Send away offer paperwork Palitoy/Kenner Parker 1984/85

Oracle

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I thought I'd share some paperwork that I have that shows a bit of history for Palitoy and Kenner Parker in the UK, 1984 -1985.

There were various send-away offers at the time (1984) and you can see that I cut out three names from cardbacks and sent off £2.99 for a Hoth Wampa.

Disappointingly I got a letter back with a refund from Palitoy to the effect that the Hoth Wampa was not available. I don't recall taking up the alternatives offered, bought a Wampa elsewhere, and sometime in early 1985 I wrote back (to Palitoy at Coalville) to see if I could use the Token for the names that was in the letter from Palitoy.

I then get a letter back from Kenner Parker (March 1985) saying that there are no current offers. The return address shown on the envelope is the Coalville factory (previously Palitoy).

What I didn't appreciate at the time is what was happening behind the scenes at Palitoy. The V&A have an article discussing Palitoy and it's demise www.vam.ac.uk/moc/toy-manufacturers/palitoy/
Palitoy ceased trading in 1986, but it would seem from my letter that Kenner Parker were already operating out of the Coalville site by 1985.

By the look of the letters I have, they were fairly standard and impersonal. I've not seen others like this, other than the Dengar letter shown elsewhere on this forum.

Does any one have similar documents?
 

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ScruffyLookingNH

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Blinding post and awesome bits of documentation you have there. I do like these Palitoy offer posts and this has given another insight I wasn't aware of. I didn't even know you could get half of those items via mailaway promotion. The largest mailer box I've seen is for the Bandolier. Would love to find a Troop Transport in a mailing box!

Out of interest, what motivated you to keep these bits of correspondence? It always amazes me when kids keep things like this. Appreciate there was reason (for a while at least) to keep the letter with the three nameplate voucher but why the second? Lucky you did as I've not seen either the nameplate voucher nor the "no offers" letter.
 

Oracle

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ScruffyLookingNH said:
Out of interest, what motivated you to keep these bits of correspondence? It always amazes me when kids keep things like this. Appreciate there was reason (for a while at least) to keep the letter with the three nameplate voucher but why the second? Lucky you did as I've not seen either the nameplate voucher nor the "no offers" letter.

To be honest I just never threw much away. I guess I kept the second letter with the first in the hope I would get to use the tokens at some stage. It all went flat in the bottom of a vehicle box, forgotten about and uncovered 30 years later!
 

chipsteak

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The most obscure paperwork I ever had was the results of a Palitoy drawing competition. It was simple A4 that listed names and part addresses of the grand-prize winners and many runners-up who won a Rebel Transport ( or something ).

It was the product of one of those 'if you never won and think it's all a conspiracy then you can write to us for the full list of winners in accordance with transparency and maybe even the law' disclaimers.

I got the paperwork in a lot and sold it on to someone who appreciated it. Or maybe even someone that never won in 1983 and thought it was all a huge racket!
 
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yes I did a very similar thing sent for the transporter and got the black and white letter back(which I still have)
then sent for something else! I also have similar kenner parker Tonka letter after my wing broke on my imperial shuttle lol
 

Robstyley

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That's really cool that you still have those. Very interesting insight into the company and nice to have now as a collector. I don't remember doing any offers or anything but I may have done. I like the - MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU! Yours sincerely, Kenner Parker. I was the sort of kid that used to keep things, have some bits from childhood. I only wish I'd kept my cardbacks and things like that.
 

chipsteak

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I never kept anything including cardbacks due to my like of cutting things out with scissors: characters, logos. And not for any real purpose. If there was a scrapbook or colage I could now have seen the masterplan.
 

Plastikheld

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Wow - that's a cool piece of history.
As a cardback collector nowadays I wish they had never offered stuff for nameplates/pops. :wink:
Very interesting - thanks for sharing.
 

pizzathehutt

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very cool!

I never tried mail away with star wars but I did almost with transformers, I kept hold of all the tokens from the boxes and then one day my mum and I walked up to the local toy shop with them all thinking I'd just hand them over and get given a new figure for them?

I didn't work like that :( the lady behind the counter explained to my mum how we would have to post them to America. My mum was like 'no that will be expensive and will take forever probably' she said if I really wanted to then we could but I just couldn't be bothered with it all and was annoyed I got nothing there and then

We later did another token collection from cereals I think for Lego Technics, this bag of lego took about 2 months to turn up :lol:

god knows how long the transformers from the states would've taken

Did any of you on here send away for transformers? would be interested in finding out what you recieved
 

Oracle

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Plastikheld said:
Wow - that's a cool piece of history.
As a cardback collector nowadays I wish they had never offered stuff for nameplates/pops. :wink:
Very interesting - thanks for sharing.

Totally agree. I would really like my original card backs to have their name plates back. I got the emperor and nien nunb for my troubles, but would probably have got them in any case.
 

spoons

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They are excellent letters indeed.

I vaguely remember getting an out of stock letter as a kid, but would never have thought to keep it. I'm sure it was for a figure rather than a vehicle, I had no idea the troop transport was a mialway either

So glad the likes of you did keep these things
 

Oracle

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currymonster6290 said:
yes I did a very similar thing sent for the transporter and got the black and white letter back(which I still have)
then sent for something else! I also have similar kenner parker Tonka letter after my wing broke on my imperial shuttle lol

Is your black and white letter identical to the one I have? Mine does seem fairly generic but I figured the token may need to vary in value. Would be interested to get a glimpse - any pics?
 
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