Thursday 23 August 2012

1978: FIRST STAR WARS PALITOY PRINT ADVERT

Everyone remembers the action figures... but how many young British Star Warriors had these other early Palitoy STAR WARS products?

This is a two-page centre-spread advert from the middle of Marvel UK's STAR WARS WEEKLY issue 5 (cover-dated 8 March 1978).  Unless anyone knows otherwise, I'd speculate that this is the first British consumer print advert (as opposed to trade adverts and in-store promotion) for SW toys.

It seems a little surprising that the British licensee (who released Kenner product, supplemented by their own creations, in the UK) took five whole weeks to ply their wares in such an obvious publication but - maybe - they had to make sure they had sufficient product in stores first (or run the risk of consumer backlash or - worse - parents walking out of the toy shop with a completely different toy).  The fifth issue also featured a Palitoy action figure competition so - I'd speculate - some sort of deal was cut between the two.

I love that - by seventies manufacturing and advertising standards - the action figures are "accurate in every detail". 



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