Kenner Store Display Checklist

By Ron Salvatore

The following chart is intended as an overview of the many advertising displays issued in connection with Kenner’s Star Wars action figure line, between the years of 1977 and 1986. As such, it does not attempt to reel in the various role-play, plush toy, and other non-action figure displays also issued by Kenner during that time. The two exceptions to this rule are the Micro Collection and Die-Cast lines, which I have included, both because their representatives are few, and because I feel they bear a strong relation to the figure line.

Also included are separate sections for the hand-made, largely one-of-a-kind displays used at the annual Toy Fair conventions in New York City; and for the vast array of unproduced and prototype displays featured at one time or another in various forms of Kenner literature. As they help to convey a sense of how Kenner product was displayed to a very different buying audience–the wholesale buyers at Toy Fair–I think they make an interesting counter-point to the more conventional displays covered here. The unproduced designs, too, provide a more well-rounded sense of the field, by giving us an idea of its evolution, from the early Star Wars pieces, up through those planned for the Power of the Force, Droids, and Ewoks lines.

As you can see, the types and styles of displays produced varied considerably throughout the Star Wars run, making it difficult to lump them into the generalized categories usually preferred for these types of charts. In general, however, vintage Star Wars displays can be seen as encompassing four different, very basic types:

* Bin/Standee and Header Card Assemblies: used primarily for the display and in-store storage of carded action figures, these typically consist of a lower, “holder” portion, with a graphical “header card” attached to the unit’s top. The earliest Star Wars display, that used for the Early Bird Certificate, consisted of a bin and graphical header, establishing a pattern that would continue throughout the Star Wars line. The bin/header assemblies shipped with 12, 20, and 21-back figure assortments actually employed an identical bin, a condition which allows today’s collectors some leeway when seeking out a mate to pair with their various header cards. Though some Empire Strikes Back bin units seem to have been released, if not in the States, then possibly in Canada, the tradition had ended by the debut of the Return of the Jedi line, at which point a new “standee” approach was adopted, employing a smaller, less commanding header, with a tall, multi-level unit below.

* Hangers: perhaps the most popular category of display, hanging signs were used throughout the SW and ESB lines to demarcate Star Wars toy areas. They differ from header cards, in that they are usually tear drop-like in shape, and, with a couple of exceptions, focused specifically on action figures, rather than the figure-based toy line in general. These signs were designed either to be hung, or affixed to a metal stand, and are thus referred to as “hang/pole display” in some Kenner catalog entries. Late in the ESB run, as the figure line expanded, the design used for these hangers became rather elaborate in order to allow for more space on which to present the graphics. The result was a new three-sided “mobile” approach, that stands in sharp contrast to the familiar flat “bell” signs featured in previous years.

* Headers: having been issued in a variety of designs throughout the course of the Kenner line, headers represent the largest and most diverse of the display categories. Simply put, they defined the “Star Wars Sections” that were such common features of 70’s and 80’s toy and department stores. Distinct from the “headers” shipped with action figure bins, these might aptly be termed “Toy” or “Action Figure-Area Headers,” as they were frequently positioned above large displays of such merchandise, in order to call attention to them and set them off from competing product. As such, they are usually larger and more commanding in presence than their hanger counterparts. Some were mountable and shipped with the appropriate hardware, while others might be hung or displayed using other means.

* Shelf-Talkers: the standard variety of shelf-talker was shipped to retailers in quantity, when they ordered a certain toy and/or display assortment, as a means for masking the exposed face of a shelf with an advertisement or eye-catching logo. These were of either cardboard/paper or plastic construction, and usually featured adhesive tabs on their undersides, in order to anchor them to the surface of the shelf-top. The ESB and ROTJ lines also saw the release of shelf-talkers with a slightly different purpose–to promote specific offers, and dispense to customers the means for taking advantage of them. The distinguishing feature of this type of shelf-talker was a pad of detachable forms affixed to the unit’s front. Sadly, these are frequently missing from the displays that turn up on today’s secondary market.

* Other Displays: also issued were several other display items, which, while occupying significant places within the field, cannot be easily placed into any of the above listed categories. These include, among others, a small, clear shelf-dangler, used to promote the late release of three early figures, and a vacu-formed, three-dimensional representation of Yoda, meant to be hung from an overhead fixture. These, and others of their like, have been noted below, along with their more standard counterparts.

I have not been able to procure decent images of several of the displays documented below. If you have images of these pieces, or information that either conflicts with, or is absent from this chart, please e-mail me at salfamily@aol.com to let me know about it.

SW 20 Action Figure Header -’Get A Free Boba Fett’

This is the second in a series of three long header card displays issued by Kenner in the late 70s. The first advertised the original series of twelve action figures, the last the full range of twenty-one that was available by late 1979. This one, however, features twenty figures, but it includes something else as well: a prominent ad for Kenner’s second mail-away offer, a free action figure of bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Kenner issued both this display and a similar bell-shaped unit to advertise this promotion. Both pieces are quite rare, though with less than ten examples being known to exist, this long header is amongst the rarest of all Kenner store displays. Up until recently, the only examples of this display that were known to collectors were those few that were sold at a Las Vegas auction held in the late 90s. Since then, a few more have surfaced via independent sources.