Buying in the 80's how we used to buy figures

[TheJabbaWookie]

Or like going to see Empire with the same godparents a couple of years later and being really annoyed that the audience cheered when an AT-AT was brought down on Hoth, instead of watching the film in respectful silence, like considerate people do ;-)

I never saw that happen in British cinemas until much more recently, 2000s. The first time I saw people cheer in a cinema was in New York in the mid 90s when I was a teenager, and I remember thinking what the **** are all these idiots doing :lol:

The first time I saw this happen was watching the opening scenes of The World Is Not Enough in Swiss Cottage Odeon in 1999. Everyone was whooping and cheering during the speedboat chase on the Thames and then everyone stood up and clapped as it rolled into the opening credits. I think because it had been reported that that's what happened in the Premier in Leicester Square a week earlier. Muppets :lol:

 

[TK-7785]

It totally amazes me you guys can remember things from your childhood, but then again I can't remember what happened yesterday! :roll:
Keep the stories coming as I enjoy reading them.

It's all about prioritising space in the noggin. To make sure I remember the important things, like what toys I had as a kid, I make sure I don't listen to a word my girlfriend says.

 

[Snaketibe]

Inverness Toy Shop (where I bought a Snowspeeder whilst on holiday at Loch Ness, but had to take it back as it had one missing and one duplicated part, and I ended up having to swap it for a Turret and Probot playset instead, as they had no more Snowspeeders).

So that's where your love of the Turret & Probot came from Jeremy :lol:

:-D

 

[Mini99]

It totally amazes me you guys can remember things from your childhood, but then again I can't remember what happened yesterday! :roll:
Keep the stories coming as I enjoy reading them.

It's all about prioritising space in the noggin. To make sure I remember the important things, like what toys I had as a kid, I make sure I don't listen to a word my girlfriend says.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Pomse2001]

I remember in one of the big danish supermarkets they had a huge basket with a tower in the middel of the basket. It was higher than my mom and dad maybe 3-4 meters high. The people in the shop used a ladder to get up to the top of the tower and then they opened a box of moc and dropped the moc down in the top of the tower. When we then took some moc from the basket, then the moc in the tower sunk and they could drop more moc in it from the top

I found a picture of the basket but I could not find the tower so I tried to draw it :lol: there must have been more than a 1000 moc in it in the good old 80s. I do not remember which moc I bought that day, I guess I was more impressed of the tower :lol:

 

[bosk70]

Thanks for all the wonderful stories guys ,

I remember before the market shop I was probably 10 around 1980 -81, I used to get some figures on my birthday at a toy shop called music and toys. I remember saving up for ages and amassed about £20 quite a bit back then.

Off I went to the shop with my mum and remember being spoilt for choice on a huge rack (seemed huge back then) with the Empire logo on top, grabbing figs left right and centre, must have been £1 each because I had about 20 figs and the shop lady said you have two of him , it was Luke hoth, put him back and grabbed a Bespin guard. Funny how you remember small things like that. Most of the figs were off the cards before I got home but still kept the card backs to this day(wish I had taken more care as they are the usual ripped off and names missing for the mail aways). Looking through them it surprises me how many twelve backs were still on that rack, power droid , tuskan and greedo happy days

 

[Paul1976]

My wife remembers seeing ROTJ in the cinema and for the first and last time in her (albeit limited) life, at the end when the credits rolled people stood up and applauded. Standing ovation for a flick! Some accolode.

Sadly I didn't see it in the cinema, but recall seeing it on (probably pirate) VHS soon after release with my cousins, who later gave me all their old SW toys!

P

Or like going to see Empire with the same godparents a couple of years later and being really annoyed that the audience cheered when an AT-AT was brought down on Hoth, instead of watching the film in respectful silence, like considerate people do ;-)

I never saw that happen in British cinemas until much more recently, 2000s. The first time I saw people cheer in a cinema was in New York in the mid 90s when I was a teenager, and I remember thinking what the **** are all these idiots doing :lol:

 

[Paul1976]

I've got three distinct childhood figure acquistion memories from the early '80s.

I had my tonsels out in 1981 when Charles and Di got married, back in the times when the NHS whipped them out without asking too many questions. I spent a few days eating grey mince and ice cream in Mount Vernon Hospital and in the kids playroom I fell upon some star wars figures. A beat up hammerhead came home with us in Mum's handbag when I got discharged.

Probably that Christmas or one soon after, Mum was making a few extra quid making crackers at home in their thousand for some mail order firm. Remember those days, when you could do piecemeal manual labour, earning about 3p an item if you were lucky. Anyhow, bless her, on Christmas day at lunch a Lobot fell out my cracker, strapped to a party hat and pants joke.

Retail wise, I vaguely remember buying figures from Clements departmental store in Watford - a Victorian institution that finally shut it's doors in 1984 after 86 years trading. I can still recall the spinny stands of MOCs at the back of the top floor. If we knew then what we know now...

P

 

[Palifan]

I love stories like these. I was born in '68, so was more than ready when the toys arrived 10 years later. We had a tiny toyshop in my home town and it had a very small Star Wars section, most days it was the same figures - Luke, Leia, Ben, Chewie and Artoo. Sometimes Han would show up along with Threepio, and that was it through the Spring and Summer of 1978 - we never saw the other figures, and must of driven the shop workers mad with our constant questions: "Have you got Darth Vader? Stormtrooper? Jawa?" The response was always the same, "no, but we're getting more in on Friday".
I was getting very upset that I couldn't find all 12 figures, I would complain to my Mum who would always remind me of the disclaimer on the back of the card, 'all 12 Star Wars action figures may not be available in your store at the same time' and tell me to be patient, which didn't help.
After the Summer holidays the other figures began to appear, although I couldn't find the elusive Jawa until November - he was SO hard to locate, and I remember being amazed after the eternal wait how small he was. Great times.

This sounds very familiar to me growing up in the 70's and the Jawa was the last figure I received to complete my 12 back run (it was also a VCJ which was pretty special! ).

My local toy shop was in Kingswood Bristol called Martins and that's where most of my figures came from. They kept their figures in big wicker baskets so the hole punch was still in them although I'm sure the card backs were probably bent a bit. The only other place I can remember getting figures from was when we were on holiday somewhere in the UK during the summer holidays in 1980 and the ESB figures had been released. On that holiday I remember having my mail away Boba Fett with me that just arrived as we left Bristol so I took it with me and opened it on the way and then went into a toy shop wherever we went and saw the new figures. I'm pretty sure I bought a Hoth Han but can't remember if I bought any others.

Oh those were the days

Ian

 

[TWOFOOT]

My purchases of star wars figures came exclusively from woolworths as it was the nearest toy shop. That and buying off / swapping with my friends.

 

[chipsteak]

I started getting them around Christmas 1980 aged almost-seven.

My memories are strangely clear in that I recall each wave thereafter coming out, the more noticable changes in cardbacks and pretty much every Glasgow shop I got the stuff from; mostly large chain stores in town with a couple of idependants early on. I even remember where I first saw a Bounty Hunter Offer card ( it was Goldbergs, Glasgow ) and wondering who the hell 4LOM was. I can just about stretch to recall which of the new figures I got from each wave.

Toward the end, I went to a nearby Cash'n'carry to get what was the last 17 with ease. II was surprised to find out much later that they weren't brilliantly distributed.

Only this week I passed by a burnt out kebab shop on the bus to be reminded what I got there when it was Babyland baby's stuff and toy shop.

 

[UKS]

I quite a few distinct memories:

I remember buying my first Star Wars toys (ESB time) as a preschooler in around 1981/2. I think it was Debenhams and I think it was an X-Wing (Palitoy SW box - so no sounds etc) , Luke in X-Wing gear, Leia Hoth, and Ugnaught. (Maybe Lobot) It would have been around 3-4. I had actually gone there to buy Britains Starguard stuff to accompany a previous purchase. A child's head is easily turned! If I had to date it, it would be to late 1981, but being so young I can't confirm that.

I think I was the first of my friendship group to start collecting seriously. I remember a teenage neighbour gave me his "old" SW figures which was farm boy Luke (yellow hair) and maybe a couple of others that I can't remember. My other neighbours (two brothers) gave me there one figure, Snaggletooth - Then started collecting and asked for him back! To my (tiny) shame I never did.

I do know that I got the Falcon one xmas/birthday (They are closeish) and another year AT-AT. And both are ESB boxes, as I still have them! I also got X-Wing with battle damage and another year TIE-Interceptor. I guess I could work out which years which things came from that.

My major memory though is going to my local wool/toy shop. (Yes, we had a shop that sold both haberdashery and toys!) I walked in to see the latest ROTJ figures available for sale! They were pinned to a back board behind the counter, above the heads of the staff. My mum bought me Gammorean Guard and I excitedly took him home. As we walked in a our front door, my older next door neighbour (the younger one of the boy who gave me Luke!) was heading out with his mum and dad. I shouted across the fence about the new figures!

I remember him coming home later with Skiff Guard Lando. I am not sure I have ever been as excited.

I also recall buying the last 17 (mostly) off the shelf cheap at ASDA.

Whats funny is in my childhood, this was a VAST period of time. But looking back, it would only have been a few years from start to end!

UKS

 

[scooternick]

I remember quite a few purchases. Power droid from Malborough totally toys, lando from a shop in st Ives while on holiday, walrus man from zodiac in Swindon, Ben and fx from Trents in Swindon, Luke Endor and EV9D9 from a dept store in Lincoln. Remember others but these one's are all very vivid to me. I remember the Luke Endor and EV9D9 purchases as I clearly remember being dumbfounded by all the last 17 figures on the shelf having never seen them before. I remember clearly seeing Luke Stormie and thinking wtf? Why I chose Luke Endor over Luke Stormie I'll never know.....!

 

[Clarkspie&chips]

I remember quite a few purchases. Power droid from Malborough totally toys, lando from a shop in st Ives while on holiday, walrus man from zodiac in Swindon, Ben and fx from Trents in Swindon, Luke Endor and EV9D9 from a dept store in Lincoln. Remember others but these one's are all very vivid to me. I remember the Luke Endor and EV9D9 purchases as I clearly remember being dumbfounded by all the last 17 figures on the shelf having never seen them before. I remember clearly seeing Luke Stormie and thinking wtf? Why I chose Luke Endor over Luke Stormie I'll never know.....!

I remember you coming back from that trip with EV9D9 and insisting you got ripped off and it wasn't a Star Wars figure because his mouth moved. :lol:

 

[scooternick]

I remember quite a few purchases. Power droid from Malborough totally toys, lando from a shop in st Ives while on holiday, walrus man from zodiac in Swindon, Ben and fx from Trents in Swindon, Luke Endor and EV9D9 from a dept store in Lincoln. Remember others but these one's are all very vivid to me. I remember the Luke Endor and EV9D9 purchases as I clearly remember being dumbfounded by all the last 17 figures on the shelf having never seen them before. I remember clearly seeing Luke Stormie and thinking wtf? Why I chose Luke Endor over Luke Stormie I'll never know.....!

I remember you coming back from that trip with EV9D9 and insisting you got ripped off and it wasn't a Star Wars figure because his mouth moved. :lol:

Ha ha. Good memory!

 

[StarWarsFan]

Shop I got my first figure from shutdown a couple of years ago . First place got one first vintage Luke from has gone as well, was called the corner cafe, had entertainment, fair the lot

 

[stratpack]

My first figure was bought while on holiday in St Ives Cornwall,1983. In one of those little seaside toy shops. The carded figs were on a rotating stand and staring at me was Luke Jedi from the soon to be released Jedi film. I don't think I've ever been so excited! It was the early version with blue sabre as well. Only thing was my younger brother wanted exactly the same figure (with blue sabre) and wouldn't listen to me trying to persuade him to get a different one! So we both ended up playing with the Jedi twins for the rest of that holiday!

 

[kingshearer]

My first figure was bought while on holiday in St Ives Cornwall,1983. In one of those little seaside toy shops. The carded figs were on a rotating stand and staring at me was Luke Jedi from the soon to be released Jedi film. I don't think I've ever been so excited! It was the early version with blue sabre as well. Only thing was my younger brother wanted exactly the same figure (with blue sabre) and wouldn't listen to me trying to persuade him to get a different one! So we both ended up playing with the Jedi twins for the rest of that holiday!

Yes, when the first Jedi range came out it literally blew my mind. My interest was starting to wain with SW with distractions like Action Force and He-man but when I seen the back of the Jedi 65 card and all those exotic cloth capes I was instantly hooked again

 

[bosk70]

Thanks for all the memories guys,
I remember being mesmerized by all the wall of dioramas on all the boxes lined up in the toy shops back then, I think the magic was having the figures well placed around the ships / playsets in the photo's, I don't think you get that with the more modern toys, be it Star Wars or any other lines.
There was a magic about the old packaging and I don't think its nostalgia now, as many of us kept our original boxes and card backs for that very reason. I think real thought went into the production of those vintage scenes and advertising that kept us coming back for more when funds allowed, you just don't get that in modern times its all a bit generic now

 

[kingshearer]

Thanks for all the memories guys,
I remember being mesmerized by all the wall of dioramas on all the boxes lined up in the toy shops back then, I think the magic was having the figures well placed around the ships / playsets in the photo's, I don't think you get that with the more modern toys, be it Star Wars or any other lines.
There was a magic about the old packaging and I don't think its nostalgia now, as many of us kept our original boxes and card backs for that very reason. I think real thought went into the production of those vintage scenes and advertising that kept us coming back for more when funds allowed, you just don't get that in modern times its all a bit generic now

Stating the obvious a bit, but what also helped was the fact that the films themselves were unbelievably brilliant and you just had to try and recreate as many of the scenes as possible 8) Point proven by the fact that, to this day, I never get tired of watching the first 3 films.