Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (toy line)

Kenner's Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back vintage toy line ran from 1980 to 1982, following the success of Kenner's original Star Wars toy line. This line featured a variety of characters and vehicles from the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. It was succeeded by Kenner's vintage Return of the Jedi toy line in 1983.
==Development==
Kenner's The Empire Strikes Back line re-released many toys from the original Star Wars line but with the new film's logo on the packaging.
Although Star Wars author Stephen J. Sansweet noted in his 1999 book Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive that Kenner's The Empire Strikes Back product line lasted from 1980 to 1982, he later stated in his 2012 book Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection that the line lasted until 1983. In fact, The Empire Strikes Back line's final toy releases came in 1982 before Kenner transitioned to its Return of the Jedi line in 1983.
The end of the Empire line included a special mail-away offer for the Admiral Ackbar action figure to serve as a preview for the next movie and toy line, still titled Revenge of the Jedi at the time.
==Continuity==
The toy line erroneously named the 4-LOM action figure "Zuckuss," and the Zuckuss figure "4-LOM." Since neither name was used on film, many considered those names to be accurate for years. Kenner's mistake was not rectified until West End Games' Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back in 1989.Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection The 4-LOM figure was originally made available as a special mail-away offer before its regular release.
In a cut scene from The Empire Strikes Back, the character Sate Pestage was intended to have an appearance as a hologram warning Darth Vader of the Emperor's imminent transmission. He was referred to as the "Grand Vizier."Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays Hints of this scene can be found on the box for Kenner's "Darth Vader's Star Destroyer" playset, explaining that the image in the red plastic viewing screen is the Grand Vizier. Some toy catalog ads for the toy changed the title to "Grand Emperor."
The generic name "AT-AT Commander" was used for the figure based on General Veers, but his proper name did appear in exclusive action figure sets sold by Sears Canada in 1981. Toy catalogs for these sets referred to the figure as "AT-AT Commander Veers", while the toy package itself used "General Veers."
A 1980 Sears Canada catalog features sets including the Ugnaught figure (based on the character later named Yoxgit) but calls him "Tusk from Ugnaught." The name was apparently taken from a reference photo from Lucasfilm that had handwritten notes identifying the Ugnaught as "Tusk." The final toy package simply used the same generic term as the US version.
Though most of the line featured toys based on the film, a few original items were produced. The Imperial Troop Transporter, re-released in this line as the "Imperial Cruiser", had already appeared in fiction as early as the Star Wars Marvel Comics series. To avoid the high cost of creating large vehicles for the line, small Mini-Rigs vehicles that did not originate in the films were created. Many of these went on to appear in the fiction of both the Legends and later canon continuities.
==Table of action figures==
The table below takes information as given on the cards with which each action figure debuted. After the debut of an action figure, details in the packaging, the shape of the action figure, and the name of the action figure were subject to change. No one characteristic (name, shape, or product number) completely defines the list, rather all the characteristics taken together form a clear list.
The identical name "Bespin Security Guard" is given to two action figures. The first figure (No. 39810) is white, the second figure (No. 69640) is black. On card backs, the two Bespin Security Guards are shown separately, but labeled with the same name.
"Wave"	Debut package card 	Action figure 	Product no. 	Debut year
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Leia Organa (Bespin Gown) 	No. 39720 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	FX-7 	No. 39730 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Imperial Stormtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear)	No. 39740 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) 	No. 39750 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Bossk (Bounty Hunter) 	No. 39760 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	IG-88 	No. 39770 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues) 	No. 39780 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Han Solo (Hoth Outfit) 	No. 39790 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Lando Calrissian 	No. 39800 	1980
D 	31-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Bespin Security Guard 	No. 39810 	1980
E 	32-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Yoda 	No. 38310 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Ugnaught 	No. 39319 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Dengar 	No. 39329 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Han Solo (Bespin Outfit) 	No. 39339 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Lobot 	No. 39349 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Leia (Hoth Outfit) 	No. 39359 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Rebel Commander 	No. 39369 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	AT-AT Driver 	No. 39379 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Imperial Commander 	No. 39389 	1981
F 	41-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	2-1B 	No. 39399 	1981
G 	45-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (with Sensorscope) 	No. 69420 / No. 69590	1982
G 	45-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	C-3PO (Removable Limbs) 	No. 69430 / No. 69600	1982
G 	45-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Luke Skywalker (Hoth Battle Gear) 	No. 69610 	1982
G 	45-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	AT-AT Commander 	No. 69620 	1982
G 	45-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	(Twin-Pod) Cloud Car Pilot 	No. 69630 	1982
G 	45-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Bespin Security Guard 	No. 69640 	1982
H 	47-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	4-LOM 	No. 70010 	1982
H 	47-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Zuckuss 	No. 70020 	1982
I 	48-Back "The Empire Strikes Back"	Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot 	No. 70030 	1982
==Large Size Action Figures==
Kenner also released "Large Size Action Figure" versions of some characters, roughly in the twelve-inch size of other larger action figure toy lines. Several were released for the original Star Wars toy line, but only IG-88 was released in 1980 for The Empire Strikes Back toy line. Earlier ones may have been released in Empire labeled packaging. Prototypes were made for more large sized figures from the movie, but were never produced.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
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*Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
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*Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection
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==Notes and references==
==External links==
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Empire Strikes Back (toy line)