An opportunity of the first action figures modeled
after the stars of the smash hit movie, STAR WARS.
The special display envelope package contains:
colorful STAR WARS picture display stand;
Early Bird Certificate which is a postage paid order
card good for four authentically detailed action
figures modeled after the stars of STAR WARS;
special STAR WARS club membership card and full
color STAR WARS stickers. The certificate package
is available to be sold prior to December 31, 1977.
The Early Bird Certificate Package was the first Kenner Star Wars action figure item. It was also one of the great marketing coups in the history of toy retailing. You see, although Kenner had signed on to produce Star Wars toys prior to the film's release in May 1977, they were blindsided (as was everyone else) by its massive popularity. A hit this big (and there really never had been one bigger) all but demanded an action figure line.
However, it takes close to a year to develop a line of plastic toys: they have to be designed, sculpted and tested. Most importantly of all, steel molds need to be created, and that takes time, not to mention money. So, in mid-1977, as Star Wars sold out theaters across the country, Kenner found themselves in a bind. On the one hand, they were sitting pretty as a license-holder for the biggest hit in movie history. On the other hand, they they had no proper toys to release. Even if they worked around the clock developing them, they wouldn't be ready for the all-important Christmas season.
How does a scrappy mid-western toy company solve the problem? In the absence of Star Wars action figures, people would settle for the mere promise of Star Wars action figures and place the Early Bird Certificate Package under their Christmas trees.
Television commercials told children and parents that vouchers within a "Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package" could be redeemed for toys "between February 1st and June 1st" of 1978.
For Christmas of 1977, thousands of children received a cardboard envelope in which was packed a pointless display stand (pointless since there were no figures to display on it), a gimmicky Star Wars "Club Card," a few anemic stickers, and something that sounded more like a coupon for a small town breakfast joint than the ticket to Toy Nirvana-- the Early Bird Certificate itself.
Kids could fill it out with their names and addresses, mail it in and wait. Months later, their set of the first four Star Wars action figures would arrive along with the plastic pegs that allowed them to be affixed to the once pointless cardboard display stand.
The figures included in this set were Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2 and Chewbacca.
The Star Wars line's first twelve figures shipped in the spring of 1978 and sold for as little as $1.49 apiece, making it difficult for Kenner to keep up with demand. By the time Kenner's "vintage" toy line ended in 1985 following the conclusion of the Star Wars original trilogy, the company sold approximately 250 million action figures.
