A herd of Wookies - Chewie's family (pictures inside!)

Around the time preceding the broadcast of the Holiday Special, Kenner had in mind a line of toy tie-ins based on characters from the show. It was probably assumed that the Special would be much more successful than it was, and that kids would be clamoring for new toys from the TV show. In the end, Kenner wound up scrapping the whole thing, either because the show was a disappointment, or (according to a Tomart's Action Figure Digest article) because the selling window was too small. However, at least a couple of items did make it to the drawing board or prototype stage.


The Boba Fett Sea Serpent made it at least to the drawing board, as conceptualized and drawn by Kenner employee Tom Troy in September 1978. Based on the creature Boba Fett rides in the animated segment of the Holiday Special, the toy would likely have been similar to the Patrol Dewback that Kenner was selling, and it would probably have been made to fit the Boba Fett figure that Kenner eventually made available as a mail-away. In the drawings, the creature was shown to be controlled via "mind harness", although this was not evident in the cartoon. Whether or not any actual prototypes were created of this toy is not known.



The other item that did make it to the prototype stage was a complete set of the Chewbacca family action figures. Chewbacca was the standard Kenner figure, and the prototypes for Itchy and Malla were created by altering two more standard Chewbacca figures. The smaller figure of Lumpy was actually built around a Fisher Price family action figure, whose distinctive bent elbow pose can be seen in the photos.

In the end, Kenner technically produced no specifically Holiday Special-related products, although the Boba Fett mail-away figure and red Snaggletooth figure could almost count


StarWarz Holiday Special




[image=http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/images/merchandise/wookie_figures_diorama.jpg]

[image=http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/images/merchandise/wookie_figures.jpg]

 

Quite interesting. A lighter-colored, female version of Chewbacca with breasts. And a gray-haired version and child version as well. Very interesting.

Being someone who has never seen the holiday special (and from what I hear, I am lucky), these seem quite intriguing. Especially the creature Boba is riding. Too bad these didn't make it to the market.

 

There is still a site on the web that has the Holiday Special avalible for download. I'm not allowed to post it here though, as I learned in the small screen forum.

 

That's ok. I believe I will save the space on my hard drive for something else.

 

Actually there is at least prototype in existance of the beast that Fett rides, as well as the character Bea Arthur plays, and that one little green hologramk dude. It was an article in an issue of Toyfare.

 

I'm pretty sure ToyFare made those toys up just for fun.

 

I can't see the pictures

 

Glad I'm not the only one who can't see them.

 

There are additional sketches of Boba's serpent on the Star Wars Collectors' Archive:

http://www.toysrgus.com/images-conce/concept-art-bobaserpent.html

The figures shown in Toyfare were part of a joke.

-Vic.
.

 

Oh.