My dad was a design engineer. When I got my first Boba Fett figure and complained that the rocket didn't fire, He took it to work one day and that night I had a firing rocket. It wasn't fancy; to fire it you had to push the rocket in and quickly release it. Not the same, I know, but I had bragging rights to both a firing Boba Fett AND the best dad in the neighborhood!
my dad is one of the ggod ones too. when little sister was about one or two she got ahold of my R2-D2 and chewed the sticker off of it. i was crushed because Star Wars was everything to me so dad took a very tiny paintbrush and painted gears and buttons and robot looking stuff on it so i wouldnt kill my sister. it didnt really look anything like the original but he made me feel better. it is still one of my favorite starwars toys that i own.
@@g.todsmith2854 - My father is a gearhead too, and he eagerly tweaked lots of our broken toys while growing up. They were never the same, but playtime still continued for years and years afterwards. It probably saved the lives of my little brothers too.
Boba Fett finally actually used the rocket launcher in a battle in the Boba Fett Tv series for Disney plus, thus proving how much respect the company has for its fans! Love this video! I miss your Oddities series! You should definitely bring it back someday!
Great episode! I was a child of the 90s, so I missed the first several waves of Kenner stuff, but the Power of the Force line was huge for me, partly because it built upon this legend of the coolest mainstream toy line to exist at the time.
I still have all the variations of that Fett. Whole circles, half circles, the slightly different one that came with the jet pack thing, the one that came with IG-88...
I had a regular Boba Fett toy. He was my favorite Star Wars figure. One day, I went outside and played with all of them. I got the bright idea to throw them up in the air. They all came down except for Fett. I think he got stuck in the gutter of a two story home we were renting the bottom floor of. I was crushed. This is in remembrance of my lost friend.
People can say whatever they want, but my older brother and I had a Boba Fett that fired a rocket. He said it was a mail away promotion. Of course, our mom sold all our star wars stuff in a garage sale in '87 :-(
I believe that. Others probably kept them as souvenirs but certainly not thinking they wouldn't be worth anything until Boba Fett was popular and collectors put a value on rejected pieces of plastic which in the day was probably seen as a failure inside Kenner or at the very least a misstep that needed quick damage control with stickers at the same time a relief that there wouldn't be a toy out there that had potential lawsuit written all over it. I think there should have been a class action collector's lawsuit for not producing them. Is it too late lol
To further muddy the waters, in the early 90s a Philly comic shop called The Earth had permission from Kenner to convert about 200 vintage Fetts into rocket firing versions. A friend ended up with one and thought it was one of those grail items so I did a photo shoot and put out the word. Someone gave me The Earth info and I confirmed it with the original store, which is no longer open. It has the slot, the peg, the spring, but no rocket (not sure if the originals had the rocket, it's been two years since that adventure)
Weird. Never heard or seen that. I am genuinely surprised that Kenner would give them official sanction to do that. I feel like they should have come with some documentation or something. Good to know, thanks!
I never was much for the vintage star wars action figures except for the primary ones and boba fett was one of them. Thank you posting this key point in the history of S.W. toys, your videos are always very Illuminating. Thank you guys.
My mom stopped to the Grand Union on our way home from K-B Toys where I bought my very first brand new on the card Boba Fett and I waited in the car for her to come out and couldn't wait any longer for her to come out of the store so I had to open him right there in the car and I'll never forget the smell the figure gave off. It was the best smelling plastic Star Wars figure I had ever owned.
I bet it's that totally-real-and-definitely-not-idiotic Mandela effect and the kids in the parallel universe got the pleasure of choking on Boba Fett's missile.
Well, the phenomenon is real. Some misconceptions are common enough that people are likely to find other people shared the same misconception. It's just the "alternate universe" explanation for the phenomenon that is off the deep end. The phenomenon itself is just a matter of different people responding to the same set of information and events in similar ways.
Funny thing, it used to be called the 'Mandala effect' because of how it's like reality is folding on itself and we end up seeing another side of it which is ALMOST the same as the others. I think before that it may have been the 'Rorschach effect' but I was two spaces away from that reality.
First off let me say that listening to Dan Larson talk about toys is a true joy. Your enthusiasm for the subject is kind of infectious and almost makes me want to start collecting action figures again. Notice I said ALMOST........ but I digress. I just wanted to relate to you guys the story of 12 year old me back in 1978 firing the Viper missile into my mouth like it was the Death Star exhaust port. Thankfully I immediately regurgitated it, but I also remember that it was a life lesson that doing things like that was not a good idea. I realized almost immediately that I had just committed a huge mistake. Star Wars was so new and fresh, and the Viper doing a Trench Run to the closest thing resembling an exhaust port nearby, which was of course my mouth, was just a little bit too tantalizing for my 12 year old brain to pass up. Anyways I hope you enjoyed the tale of my misadventure and thank you again for bringing back so many good childhood memories for me. I would love it if you guys did an extensive video on the Mego action figures. Those are the ones that I hold the dearest in my life and I kick myself everytime I think about the toy stores and five and dimes I used to go to that we're just full of those figures. If only I had a time machine.
I'm from Cincinnati, and my mom actually used to work for Kenner, before I was born. Because of that, my two older brothers got to take part in some toy testing. Mostly Star Wars from what I understand. They ended up getting a variety of toys out of it, including some random figures, a standard Boba Fett, and a Sandcrawler. They also gave my mom one of those unpainted, L trigger, test figures. They told her it wasn't a normal figure, so she put it away. She quit once I was born. Eventually she ended up giving the toy to me. I had the thing for several years, but I managed to lose it at some point. You can imagine my reaction when I found out years later, how much something like that was worth. lol
I remember being very disappointed when mine arrived. There were rumors that a very few were sent out. I sent out my proof of purchases before they announced that they would be shipping without the firing missile. I remember another weird fact about Star Wars action figures. When you'd go to the stores all the figures would be down on the bottom of the display instead of hanging. Collectors would come through and yank them off, ripping the slot on top of any one that they weren't buying themselves so other people wouldn't have pristine boxed figures.
A guy at work just the other day swore he had the rocket firing Boba Fett as a kid. I told him they never made it past the prototype process, but he assured me I was wrong. He also informed me that the "Darth Vader with the green lightsaber is the rarest vintage Star Wars figure out there". I didn't even argue with him after that.
I have one. It exists. The issue came from them making several hundred thousand of them, maybe millions, and they didn't get approval to release it. Many were sent out in the mail before release. They didn't want to admit they had sent some out because it wasn't approved yet. When it wasn't approved the toys were destroyed...that is what wasn't sent out. I'll post a video soon.
Where's the video? If they had mailed "many" out, at least a few people would have them today, and that would expose Kenner for mailing them out, and lying about it. But, that's not what history has shown. Nobody has the one they were supposedly mailed in 1978, and nobody ever provides proof when they claim they have one. The only ones we've seen are those in the prototype stage. People that worked at Kenner (Jim Swearingen, Dave Okada, Mark Boudreaux) have said the figures never made it past the prototype stage, and after 46 years would have nothing to lose by saying otherwise. Collectors like Steve Sandweet were there, collecting everything they could get their hands on. They are experts in the field, and say the rocket firing Boba Fett never made them past the prototype stage. Why should we call them all liars, and believe a few people who were children in 1978 that claim to have had one?
Things i hope you eventually cover because of how detailed, funny & overall awesome these videos are: Oddities - ThunderCats Mad Bubbler? History of - BraveStarr, Shirt Tails, SilverHawks & TigerSharks?
I always wondered if it was real, I remember my cousin saying his friend had one. Thanks for clearing that up Dan. I'm gonna send him a link to this video!
I think I was 6 or 7 and sitting on the steps by our front door. Just playing with the Star Wars figures. I remember biting off the tips of Luke, Ben, and Vader's lightsabers. I also remember trying to pull that missile out of Fett's backpack and never could. So I know mine didn't fire...but I wish it could have.
This story reminds me of how many G1 Transformers fans convinced ourselves that we had actually seen in our friends' possession a blue-and-silver version of the Autobot Bluestreak. The TF toy catalog clearly showed two of the toys, the toy had the word "blue" right there in its name, and friends promised they were getting it or already had it. But it has never been independently confirmed that anyone ever really owned a real blue Bluestreak. That was merely the color of one of the pre-Transformers Diaclone Datsun 280Z Fairlady Car Robo toys that had inspired Hasbro representatives to make the Transformers lines, and which had inspired the imaginations of a whole lot of kids, as well.
I remember getting the mail away figure with an attached note about how it was non-firing and I kept it for many years but after a storage unit theft a few years back (I weep for my unopened Mego Star Trek figures!) I no longer have it. I remember other kids claiming they got a firing one even back then. I think they were just trying to one up their friends and after a while just believed it themselves and it became part of their childhood history.
My vintage Star Wars toy memory: I was born 1976 and when I was 4 or 5 and I was at the neighbors house. They had 3 boys and the younger is about 10 years older. The mom was watching me and offered to let me play with their toys while they were gone. The kids had the Darth Vader carrying case and I was completely mesmerized... Vader REALLY blew my mind...so much so, that I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A CARRYING CASE! The kids get home and start cracking up, because I'm obviously an idiot (or have an insane amount of imagination) bc I'm playing with the carrying case like it's the main attraction. Dude opens this thing and my eyes almost left my head. Suffice it to say, they let me play some time longer (now that I had actual toys to play with.) He had Vader, Ben, Luke, Han, couple of troopers. Fan freaking tastic!
I remember my cousin, who was a couple of years older than I, bringing both the Viper and the Raider to a family Christmas party at my Grandma's house in the late '70s. I was so jealous.
Most vivid Memory... of course i am old enough to actualy had played with them. Still owning a millenium falcon today. Infact as a kid i realy want to figure out how the rocket gets launched... couse it looks like it would, as you sayd
Those are the same people who claim to have watched a 90’s movie called Shaazam in which Sinbad plays a genie, and are able to pass all lie-detector tests with ease.
This explains why in the Attacktix Line there was so many odd choices with Boba, such as, he has the missile and not Jango, the shape of his gun and so on. It was made to be like to this Boba, at least at first glance
I have a few from Singapore. They are recreations, one with the L slot unpainted, one with the J slot painted, and one with the Holiday Special paint scheme. They are great recreations, but the only thing I can see as a problem is that those rockets are incredibly easy to lose. Maybe that is another reason why Kenner squashed the rocket firing feature?
Okay Dan. Here's the thing. I distinctly remember a J-Slot Bobba Fett. Just a mental fact. Unfortunately my step mother gave away every lego, He Man, GI Joe and other toys I put into my storage barn at home. Also, in the other universe, your name is Gary.
I remember a video of Steve Sansweet opening a Japanese Poppy Boba Fett box in Rancho Obi-Wan and stood still for a moment and said: "Wait! There's a firing Boba....! Oh no sorry my mistake :D It was a funny way to make people understand that it was never produce and your video explained very clearly.
I definitely had a rocket firing Boba Fett figure, but, sadly I swallowed both the rocket and the figure. Had I known back then the figure was going to be so collectible, I would have been more careful.
You know, it never really mattered to me that the rocket didn't fire. It LOOKED like it should fire, but it didn't really bother as a kid or now. To me it was always just what his jet pack (SCUBA gear) looked like.
This makes me think of ALL the treasure hunt Hot Wheels cars that are first available on eBay shipped from Malaysia, Singapore, and/or Hong Kong. Definitely some very empty lunch pails amongst employees at the Malaysian Hot Wheels factory.
That's pretty interesting! I never had Boba Fett as a star wars toy as a kid, but I could've also sworn I knew SOMEONE that had it! The Mandela effect is when a group of people are absolutely convinced into the belief of a collective memory that is in fact false. But how??! The oddities continue...thanks for the episode! Before this episode, I would've still probably sworn under oath I knew a friend who had a rocket firing Boba fett...
I remember the ad on the action figure package that I had with a sticker across covering a picture of the firing missile. I was kinda upset as a kid because who doesn't want a dangerous toy
There were also standard fetts,that had a loose rocket. When I later ordered the JcPennys & Sears 6 packs & 3 packs,my Boba had a missle that just fell out. I also had a standard Boba,that had the twist off missle like the Lili Ledy one. I had saved all my star wars toys up to 1992. I regret getting rid of them now. Sith Happens-LOL!
Remember mail ordering that Boba Fett figure and being disappointed when it arrived that it didn’t fire. Also, about the “fixed” BSG firing missile. The corrected piece was a joke and relatively simple to get to fire. At eight years old I unscrewed the mechanism, took out the missile and filed down the pieces on the side of the missile that made it “unfireable”. Then I just rebuilt it. And I wasn’t the only one who did that I knew how to modify it.
Yes it was there is a man in Tenn that once worked for Kenner he cleaned his desk out years ago , later his wife showed him a hand full of Boba Fett prototypes w/firing jet packs painted . There's at lest 4-5 of them in his hands. Then the couple you see in catalogs for $10,000.
so, funny story with the 2010 re-release. it (and the line with the mail away stamps) had a short run of error cards that spelled his name as "bobba fett".
Great post of the Myth of the Rocket Firing Fett. One person has a reward out just to find information on the Kit-Bash version 1 of 1. Another forum owner is adding to a pool of cash for an actual rock firing prototype fett. Also one more comment Brian Rachfal had the most of J and L slot Rocket firing proto / first shot and paint figures with rockets and has documented photos of those. There was a total of 9 in one place. Amazing grail for sure for those of us with a Fettish.
It's the kind of thing that I think is interesting to read about but even if I WERE in the position to be able to afford to purchase one... I don't know that I would spend that much on one piece.
Toy Galaxy I agree with you. For just a bit of the collector in me I had one on the list how ever impossible the price. But after researching him and looking further into the myth I believe a myth is a myth for a reason and a grail is a grail for a reason. It’s awesome to watch your videos of research and information to continue learning. Always be hunting....
I've recently come across this channel and absolutely love it. However, it seems as a lot of videos are made that contradict others. I was just watching the one on the top 10 Boba Fett figures of all time where a 12" figure from 1979 that features a J-slot rocket firing missile was listed. It could be that's what people were remembering. It's just odd to not acknowledge it.
The confusion comes from the fact that in dimension XJ-314 that 4 year old didn't choke on the cyclon missile and production moved forward on rocket Boba. However a rocket Boba's missile later killed a child that would have grown up to play a small but pivotal role in averting a nuclear war. The high multiversal registry always merges dimensional universes when one begins down a road of self destruction. XJ-314 was merged into our universe leaving phantom memories in some humans. This is why we also have the berenstain/berenstein and jif vs jiffy peanut butter debates
That Boba Fett toy in the box, showing him facing us and asking, "Shall I bow to you?" The other picture is Boba Fett realizing that the missile went up his ass and doesn't know what to do.
The ebay bit, so shady. Reminds me of peeps who use stock photos when they sell stuff. Any time I list something I use my own photos showing as many angles to show what the product would look like to anyone interested and I attach a sticky note to the table with the date I took the photos
I've got the Macross SDF-1 toy from the original 1984 Robotech toyline. It's clearly from the Japanese Macross molds since it has the Macross logo on the bottom of the 'foot' thruster instead of any Robotech branding. It also has ports on the main cannon that were clearly for firing projectiles, although the mechanism for firing, and the projectiles themselves, are missing. I always thought mine was just broken until I much much later learned about people choking to death on toy rockets, which led to that functionality being removed from Japanese toys like the Macross when brought to the US.
It's quite amazing how your imagination as a kid can affect your memory as an adult and people actually remember playing with this and it doesn't exist.
It seems there were non-firing figures converted into firing ones. And it's also possible that some knock-off toys were released although I haven't heard of any. There were also other rocket-firing toys such as Micronauts around and you could fit a rocket missile onto some figure's back. I've also got a couple of toy guns that fired plastic missiles that were sold in corner stores. Of course back then you could get pea guns that would fire peas, pebbles or small ball bearings using a spring loading mechanism.
Oh man. I had a rocket firing colonial viper. In addition to launching a choking hazard at my face, the cockpit also detached. I also had some kind of BSG vehicle that you could attach the cockpit to. Those were the days.
My most vivid memory was when my father went resale shopping while I was at school when I came home he had found a handful of action figures including scarlet from gi joe and a boba fett with a chip in his neck I still have him but I’m trying to find a torso so I can boil and pop off his limbs and attach them to a new torso.
I was the first kid in my neighborhood ..to clip out the proof of purchases from figure packages and mail away for the Rocket Firing Boba Fett in ‘78 (‘79? Not sure) and he arrived by mail in a small brown square box .... no card ..no packaging ...and no rocket firing ability...the red rocket LOOKED as if it should come out ..but it did not ... I believe (and this could by my imagine playing tricks) the only thing in the box besides the figure itself, was a small strip of paper with a message from Kenner toys explaining that the Rocket was not operational ....which was a bummer ...but Still very cool as I the first kid on the block to bring a Boba Fett figure to the sandbox.
I had a Boba Fett. It always pissed me off because it felt like the rocket should fire, but I couldn't figure out how to trigger it. I also have that sweater.
Apparently, they've gotten over fears of choking on missiles because lots of toys use them now. I have several ones, even Star Wars ones that fire rockets, even from action figures. The solution was simple: make the rockets thicker and longer. That seller on Pawn Stars should have taken Rick's offer.
Jason K same... sorta. My brother had a rocket firing viper and when the news stories came out about the choking hazard my dad glued the missle in place.
On the flip side, I remember certain rockets firing well on certain toys and others sucked. My Snake Eyes v.4 would hit my roof, I loved that thing (even if it was a hook, not a rocket).
there was a 8" or 12" figure or model kit released in the 80's or 90's that had the rocket that doubled as a grappling hook that had a spring or battery powered winch that would reel boba up walls and stuff. i don't think it was launched but pulled out and hooked to whatever you wanted the bounty hunter to go up. it might have been released by the same company that did the batman and robin, superman and spiderman figures. spiderman and batman and robin had magnets on the feet.
I remember the rocket looking totally different than the rest of the model and tried pulling it out. Never succeeded but for those that have seen or pulled the rocket out, how was it fastened and what did it look like inside ?
i remember the legends of the rocket firing Fett when i was a kid, but never dwelt on it much because he was not my favorite character and i still dont understand the massive Boba Fett fandom. he was a cool looking figure but not my favorite and it was always weird that the missile looked like it SHOULD fire but doesnt. and as a kid that didnt know what the hell a bounty hunter was and that probably hadnt even seen the movie until a few years later because i was poor and my father never took me to see films but waited until they came to cable, i only knew half assed explanations from friends that had seen it. and so for years i actually thought Fett was some sort of special Stormtrooper. all that said im glad the stupid rocket didnt fire because the figure wouldnt look as cool and they would all be missing the dumb rocket and ultimately a lot of them would probably have broken back packs from the hollow of where the rocket used to fit. ALSO!!!!! i HATE when ebay sellers that have very expensive things cant be bothered to take some decent photos some of the most expensive items i ever took the lunge on had lousy photos or barely any photos. also what is the point of paying a ton for a carded rocket firing Fett, if its carded its back is forever against the back of the card and you cant even see the damn thing anyway much less use it to see if it actually works. same as i dont understand buying expensive still sealed vehicles, that allegedly are still in the box and complete, not that anyone would know since its never been opened or seen.
It is crazy. I swore I had one as a kid and then I pulled out all my old Star Wars toys that were packed away in my parent's attic and sure enough, I had just a regular Boba Fett with lots of paint wear. It was the only Fett I ever owned, so clearly I never had a rocket firing one. But it is crazy because I can remember playing with it and launching the rocket at the rebels as they were pinned down behind the pillow from the couch. But apparently that all took place in my mind. How strange. I wonder what else I mis-remember from my childhood.
@@SecretGalaxyTV Now I am starting to question all of my early childhood memories. Maybe my parents didn't take me to Disney World when I was 6. Maybe it was just my dad pushing me on a swing while some kid walked past with a red balloon at the state fair.
Kenner was in the factory making rocket firing Boba Fetts and I saw one of the Bobas and the Boba looked at me!
+Frogs Amok! This comment wins today.
Frogs Amok! Good simpsons reference
My dad was a design engineer. When I got my first Boba Fett figure and complained that the rocket didn't fire, He took it to work one day and that night I had a firing rocket. It wasn't fancy; to fire it you had to push the rocket in and quickly release it. Not the same, I know, but I had bragging rights to both a firing Boba Fett AND the best dad in the neighborhood!
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
@@altoid2097 We moved a lot when I was a kid. It got lost somewhere between Florida and Missouri.
That’s awesome!! Way to go super dad!
my dad is one of the ggod ones too. when little sister was about one or two she got ahold of my R2-D2 and chewed the sticker off of it. i was crushed because Star Wars was everything to me so dad took a very tiny paintbrush and painted gears and buttons and robot looking stuff on it so i wouldnt kill my sister. it didnt really look anything like the original but he made me feel better. it is still one of my favorite starwars toys that i own.
@@g.todsmith2854 - My father is a gearhead too, and he eagerly tweaked lots of our broken toys while growing up. They were never the same, but playtime still continued for years and years afterwards. It probably saved the lives of my little brothers too.
Jango didn't want boba playing with rockets so he glued boba's to his pack
Victor Wolfrin but bob a fired it it never came out so it blew him up
@@Ks-zv6js No it wouldn't, because it was a plastic one, just like the figure.
Boba Fett finally actually used the rocket launcher in a battle in the Boba Fett Tv series for Disney plus, thus proving how much respect the company has for its fans! Love this video! I miss your Oddities series! You should definitely bring it back someday!
Great episode! I was a child of the 90s, so I missed the first several waves of Kenner stuff, but the Power of the Force line was huge for me, partly because it built upon this legend of the coolest mainstream toy line to exist at the time.
I still have all the variations of that Fett. Whole circles, half circles, the slightly different one that came with the jet pack thing, the one that came with IG-88...
I had a regular Boba Fett toy. He was my favorite Star Wars figure. One day, I went outside and played with all of them. I got the bright idea to throw them up in the air. They all came down except for Fett. I think he got stuck in the gutter of a two story home we were renting the bottom floor of. I was crushed. This is in remembrance of my lost friend.
People can say whatever they want, but my older brother and I had a Boba Fett that fired a rocket. He said it was a mail away promotion. Of course, our mom sold all our star wars stuff in a garage sale in '87 :-(
I live in Cincinnati. I work with a man who was QA at Kenner during the 70's/80's. He told me he threw away dozens of those Boba Fetts.
Well if they can excavate the the ET games out of the garbage dump maybe we can go back and figure out where they dumped all the Boba Fett's
I believe that. Others probably kept them as souvenirs but certainly not thinking they wouldn't be worth anything until Boba Fett was popular and collectors put a value on rejected pieces of plastic which in the day was probably seen as a failure inside Kenner or at the very least a misstep that needed quick damage control with stickers at the same time a relief that there wouldn't be a toy out there that had potential lawsuit written all over it. I think there should have been a class action collector's lawsuit for not producing them. Is it too late lol
I really dig these Oddities videos.
Thanks!
To further muddy the waters, in the early 90s a Philly comic shop called The Earth had permission from Kenner to convert about 200 vintage Fetts into rocket firing versions. A friend ended up with one and thought it was one of those grail items so I did a photo shoot and put out the word. Someone gave me The Earth info and I confirmed it with the original store, which is no longer open. It has the slot, the peg, the spring, but no rocket (not sure if the originals had the rocket, it's been two years since that adventure)
Weird. Never heard or seen that. I am genuinely surprised that Kenner would give them official sanction to do that. I feel like they should have come with some documentation or something. Good to know, thanks!
From reading the link, apparently they may have come with a certificate, but the sands of time can easily separate the two.
I had one of the original mail away white box figures and distinctly remember.......... being pissed off that the rocket didn’t fire.
Now THAT is an accurate shared memory.
same.
Thats my memory of it ..
I had that too... but I remember the box being grey?
Same
I never was much for the vintage star wars action figures except for the primary ones and boba fett was one of them. Thank you posting this key point in the history of S.W. toys, your videos are always very Illuminating. Thank you guys.
Thanks for watching!
Mandalorian Effect
Clonekiller66 damn. I just texted that with out looking first. You win.
That was so smart.. I loved that comment!
Bro. Crushed it with that comment.
Nicely done.
My mom stopped to the Grand Union on our way home from K-B Toys where I bought my very first brand new on the card Boba Fett and I waited in the car for her to come out and couldn't wait any longer for her to come out of the store so I had to open him right there in the car and I'll never forget the smell the figure gave off. It was the best smelling plastic Star Wars figure I had ever owned.
Ah that new figure smell.
I bet it's that totally-real-and-definitely-not-idiotic Mandela effect and the kids in the parallel universe got the pleasure of choking on Boba Fett's missile.
In that universe, Boba is the most notorious child murderer apparently.
Well, the phenomenon is real. Some misconceptions are common enough that people are likely to find other people shared the same misconception. It's just the "alternate universe" explanation for the phenomenon that is off the deep end. The phenomenon itself is just a matter of different people responding to the same set of information and events in similar ways.
Funny thing, it used to be called the 'Mandala effect' because of how it's like reality is folding on itself and we end up seeing another side of it which is ALMOST the same as the others. I think before that it may have been the 'Rorschach effect' but I was two spaces away from that reality.
I don't even collect, but I really enjoy watching your videos
Very much appreciated.
First off let me say that listening to Dan Larson talk about toys is a true joy. Your enthusiasm for the subject is kind of infectious and almost makes me want to start collecting action figures again. Notice I said ALMOST........ but I digress. I just wanted to relate to you guys the story of 12 year old me back in 1978 firing the Viper missile into my mouth like it was the Death Star exhaust port. Thankfully I immediately regurgitated it, but I also remember that it was a life lesson that doing things like that was not a good idea. I realized almost immediately that I had just committed a huge mistake. Star Wars was so new and fresh, and the Viper doing a Trench Run to the closest thing resembling an exhaust port nearby, which was of course my mouth, was just a little bit too tantalizing for my 12 year old brain to pass up. Anyways I hope you enjoyed the tale of my misadventure and thank you again for bringing back so many good childhood memories for me. I would love it if you guys did an extensive video on the Mego action figures. Those are the ones that I hold the dearest in my life and I kick myself everytime I think about the toy stores and five and dimes I used to go to that we're just full of those figures. If only I had a time machine.
Man, it's scary how fungible memory is.
I'm from Cincinnati, and my mom actually used to work for Kenner, before I was born. Because of that, my two older brothers got to take part in some toy testing. Mostly Star Wars from what I understand. They ended up getting a variety of toys out of it, including some random figures, a standard Boba Fett, and a Sandcrawler. They also gave my mom one of those unpainted, L trigger, test figures. They told her it wasn't a normal figure, so she put it away. She quit once I was born. Eventually she ended up giving the toy to me. I had the thing for several years, but I managed to lose it at some point. You can imagine my reaction when I found out years later, how much something like that was worth. lol
OMG!!!!!!!!
Dan, you deserve 3million subscribers!! You are THE BEST toy reviewer! Thank you, keep up the good work.....
And support net neutrality! :D
We''re working on it. Thanks!
Happy Thanksgiving! Love your show and I especially your Oddities episodes. Always fun to watch, keep up the good work.
Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours as well.
I remember being very disappointed when mine arrived. There were rumors that a very few were sent out. I sent out my proof of purchases before they announced that they would be shipping without the firing missile.
I remember another weird fact about Star Wars action figures. When you'd go to the stores all the figures would be down on the bottom of the display instead of hanging. Collectors would come through and yank them off, ripping the slot on top of any one that they weren't buying themselves so other people wouldn't have pristine boxed figures.
A guy at work just the other day swore he had the rocket firing Boba Fett as a kid. I told him they never made it past the prototype process, but he assured me I was wrong. He also informed me that the "Darth Vader with the green lightsaber is the rarest vintage Star Wars figure out there". I didn't even argue with him after that.
I have one. It exists. The issue came from them making several hundred thousand of them, maybe millions, and they didn't get approval to release it. Many were sent out in the mail before release. They didn't want to admit they had sent some out because it wasn't approved yet. When it wasn't approved the toys were destroyed...that is what wasn't sent out. I'll post a video soon.
Where's the video? If they had mailed "many" out, at least a few people would have them today, and that would expose Kenner for mailing them out, and lying about it. But, that's not what history has shown. Nobody has the one they were supposedly mailed in 1978, and nobody ever provides proof when they claim they have one. The only ones we've seen are those in the prototype stage. People that worked at Kenner (Jim Swearingen, Dave Okada, Mark Boudreaux) have said the figures never made it past the prototype stage, and after 46 years would have nothing to lose by saying otherwise. Collectors like Steve Sandweet were there, collecting everything they could get their hands on. They are experts in the field, and say the rocket firing Boba Fett never made them past the prototype stage. Why should we call them all liars, and believe a few people who were children in 1978 that claim to have had one?
Yay. New video. And in evil glowing red background with synth atmosphere
Thanks for keeping the images up longer
Things i hope you eventually cover because of how detailed, funny & overall awesome these videos are:
Oddities - ThunderCats Mad Bubbler?
History of - BraveStarr, Shirt Tails, SilverHawks & TigerSharks?
Likely we'll hit all of those. Except maybe Shirt Tales.
I never had a boba fett action figure but I did have the current style minifigure one a few years ago. And it was fun to play with.
I always wondered if it was real, I remember my cousin saying his friend had one. Thanks for clearing that up Dan. I'm gonna send him a link to this video!
You're welcome.
I think I was 6 or 7 and sitting on the steps by our front door. Just playing with the Star Wars figures. I remember biting off the tips of Luke, Ben, and Vader's lightsabers. I also remember trying to pull that missile out of Fett's backpack and never could. So I know mine didn't fire...but I wish it could have.
Mmm... delicious lightsaber tips.
This story reminds me of how many G1 Transformers fans convinced ourselves that we had actually seen in our friends' possession a blue-and-silver version of the Autobot Bluestreak. The TF toy catalog clearly showed two of the toys, the toy had the word "blue" right there in its name, and friends promised they were getting it or already had it. But it has never been independently confirmed that anyone ever really owned a real blue Bluestreak. That was merely the color of one of the pre-Transformers Diaclone Datsun 280Z Fairlady Car Robo toys that had inspired Hasbro representatives to make the Transformers lines, and which had inspired the imaginations of a whole lot of kids, as well.
I remember getting the mail away figure with an attached note about how it was non-firing and I kept it for many years but after a storage unit theft a few years back (I weep for my unopened Mego Star Trek figures!) I no longer have it. I remember other kids claiming they got a firing one even back then. I think they were just trying to one up their friends and after a while just believed it themselves and it became part of their childhood history.
Sick intro! Has that awesome stranger things vibe.
My vintage Star Wars toy memory: I was born 1976 and when I was 4 or 5 and I was at the neighbors house. They had 3 boys and the younger is about 10 years older. The mom was watching me and offered to let me play with their toys while they were gone. The kids had the Darth Vader carrying case and I was completely mesmerized... Vader REALLY blew my mind...so much so, that I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A CARRYING CASE! The kids get home and start cracking up, because I'm obviously an idiot (or have an insane amount of imagination) bc I'm playing with the carrying case like it's the main attraction. Dude opens this thing and my eyes almost left my head. Suffice it to say, they let me play some time longer (now that I had actual toys to play with.) He had Vader, Ben, Luke, Han, couple of troopers. Fan freaking tastic!
I remember my cousin, who was a couple of years older than I, bringing both the Viper and the Raider to a family Christmas party at my Grandma's house in the late '70s. I was so jealous.
Finally some closure! : )
Most vivid Memory... of course i am old enough to actualy had played with them. Still owning a millenium falcon today. Infact as a kid i realy want to figure out how the rocket gets launched... couse it looks like it would, as you sayd
I remember thinking mine was stuck.
Those are the same people who claim to have watched a 90’s movie called Shaazam in which Sinbad plays a genie, and are able to pass all lie-detector tests with ease.
All while living off that fat prize money from the big Polybius tournament.....
Wasn’t it Shaquille O’Neill, not sinbad?
Bob Newby Superhero Yup. The real movie was called Kazaam.
Now I'm in the mood for a big mac...
Luke I am your father.....even the voice actor has videos stating clearly that that was the line he used and said.
It could be that many who think they had the small one had the 1979 12 inch one that did have a 'useable' grappling hook
SEARS used to carry these in the upstairs toy dept. When time travel becomes common place, go back to the 1980s and verify this.
Oh I'll do it.
You got yourself a deal, I just need some plutonium for my flux capacitor.
This explains why in the Attacktix Line there was so many odd choices with Boba, such as, he has the missile and not Jango, the shape of his gun and so on. It was made to be like to this Boba, at least at first glance
I've seen the prototypes of this figure at well known Star Wars collector Gus Lopez's home. His entire collection is amazing.
I have a few from Singapore. They are recreations, one with the L slot unpainted, one with the J slot painted, and one with the Holiday Special paint scheme. They are great recreations, but the only thing I can see as a problem is that those rockets are incredibly easy to lose. Maybe that is another reason why Kenner squashed the rocket firing feature?
My Fett memory was "Hey why does he have a stormtrooper gun?". 20 years later Lucas steals my idea.
[Nodding approval]
Okay Dan. Here's the thing. I distinctly remember a J-Slot Bobba Fett. Just a mental fact. Unfortunately my step mother gave away every lego, He Man, GI Joe and other toys I put into my storage barn at home. Also, in the other universe, your name is Gary.
I remember a video of Steve Sansweet opening a Japanese Poppy Boba Fett box in Rancho Obi-Wan and stood still for a moment and said: "Wait! There's a firing Boba....! Oh no sorry my mistake :D It was a funny way to make people understand that it was never produce and your video explained very clearly.
I definitely had a rocket firing Boba Fett figure, but, sadly I swallowed both the rocket and the figure. Had I known back then the figure was going to be so collectible, I would have been more careful.
The man's a Sarlacc in disguise! RUN!!!
Mr. Larson, you are very knowledgeable and amazing!
Well thank you.
I have both the OG and 2010 rocket firing Fetts and i love them
You know, it never really mattered to me that the rocket didn't fire. It LOOKED like it should fire, but it didn't really bother as a kid or now. To me it was always just what his jet pack (SCUBA gear) looked like.
Great video! I remember when I had a rocket firing BF figure when I was a kid....... oh, wait.......
Maybe everyone is mixing up Boba Fett with Shogun Warriors. It happens.
I had both those battle star ships - wow that brought back memories
I would love to get my hands on this piece of art and would keep until I die
This makes me think of ALL the treasure hunt Hot Wheels cars that are first available on eBay shipped from Malaysia, Singapore, and/or Hong Kong. Definitely some very empty lunch pails amongst employees at the Malaysian Hot Wheels factory.
That's pretty interesting! I never had Boba Fett as a star wars toy as a kid, but I could've also sworn I knew SOMEONE that had it! The Mandela effect is when a group of people are absolutely convinced into the belief of a collective memory that is in fact false. But how??! The oddities continue...thanks for the episode! Before this episode, I would've still probably sworn under oath I knew a friend who had a rocket firing Boba fett...
Toy Galaxy only deals in facts and sometimes things that I'm pretty sure are true but don't have the time to research.
When I seen the firing mechanism on the Boba Fett it reminded me of a figure a kid had that was my Grandmothers neighbor that do hang out with.
I remember the ad on the action figure package that I had with a sticker across covering a picture of the firing missile. I was kinda upset as a kid because who doesn't want a dangerous toy
There were also standard fetts,that had a loose rocket. When I later ordered the JcPennys & Sears 6 packs & 3 packs,my Boba had a missle that just fell out. I also had a standard Boba,that had the twist off missle like the Lili Ledy one. I had saved all my star wars toys up to 1992. I regret getting rid of them now. Sith Happens-LOL!
great video for Thanksgiving day!
Watch it with a big bowl of turkey.
Remember mail ordering that Boba Fett figure and being disappointed when it arrived that it didn’t fire. Also, about the “fixed” BSG firing missile. The corrected piece was a joke and relatively simple to get to fire. At eight years old I unscrewed the mechanism, took out the missile and filed down the pieces on the side of the missile that made it “unfireable”. Then I just rebuilt it. And I wasn’t the only one who did that I knew how to modify it.
I have never attempted to do that. I think I own 2 or 3 non-firing Vipers and 2 non-firing Raiders. Might have to give that a shot.
Toy Galaxy watch the spring when you take the mechanism apart. Mine few out and nearly blinded me.
Yes it was there is a man in Tenn that once worked for Kenner he cleaned his desk out years ago , later his wife showed him a hand full of Boba Fett prototypes w/firing jet packs painted . There's at lest 4-5 of them in his hands. Then the couple you see in catalogs for $10,000.
so, funny story with the 2010 re-release. it (and the line with the mail away stamps) had a short run of error cards that spelled his name as "bobba fett".
Great post of the Myth of the Rocket Firing Fett. One person has a reward out just to find information on the Kit-Bash version 1 of 1. Another forum owner is adding to a pool of cash for an actual rock firing prototype fett. Also one more comment Brian Rachfal had the most of J and L slot Rocket firing proto / first shot and paint figures with rockets and has documented photos of those. There was a total of 9 in one place. Amazing grail for sure for those of us with a Fettish.
It's the kind of thing that I think is interesting to read about but even if I WERE in the position to be able to afford to purchase one... I don't know that I would spend that much on one piece.
Toy Galaxy I agree with you. For just a bit of the collector in me I had one on the list how ever impossible the price. But after researching him and looking further into the myth I believe a myth is a myth for a reason and a grail is a grail for a reason. It’s awesome to watch your videos of research and information to continue learning. Always be hunting....
I've recently come across this channel and absolutely love it. However, it seems as a lot of videos are made that contradict others. I was just watching the one on the top 10 Boba Fett figures of all time where a 12" figure from 1979 that features a J-slot rocket firing missile was listed. It could be that's what people were remembering. It's just odd to not acknowledge it.
I remember a commercial for..maybe it was Jango Fett with a launcher..but I cannot find that one either. I recall that one somewhat vividly..oh well
The confusion comes from the fact that in dimension XJ-314 that 4 year old didn't choke on the cyclon missile and production moved forward on rocket Boba. However a rocket Boba's missile later killed a child that would have grown up to play a small but pivotal role in averting a nuclear war. The high multiversal registry always merges dimensional universes when one begins down a road of self destruction. XJ-314 was merged into our universe leaving phantom memories in some humans. This is why we also have the berenstain/berenstein and jif vs jiffy peanut butter debates
That Boba Fett toy in the box, showing him facing us and asking, "Shall I bow to you?" The other picture is Boba Fett realizing that the missile went up his ass and doesn't know what to do.
I believe Rancho Obi Wan( Star Wars Collection) does have the original(unsold) version of the rocket firing Bona Fett.
I had a friend who had one Bro. I SWEAR I remember it vividly.
The ebay bit, so shady. Reminds me of peeps who use stock photos when they sell stuff. Any time I list something I use my own photos showing as many angles to show what the product would look like to anyone interested and I attach a sticky note to the table with the date I took the photos
I've got the Macross SDF-1 toy from the original 1984 Robotech toyline. It's clearly from the Japanese Macross molds since it has the Macross logo on the bottom of the 'foot' thruster instead of any Robotech branding. It also has ports on the main cannon that were clearly for firing projectiles, although the mechanism for firing, and the projectiles themselves, are missing. I always thought mine was just broken until I much much later learned about people choking to death on toy rockets, which led to that functionality being removed from Japanese toys like the Macross when brought to the US.
It's quite amazing how your imagination as a kid can affect your memory as an adult and people actually remember playing with this and it doesn't exist.
It seems there were non-firing figures converted into firing ones. And it's also possible that some knock-off toys were released although I haven't heard of any. There were also other rocket-firing toys such as Micronauts around and you could fit a rocket missile onto some figure's back. I've also got a couple of toy guns that fired plastic missiles that were sold in corner stores. Of course back then you could get pea guns that would fire peas, pebbles or small ball bearings using a spring loading mechanism.
Oh man. I had a rocket firing colonial viper. In addition to launching a choking hazard at my face, the cockpit also detached. I also had some kind of BSG vehicle that you could attach the cockpit to. Those were the days.
Just cause Billy chokes to death on a rocket firing Boba Fett, now none of us can have rocket firing Boba Fetts? Thanks a lot Billy!
It wasn't a rocket firing Boba Fett. It was a Battle Star Galactica toy that shot missiles.
Great Stranger Things vibe going on, man!
the opening music reminds me of romero's day of the dead.
WOW So nice video
I remember having one!
I'd like to see someone army build rocket firing boba fetts
A lottery winner you mean?
First of Happy Thanksgiving! And now: the legend of Bobba goes on, so many people I can call BS on them now 😁
My most vivid memory was when my father went resale shopping while I was at school when I came home he had found a handful of action figures including scarlet from gi joe and a boba fett with a chip in his neck I still have him but I’m trying to find a torso so I can boil and pop off his limbs and attach them to a new torso.
oh, but how we tried to remove that immobile red rocket from our Boba Fetts!
Almost... there...
Hahaha ..that thing was NOT coming out of there!!!
Still give it a wiggle now and then 🤔
Loved the vídeo! Make more of this tipe
Also the intro... Reminded me of stranger things
I was the first kid in my neighborhood ..to clip out the proof of purchases from figure packages and mail away for the Rocket Firing Boba Fett in ‘78 (‘79? Not sure) and he arrived by mail in a small brown square box ....
no card ..no packaging ...and no rocket firing ability...the red rocket LOOKED as if it should come out ..but it did not ...
I believe (and this could by my imagine playing tricks) the only thing in the box besides the figure itself, was a small strip of paper with a message from Kenner toys explaining that the Rocket was not operational ....which was a bummer ...but Still very cool as I the first kid on the block to bring a Boba Fett figure to the sandbox.
Lol! No questions asked! Savage AF! 👍✌️
I had a Boba Fett. It always pissed me off because it felt like the rocket should fire, but I couldn't figure out how to trigger it.
I also have that sweater.
Apparently, they've gotten over fears of choking on missiles because lots of toys use them now. I have several ones, even Star Wars ones that fire rockets, even from action figures. The solution was simple: make the rockets thicker and longer.
That seller on Pawn Stars should have taken Rick's offer.
That is awesome
The only rocket firing Fett I seen was an all gray prototype at a convention in the 90's.
I knew that there never was a rocket firing Boba Fett but I did own the rocket firing Cylon Raider before it was modified.
Jason K same... sorta. My brother had a rocket firing viper and when the news stories came out about the choking hazard my dad glued the missle in place.
On the flip side, I remember certain rockets firing well on certain toys and others sucked. My Snake Eyes v.4 would hit my roof, I loved that thing (even if it was a hook, not a rocket).
Yeah the Hasbro 2010 one in this video shot about 5 inches. Very disappointing.
there was a 8" or 12" figure or model kit released in the 80's or 90's that had the rocket that doubled as a grappling hook that had a spring or battery powered winch that would reel boba up walls and stuff. i don't think it was launched but pulled out and hooked to whatever you wanted the bounty hunter to go up. it might have been released by the same company that did the batman and robin, superman and spiderman figures. spiderman and batman and robin had magnets on the feet.
I have a Boba Fett. A kid at school insisted the rocket was removable. I pulled and pulled until it broke.
Yep. I have several Fetts in The Boba Sett with broken rockets. Lots of kids trying to get that thing out.
I remember the rocket looking totally different than the rest of the model and tried pulling it out. Never succeeded but for those that have seen or pulled the rocket out, how was it fastened and what did it look like inside ?
Near as I can tell, it was plastic-welded in and totally not removable.
Cool thanks.
on the bsg toys-all they did was take out the spring,and some were glued into the ships..
i remember the legends of the rocket firing Fett when i was a kid, but never dwelt on it much because he was not my favorite character and i still dont understand the massive Boba Fett fandom. he was a cool looking figure but not my favorite and it was always weird that the missile looked like it SHOULD fire but doesnt. and as a kid that didnt know what the hell a bounty hunter was and that probably hadnt even seen the movie until a few years later because i was poor and my father never took me to see films but waited until they came to cable, i only knew half assed explanations from friends that had seen it. and so for years i actually thought Fett was some sort of special Stormtrooper. all that said im glad the stupid rocket didnt fire because the figure wouldnt look as cool and they would all be missing the dumb rocket and ultimately a lot of them would probably have broken back packs from the hollow of where the rocket used to fit.
ALSO!!!!! i HATE when ebay sellers that have very expensive things cant be bothered to take some decent photos some of the most expensive items i ever took the lunge on had lousy photos or barely any photos. also what is the point of paying a ton for a carded rocket firing Fett, if its carded its back is forever against the back of the card and you cant even see the damn thing anyway much less use it to see if it actually works. same as i dont understand buying expensive still sealed vehicles, that allegedly are still in the box and complete, not that anyone would know since its never been opened or seen.
6:00
Wow, free shipping!
It is crazy. I swore I had one as a kid and then I pulled out all my old Star Wars toys that were packed away in my parent's attic and sure enough, I had just a regular Boba Fett with lots of paint wear. It was the only Fett I ever owned, so clearly I never had a rocket firing one. But it is crazy because I can remember playing with it and launching the rocket at the rebels as they were pinned down behind the pillow from the couch. But apparently that all took place in my mind. How strange. I wonder what else I mis-remember from my childhood.
It's amazing how many people wold tell the exact same story.
@@SecretGalaxyTV Now I am starting to question all of my early childhood memories. Maybe my parents didn't take me to Disney World when I was 6. Maybe it was just my dad pushing me on a swing while some kid walked past with a red balloon at the state fair.
good job
Thanks!
Death by toy is definitely natural selection.
Have you ever done a video on the mail-order Emperor (Palpatine) figure?