Star Wars related Kenner set about creating a limited edition set of figures measuring between 12-13 inches. These larger figures were released between 1978 and 1980 and featured 12 different characters from A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.
Decked out in Solo's swashbuckling attire the figure also comes with the medal around Solo's neck he was presented with at the end of A New Hope and a blaster rifle. Although not the most accurate representation of Solo as a figurine, this toy does capture the essence of the character and is one of the better representations of Harrison Ford's iconic character.
24 Worst: Open Rescue
Most toys on this list are badly designed or created but when it comes to the Tauntaun with the open belly rescue feature it's just plain weird. George Lucas and Kenner obviously thought different with the Tauntaun with Open Belly Rescue feature being released soon after the film hit the big screen. The toy allows you to put a figure inside the Tauntaun so you can recreate the scene from the film. It's slightly disconcerting knowing small children were able to open up the insides of the toy, and one can only imagine those with a wild imagination may have wanted to replicate this on other toys or living objects. If there's any positive about this toy it would be the fact there's no way it could have smelled as bad as the inside of an actual Tauntaun.
23 Worst: These Are Not The Slippers You're Looking For
Ok, so this one isn't technically a toy but it certainly deserves to be on this list of the worst Star Wars merchandise inspired by the original trilogy. Someone in their infinite wisdom thought it was a good idea to create slippers based upon Star Wars characters. The Yoda slippers as shown in the picture above are a hideous looking creation featuring Yoda's massive head on the tip of the slipper. The head resembles a Muppet Character and contains creepy eyes and tuffs of white hair. Why anyone would want to wear these is beyond me but they must have been a success as there are a number of other characters you can wear on your feet.
22 Best: Han Shot First
While I've praised the lightsaber as the best Star Wars weapon I have to admit to also liking the replica toy of Han Solo's blaster pistol. Created by Kenner in the 80s this toy was a mirror image of the gun Solo used throughout the original trilogy, particularly notable as the blaster he used against Greedo in the Mos Eisley Cantina during A New Hope.
The blaster comes in black and features a view-finder lens and emitted a variety of different blaster sound effects when you pulled the trigger.
As Han Solo was a favorite amongst young fans when the films were released it's not hard to believe this toy sold extremely well, with kids pretending to be Solo. This toy weapon was remade in 2016 by Nerf and turned into something that looks nothing like the original, much to fans and collectors disappointment.
21 Worst: Prune Face
Here is another contender for worst Star Wars action figure ever made. Orrimaarko, or Prune Face, as he was originally called, is another minor character from the Star Wars films who managed to get his own toy. The one-eyed, eye patch wearing Dressellian appears in Return Of The Jedi, attending a meeting on board the MC80 star cruiser Home One to help plan the attack on Endor. His one eye is also quite off-putting and makes him look like some kind of bizarre lizard creature.
20 Worst: Potato Yoda
If you thought the Hot Wheels/Star Wars crossover was no good then wait until you get a look at the Playskool Friends collection of Mr. Potato Head-themed toys. For some unknown reason the merchandising team thought combining the two would be another surefire money maker but instead, they ended up with a bunch of strange looking toys nobody wants sitting on their bedroom shelf. Why people would want one of these is beyond me but considering they are still in production there must be a market out there for these weird toys.
19 Best: The Empire Strikes Back Six Pack
During the 80s Kenner released a variety of Star Wars figurine collections including different characters from the films on one set. Of all the collections released the most sought after is the Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back 6 Pack. As the name implies, the box includes six figures mainly from the Imperial side. You got Darth Vader, a Stormtrooper dressed like those seen during the battle of Hoth, an AT-AT driver, Rebel Soldier, assassin droid IG-88, and Yoda. Each figure comes with an accessory, with Darth Vader holding a lightsaber, Yoda coming with a snake around his neck, and the other figures all being equipped with various weapons.
18 Worst: That's A Fair Price
Wioslea is a female Vuvrian who makes her one and only appearance in A New Hope when she purchases Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder. Unlike some of the figures on this list, Wioslea actually has a few lines in the film, although I'm not sure that qualifies her for an action figure. Dressed similar to that of a Jedi, Wioslea is one disgusting looking creature, with multiple eyes located around her head and two large tentacles coming off the top of her skull. The toy is very basic looking and slightly out of proportion, with Wioslea's giant head and clawed feet looking strange on the small humanoid body.
17 Worst: Early Bird Gets The Figure
Nobody was prepared for the success of Star Wars: A New Hope when it hit screens across the world, particularly toy company Kenner. They believed the film would be mildly successful and be a nice little earner without having to put too much effort into creating toys for the film. As we now know A New Hope was a smash hit and this, in turn, meant fans wanted to buy the toys associated with the film. Within months Kenner had sold out of all their Star Wars merchandise and devised a clever way to keep fans happy.
Kenner created The Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package. It was essentially an empty box emblazoned with various Star Wars characters people could buy and then redeem for the figures when the new allotment was ready to sell. It's quite a genius idea and one that surprisingly worked, with the empty boxes selling out in record time. The downside was kids had to wait months before they actually got their toys and if you lost the packaging and receipt you had no way of claiming your toys.
16 Best: Dagobah Action Playset
After the success of the figures released to tie in with A New Hope, Kenner upped their game with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. Not content with just creating action figures Kenner released a load of different vehicles along with a number of playsets. My favorite playset was the one set on the planet Dagobah. A small replica of Yoda's home planet where Luke Skywalker went to train, the playset is full of awesome throwbacks to the film.
Although the set didn't come with all the figures, the fact you could levitate characters was a massive selling point, as no other Star Wars toy had included this type of movement.
15 Worst: Try Not, Do
For some reason, Yoda was turned into a variety of wacky toys and because of this features heavily on this list. One of the more interesting Star Wars toys to feature the green Jedi is the Yoda Magic 8-Ball. When you think about it, Yoda as a magic 8-ball makes sense, as the elderly Jedi often spoke in riddles and gave short answers to questions, very much like a magic 8-ball. While shaking the statue of Yoda would prompt the figure to give you answers to questions using Yoda's eloquent phrasing, in order to receive his answer you had to turn the toy upside down and look into Yoda's behind.
14 Worst: Ice Cream For All
The name Willrow Hood might not be familiar to you but if you watch The Empire Strikes Back closely enough you'll see the orange jumpsuit wearing Hood. When Bespin comes under attack from the Empire, chaos ensues as people run away. One of those people is Hood, who also happens to be carrying an ice cream maker. Why on earth he is escaping with an ice cream maker is never explained but Hasbro thought he was important enough to warrant an action figure. As you can see in the image above the toy company have captured Hood in all his dad-bod glory, making sure to feature Hood in his orange jumpsuit and carrying his now infamous ice cream machine.
13 Best: Star Wars Battle Drones
The attention to detail with each drone is awesome, with the Speeder Bike even coming with a Stormtrooper sat atop the vehicle.
The drones are easy to navigate and the controllers even emit sound effects and music from the original trilogy so it feels like you're actually part of the Star Wars universe. Check out footage of the drones during the launch here. Although the batteries are a little tricky to replace, the look and feel of the drones is second to none and well worth the investment. Costing only $100 these Star Wars Drones should be top of your 2018 Christmas list.
12 Worst: Destroyed Alderaan
I have to be honest and let you know this toy doesn't actually exist. But it's so on the nose it almost seems real. When I came across the image on the internet I just had to include it in this list.
As you might remember, Alderaan is Princess Leia's home planet that was completely blown apart by the Death Star during its trial run. The front of the box shows an image of Princess Leia's home planet exploding with kids being able to open the box and play with what's left of the planet, being a bunch of rocks. This is both hilarious and dark and would certainly make any worst toys list. There are a number of variations of this toy, with one featuring Luke Skywalker's farmhouse burning and another featuring the burnt skeleton of Skywalker's Aunt and Uncle.
11 Worst: Rancor Keeper
Employed by Jabba The Hutt as the caretaker of his scary pet Rancor, Malakili has a tough time during his short appearance in Return Of The Jedi. Responsible for looking after the giant Rancor, Malakili bonded with the creature and was distraught when he was ended by Luke Skywalker.
I don't think this one was a big seller but is another demonstration of Lucas and Kenner's willingness to allow every character from the original trilogy to have their moment in the sun.