Kenner’s “Star Wars Collection” – Jabba’s Palace vs. Endor

We have to go all of the way back to 2013 for the last time that I checked the numbers with
Kenner’s “Star Wars Collection” Hoth vs. Cloud City
. In that post, I put the two worlds head-to-head in an attempt to support my previous feature post, Where Kenner’s “Star Wars Collection” Failed Cloud City. My argument, which I believe I successfully protected, was that Kenner didn’t give Cloud City the attention it deserved back in the early eighties.

Well, today I want to leap to the years 1983 through 1985 and check how Kenner handled Jabba’s Palace and Endor. Before I started tracking down the numbers, it was my belief that Kenner produced more Endor toys. Well, I was wrong. I was dramatically wrong. Because the numbers simply do not lie:

  • Jabba’s Palace: 28 (Max Rebo set counted as one item)
  • Endor: 22

The two are much closer when it comes to number of toys produced than what we saw in the Hoth vs Cloud City check, but what made me think that there were more Endor toys produced during those years? Sitting back and thinking about it, I suspect that my brain was lumping the Kenner Ewoks toys in with the Star Wars Collection group of Endor toys. Even that doesn’t put Jabba’s Palace in the lead, though, as there were only six Ewoks action figures released. Clearly, my brain was wrong.

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Jabba’s Palace Action Figures

In 1983, the Jabba’s Palace figures outnumbered the Endor line simply because Lucasfilm kept the Ewoks under wraps, preventing Kenner from sharing the figure designs. That obstruction must have played a role in Kenner’s decision to release only two Ewok action figures at the launch of Return of the Jedi. Jabba’s Palace, other than the Jabba playset, had no such restrictions, and Kenner pumped out several cool beasties at the start of the film’s release.


 

Endor Action Figures

With over half of the Endor action figures Ewok characters, I am starting to see why I thought Endor was so heavily represented in the Star Wars toys of 1983 to 1985. That’s a lot of Ewoks to manufacture and sell in a short time.

 

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Jabba’s Palace Vehicles, Mini-Rigs, Creatures, and Accessories

The one area where Jabba’s Palace falls behind Endor, but at least the designs we do get to chase down for our collections are fabulous and fun. And hey, three of the five fall into the Mini-Rig/Body Rig camp, making these toys even cooler than they could have been. Please don’t judge my fascination with Mini-Rigs too harshly.

 

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Endor Vehicles, Mini-Rigs, and Accessories

When it comes to Endor vehicles and accessories, the Ewoks clearly come out ahead of the game with three different — and fantastic! — toys. I wasn’t all that much of an Ewoks fan for years, but I can now look at toys like the Ewok Assault Catapult and Ewok Combat Glider and better appreciate the work that went into the designs.

 

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Jabba’s Palace Playsets

It was when chasing down the numbers for this article that I realized just how much better Empire and Star Wars gets it when it comes to playsets. Jedi only had a total of four playsets, and two of those were the exact same toy in different colors and packed with different action figures? That’s crazy! How did we not at the very least get a cardboard Sarlaac playset? Or a Jabba’s Sail Barge cardboard and plastic playset using the Land of the Jawas plastic base?

 
 

Endor Playsets

Okay, Kenner, where are all of the Endor playsets? There was that Endor Attack playset of the late nineties, but where was our Sears exclusive cardboard playset in 1983? Would a cardboard fold-up with punch-out trees have been all that tough to produce and sell to us kids?

 
 

Jabba’s Palace Wins!

The numbers don’t lie, and in the end we must admit that Kenner designed and released more toys for Jabba’s Palace (which, I am sure you noticed, I’m treating as the palace and Sarlaac Pit together) than they did for the planet of Endor. If we were to include the space battle above Endor then things may change, but I don’t count that scene as Endor since the action is around the Death Star.

After reviewing all of the toys it is time to ask: Do you feel that Jabba’s Palace deserved more toys than Endor? If you had been a part of the Kenner team in 1983, what toy would you have pitched to help even the score and give kids more Endor options? Leave a comment, please, and let us know!


2 thoughts on “Kenner’s “Star Wars Collection” – Jabba’s Palace vs. Endor

  1. I recall there being rumors of a massive Jabba’s sail barge playset through the official fanclub for members. I pestered my dad to sign me up for a membership (which sadly, never arrived).

    For years I felt like I missed out on the best toy ever!

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