Star Wars Toys That Were Not to Be
Jason "ToyOtter" Geyer was a toy designer who got a chance to pitch Lucasfilm right before Star Wars: Episode I came out. Most of their ideas didn't make it to market, but the concepts they've scanned in and put online are hilarious. I can't believe Lucasfilm hasn't done a Jabba the Hutt beanbag.
To say we were excited is an understatement. However, there were a few problems. One, since we were not yet an approved vendor to Lucasfilm, we had to use the Original Trilogy to concept with as we couldn’t be shown anything from Episode One. Lucasfilm would review our concepts and let us know if anything could apply to the new movie (this was a painful process that involved discarding far more ideas than the ones that were kept). Two, it was only a year away from the release of Episode One, and most manufacturing lead times were anywhere from 18-12 months to get the product made and to stores. But beggars can’t be choosers, and we hit the ground running.
Rejected! A long, long time ago… [ActionFigureInsider.com] (Thanks, Matt & Michael!)
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"Amaze your friends when you come galloping into the room on your very own Tauntaun, straight from the plains of Hoth!"
The conceit of this idea is that the sort of person who owns something like this would have friends to begin with.
Jesus, Doomstalk, they show a little kid playing with it. If you're trying to convince me that a kid wouldn't think that was the coolest thing ever you were obviously grown in a lab.
These concepts are fantastic. Lucas is an idiot for declining them, though Episode I itself was proof enough of that. As the STAR WARS licensing machine continues to chug along, I suspect we'll still see these down the line.
I have two of the Pepsi cups that were goodies from Taco Bell/ KFC / Pizza Hut. The concepts on the linked blog show love for the older trilogy. They may be the reason Lucas said no then.
The death star grill was ahead of its time. All of us 70's kids had to grow up first for it to find its audience.
#2: Oh it'd be awesome, but you'd never want anyone outside of your immediate family to see you in it. It's the sort of thing that would get you beat up repeatedly (if not regularly) at school.
And how does the kid wears the TaunTaun suit? Opening it bellywide with his/her lightsaber, of course.
The Death Star grill seems easy adaptable from existing non-deadly models.
You know I would have loved to get some of these, even now I am thinking 'Hey A Han In Carbonite Bar Fridge' actually is kind of COOL, how can I make that? The Game Trophies are also something I was thinking how could I recreate that for my wall... cause they look cool.
I SO want the Han Solo Mini-Fridge.
Even a full sized version would be too sweet.
@ #5 Doomstalk: Again, I maintain you are evaluating what kids would find cool by the standards of the older, more image-conscious types. Under age 10, kids think nothing of dressing like bugs or walking on all fours for a day; in fact, that variation from the norm is what makes kids cool in the eyes of their peers. Puberty is what suddenly makes any deviancy, like, OMG gross-me-out.
#7 & 8
Personally, I think the reason that's silly is that it's a mini fridge (A Long Time Ago in a tiny Galaxy Far, Far Away). It would be awesome as a full-sized fridge.
Now if I could just get Harrison Ford to lay down on a vacuum former...
Wooot, I thought about that, and realized it would be cooler to just do yourself, frozen in (poly)carbonite.
Those Leia headphones were in Spaceballs, right? The gag where Princess Vespa takes off her buns.
I would totally go for those Galactic Game Trophies hanging on the wall.
"Oh that old thing? I bulls-eyed it in my T-14."
@ #12 Petro: you beat me to it- you are correct, sir.
I'd want it with faceplates. So you could change Han into say, your mother in law. Just sayin.
:D:D I love squishie jabba's face, just look at that thing!