Before I head out to Austin’s 15th Classic Game Fest, I thought I would keep up some good feelings (or vibes, which is getting as overused as Kate Bush’s 1985 hit). When I was at the Greater Austin Comic (Book) Convention two weeks ago, this vendor had this on display. I didn’t ask if the original toy was inside, I was way more impressed that he had the first packaging as Kenner would update it at least twice. I had to have a photo due to how many good memories it continues to give me. Not just the movie, the toy and all the fun I had “flying” it around the house occasionally pressing the button which blurted the only noise it made; it wasn’t anything from the movies.
The greater memory it instills involves my parents who I haven’t spoken to in 19 years (their loss). How they went through all the difficulty to get me 1979’s it toy. So whenever a kid got (or receives) a Cabbage Patch doll in 1983, a Tickle-Me-Elmo in 1996 or I imagine an iPhone today, I share the happiness, the joy and the heart-warming glow. The Netflix show The Toys That Made Us had such an incredible episode covering the history of Star Wars toys, namely the Kenner era. What’s really funny, or sad, my friends Doc and Eiko gave me the Falcon in 1995 and 16 years later, Kenner used the same mold to make it: the smuggling compartment floor, where the landing gear retracts and how it’s assembled. The improvements were awesome too. It had four real sound choices the Falcon actually made, they found a way to put re-entry and battle scars into the plastic and the stickers were more accurate. What happened to it? I sold it to a friend in order to move in a hurry and cut down on my clutter. I regret it somewhat but it was an emergency. So I foolishly wasted some stimulus money on the most recent version of the Falcon which is closer to scale and the clincher, it came with a Hondo figure! It remains in storage right now and one day it will either be in my office(s) or a very, very lucky child will receive it. Off to see all the video games I loved at Aladdin’s Castle, played in college when I should’ve been studying and whatever else my very large tribe loves.