Star Wars Follies: Don't Eat the Yellow Lightsaber

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  • Опубликовано: 27 дек 2024

Комментарии • 611

  • @ParumPirum
    @ParumPirum 6 лет назад +223

    My theory: The guy in charge at the time was color blind. And very persuasive.

    • @shockzilla0364
      @shockzilla0364 5 лет назад +12

      But then Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi's lightsaber would've been wrong.

    • @gnomewarlord4645
      @gnomewarlord4645 4 года назад +1

      Ya and why would they have had him be the collar person

    • @Grumpy646
      @Grumpy646 4 года назад +7

      It’s a joke guys... unless I’m getting joked on

    • @talkingben7724
      @talkingben7724 2 года назад +1

      @@shockzilla0364 it’s more like color confusion than blind because you can still see color but you get them confused a lot

    • @JRProductions1203
      @JRProductions1203 2 года назад +2

      FACTS!!!!

  • @trans8010
    @trans8010 9 лет назад +220

    There are three plausible reasons for this:
    1. Kenner wanted each figure to have it's own color and used the three primary ones, yellow, blue and red to diversify the saber wielders.
    2. Kenner was working with out dated designs or reference materials and with the shimmering glow sticks used in the trailer being the only source of reference, made all yellow sabers.
    3. Kenner once aware of the final change in color, quickly manufactured red and blue sabers and kept the yellow to prevent shrink.
    This was the 1970's and Kenner was in Ohio. There was no email, and telephone calls and faxes long distance were expensive and not used too often, so communication between the offices of Kenner and Lucasfilm were probably poor. When Star Wars came out, George was certain the thing would flop and didn't care if a toy maker was making inaccurate representations of his characters.

    • @ryanbarker5217
      @ryanbarker5217 8 лет назад +10

      i can see how they could get the colour wrong for ANH given the slower communications channels, language barriers and doubtless poor references they had to go with, but there could be a tonne of reasons we can't even contemplate or are so obscure it might never occur to us.
      maybe luke's sabre was blue because that's the colour the prototype was made in. it may have been a conscious decision someone made for aesthetic reasons. george lucas probably didn't give two shits as long as he got his royalties, as he's famous for supposedly never have read any 'expanded universe' ~ otherwise he might have an issue with a giant green rabbit, eh? it could be a simple production error that somehow went unchecked.
      i like your possibilities, i just wanted to add that there could be a lot more reasons. :)
      for ANH i can see kenner wanting a diversity of colour, and that may be true, though i'm more prone to think that whoever was in charge of that decision simply had far more evidence to suggest a yellow sabre over a blue one. too, in terms of complementary colours, blue would look a bit out-of-sorts with the white and tan (blue's complementary colour is orange, so ben's figure is a far better match). so, the person/s sitting in a meeting had to make a decision, and that was it. well, it's just a hypothetical theory....
      for all i really know, maybe yellow pellets for the injection moulders were on sale. :)

    • @kc6053
      @kc6053 7 лет назад +5

      Good logic man keep cool dude.

    • @AniW2x4
      @AniW2x4 6 лет назад +13

      I think it's also to do with one of the first star wars posters, in which the illustration shows Luke holding a goldish yellow lightsaber aloft.

    • @ybrix101
      @ybrix101 6 лет назад +5

      I myself was always thinking #1 was probably the reason. In the 1990's why Kenner brought back STAR WARS toys, there were some orange toy lightsabers.

    • @riverdealer
      @riverdealer 4 года назад +1

      @@AniW2x4 - I always thought the saber in the original poster was white

  • @LegoJerStudios
    @LegoJerStudios 9 лет назад +189

    Dude U guys totally ignored that in da puzzle Darth Vader had a
    PURPLE light saber!

  • @gannondollins
    @gannondollins 3 года назад +20

    "Kenner was sticking to its crazy pills." This line always gets me🤣🤣😘

  • @jameskennedy4377
    @jameskennedy4377 6 лет назад +25

    You're partially correct on the last-minute switch from blue to green for Luke's saber in ROTJ. Originally, there was a scene in ROTJ that showed Luke (in Ben's former home on Tatooine) putting the finishing touches on a new lightsaber to replace the one he lost in ESB. Luke ignites the saber, then prepares to place it inside R2 (this scene can easily be found here on YT). When this scene was deleted, Lucas worried that the audience would be confused when Luke was shown using a blue saber again with no explanation. So, to make it clear that Luke was using a new lightsaber, they changed the color to green.

    • @CartoonyAndor
      @CartoonyAndor 2 года назад +1

      I always thought the change was so that Luke’s new saber popped against the blue sky of Tatooine.
      Edit: Turns out that’s what Michael said… oh well

    • @samuelgonzalez4035
      @samuelgonzalez4035 2 года назад +1

      I wish Lucas film would have left this scene in the movie watching Luke build a new green light saber was awesome.

  • @thebod1
    @thebod1 11 лет назад +5

    Great video! Back in 1981, I was not happy with the yellow light sabre with Bespin Luke at all. So when I went out to dinner with my family one night, I kept the clear blue plastic sword that came with the cherry in my mom's drink. Snapped off the pirate hilt, a little masking tape, and it fit in Luke's right hand, NOT left, as pictured on the card. I still have it today.

  • @JamesJedi2
    @JamesJedi2 8 лет назад +82

    I saw my dad's old star wars toys, and thats how I got into star wars. And when I saw luke, I asked why he had a yellow lightsaber........ my dad didn't answer.

    • @ybrix101
      @ybrix101 6 лет назад +5

      😆

    • @IStandForTJandTAW
      @IStandForTJandTAW 5 лет назад +7

      My dad’s only surviving figure was a X-wing Luke and I always thought it was just an average rebel pilot until I watched this video.

    • @1980StarWarsGuy
      @1980StarWarsGuy 5 лет назад +7

      I first got into Star Wars when I was 4, And I started collecting half a year later, and when I found out that my dad had most of the Original toys, I asked what happened to them, It turned out that he gave them away to friends that there house burned down and they had no Toys to play with so, He gave away: All his figures, his X wing, his Millenium Falcon, his tie fighter, his AT AT, His Snowspeeder ETC And they didn't take care of them, My dad regrets not waiting until about 20 years later until I was born, cause I'm a Massive Star Wars collector now,

    • @victoriasprance6167
      @victoriasprance6167 4 года назад +2

      I have my Bobby’s Luke figure but no head

  • @brandtidos
    @brandtidos 9 лет назад +57

    The general answer from the SW collecting community is that the lightsaber coloring is a mistake by Kenner. I think the actual answer is a little more complex. George Lucas had originally planned for lightsabers as a practical effect. The "blade" was three-sided rod coated with a retroreflector array (the same sort of material used for highway signs). A lamp was positioned to the side of the prop facing the camera and reflected towards the subject through 45-degree angled glass so that the sword would appear to glow from the camera's point of view.
    The glowing effect was dependent on the rod's orientation to the camera, and during the Obi-Wan Kenobi/Darth Vader duel, they could clearly be seen as rods. Because of this, the glow would be added in post-production through rotoscoping.
    When Kenner toy designers started working on the Star Wars toy designs, they started working with promotional artwork. Luke's lightsaber appears white or golden yellow in the early promotional artwork. I would say this is how Kenner gave Luke his yellow colored lightsaber. Although the film was out in theaters during the time the designers were working, my guess is that Kenner was too far into production (or too cheap) to make any changes. I also don’t think anyone at Kenner or Lucasfilm was expecting the toys to be that big of a hit or to sell as well as they did.

    • @magictricks6138
      @magictricks6138 6 лет назад +4

      Dane Smith This is he correct answer. If you search early trailers, footage and promo shots. The ‘good guy’ lightsabers definitely look white/yellow.

    • @tuskawilla
      @tuskawilla 6 лет назад +5

      Still doesn't explain the lightsaber colors in Empire or Jedi.

    • @anibalconcha6612
      @anibalconcha6612 4 года назад +3

      @@tuskawilla Perhaps in Empire, Kenner was more interested in being consistent with his line of toys and not so much in being consistent with the movie.
      In Return, Kenner may have been wrong about the original trailer in which Luke's lightsaber looks blue.

    • @mikaelschaefer7720
      @mikaelschaefer7720 4 года назад +7

      Everything is correct except they weren’t lazy when the film came out my moms uncle was working at Kenner before passing away in the 80’s said they sent them pictures that were not all great looked white ish yellow so they went with yellow they tryed getting the toys ready for the early bird sets and already had it made and ready for shipping when the movie came out same thing with snagged tooth they had a black and white blurry pic so the cantina got the blue one and is now rare just be glad the vehicles came out so good they only had pictures to go off of this is what I was told by him years ago wish he was still here

    • @e.l.norton
      @e.l.norton 4 месяца назад +1

      ​@@mikaelschaefer7720The only flaw in that story is the early bird certificates weren't even offered until the holiday season AFTER Star Wars was released. They were made available during Q4 1977 (SEPT - DEC). So, they were never trying to make the release of the movie.

  • @illuminotme4261
    @illuminotme4261 6 лет назад +1

    I will say this about Kenner. They sent the "We really do care" paper in most all vintage vehicles. When I was about ten I had a Millineum Falcon that had several missing parts because I played with them religously. I mailed in the parts list of my Falcon and checked off every single part.....the dish, the cockpit canopy, the laser ball.....everything....and I fugured I wouldn't get much. To my surprise they sent me every single part of the Falcon except the main body. I was in shock when the package arrived. The big cover for the back didn't fit my original Falcon perfectly...must've been a new mould. I can tell you they really took care of their customers.

  • @juanc1328
    @juanc1328 5 лет назад +43

    It’s 2019 after TROS, the yellow lightsaber is official cannon now!

    • @ericchung3177
      @ericchung3177 4 года назад +19

      Juan C Yellow sabers were in Clone Wars since 2008 (which is still canon) and in Jedi Fallen Order (also canon).

    • @bluehero-96
      @bluehero-96 4 года назад +8

      Guys, KotOR had it canon since at least 2003.

    • @valthenvega2434
      @valthenvega2434 4 года назад +2

      Luke recently wielded a yellow one in a comic where he faced the slave ghost of the Inquisitor after Empire Strikes back
      So indeed his Kenner lightsaber has become canon... from a certain point of view

    • @turtlebeach_192
      @turtlebeach_192 4 года назад +3

      TROS is no longer canon

    • @JelloBoiGotti
      @JelloBoiGotti 7 месяцев назад

      That’s what I’m saying

  • @AllThatGoodStuff
    @AllThatGoodStuff 9 лет назад +38

    Ah, the first episode of RetroBlasting I had ever watched.

    • @805warriortentwelve9
      @805warriortentwelve9 5 лет назад +1

      this episode was also my first retroblasting video I watched

    • @cybertronnation9247
      @cybertronnation9247 5 лет назад

      I can't remember my first video I watched but it wasn't this one.

    • @1980StarWarsGuy
      @1980StarWarsGuy 5 лет назад

      This and The last 17 were the first Retroblasting video

    • @j06films33
      @j06films33 4 года назад

      Same

  • @Buddygrooveknight
    @Buddygrooveknight 8 лет назад +86

    "Why? Why?! WHY?!!"
    I don't know! Stop yelling at me!

    • @americanfederation8039
      @americanfederation8039 8 лет назад

      BuddyGroove trump

    • @__-iv9dk
      @__-iv9dk 8 лет назад +1

      It's Mike Bruh vote Cthulu 2020

    • @MrRe-pg7fj
      @MrRe-pg7fj 7 лет назад +4

      BuddyGroove WHY WHY WHy!!!!!!????.?.??.. look we care about the toys we make but we are just way to lazy 🍟🍟🍟🍟🍟🍟🍟🍔🍔🍔🍟🍟🍟🍟🍟🍔🍔🍔🍔. 😮🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫💣💣💣

    • @shang6245
      @shang6245 7 лет назад +1

      Mr dank Vader 117 are you a Kenner employee?

    • @shang6245
      @shang6245 7 лет назад +1

      Mr dank Vader 117 Are you from Kenner in Cincinnati Ohio, Kenner St?

  • @mjgg07
    @mjgg07 4 года назад +10

    I think it was an aesthetic decision to match Luke’s hair which is also yellow.

  • @merc880
    @merc880 6 лет назад +1

    in order to have variety i used colored toothpicks with aluminum foil for the handles, or plastic swords used to decorate sandwiches.

  • @vernonwilmervideo
    @vernonwilmervideo 5 лет назад +4

    I first watched this one years ago but I keep coming back to it because it's my favorite!

  • @MrBobert75
    @MrBobert75 9 лет назад +19

    Also to point out why did Vader have a purple saber on the packages?

  • @RustyNugent
    @RustyNugent 10 лет назад +12

    Also, On the Luke figure thing of parents buying you a figure over and over, I don't know about other parts of the country (or world for that matter) but where I lived (Louisiana in the late 70s and early 80s) it would have been EXTREMELY difficult to have gotten main characters over and over again. In all the years I collected as a kid I only saw the main characters the times I got them because they were so popular. Heck, even the normal Imperial Stormtrooper I had one of because I only saw him that one time because everyone wanted him. The Hoth Snowtroopers on the other hand I had seven of. It seems everybody and there brother had multiple of those guys. So any differing variations of Luke, Han, Leia, or popular characters like Chewbacca, 3PO, R2, Vader, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Lando, and so on where very hard to come by unless you lucked out and found them. And when you did you had better snatch them up. Alas, I lost most of my entire original Kenner collection in Hurricane Katrina that my late mother had bought me most of. I still have a few pieces though. :(

  • @optimustj0447
    @optimustj0447 5 лет назад +10

    I think they did this so that the 3 figures that came with the lightsaber gimmick would have their own unique sabers

  • @cerethpainting6606
    @cerethpainting6606 6 лет назад +1

    As much love as I have for vintage Kenner, that is one place where more current figs sometimes really shine.

  • @klemmensenpf
    @klemmensenpf 8 лет назад +2

    If you look at the classic Ralph McQuarrie artwork, Luke does have a yellow lightsaber when facing Darth Vader. Although in the same drawing Vader has a blue lightsaber. It could be the color of Luke's lightsaber was sourced from that drawing.

    • @MrAvenger1975
      @MrAvenger1975 10 месяцев назад +2

      Stormtroopers also carried blue lightsabers.

  • @robdrabkowski2708
    @robdrabkowski2708 4 года назад +1

    I always hated how the original slide-out sabers looked like candles with that flimsy little "wick" on the end. No matter how careful you were, the "wick" always ended up bent.

  • @theoriginalstarwarsdan
    @theoriginalstarwarsdan 12 лет назад +6

    This hurts my head, I really never thought about it before!

  • @javiercetina
    @javiercetina 9 лет назад +8

    I know I'm wrong now, but when I saw Star Wars in the theater back in 1977 I could have sworn that Luke had a yellow lightsaber. I grew up baffled for decades. And to confuse me even further, my first 2 Star Wars action figures, (which I still have today) were Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi. This was a great video, if you're in the mid 40's, the yellow lightsaber is iconic to every Star Wars fan!!!

    • @ericsonofjames4573
      @ericsonofjames4573 4 года назад +1

      I could swear in the original version of Star Wars, Luke’s lightsaber was almost white. They definitely made it more blue with all the “upgrades”.

    • @razorfett147
      @razorfett147 2 года назад

      Yea. Lukes saber definitely got more blue as Lucas tinkered with additional subsequent re-releases of the first film. My first viewing of SW was on HBO just after Empire released, and his saber definitely seemed more white than blue.
      Vader's saber, meanwhile...got more reddish over time (originally it had a faint pinkish hue)
      Seems like Lucas' legacy of constant fiddling with his finished works caused most of these continuity casualties

  • @lostonwallace1396
    @lostonwallace1396 7 лет назад +4

    As a kid I always thought that lightsaber colors depended on the personalities of the wielder. For instance, if Vader held Luke's saber, the color would change to red. I have no idea why Luke's figure had a yellow saber, but it never bugged me. It still doesn't. I've always chalked it up as artistic license on the toy maker's part. I was always more concerned that the lightsabers had those little car aerial stems sticking out of them, and didn't have the correct shape. That concerned me far more.

  • @SSGTStryker
    @SSGTStryker 6 лет назад +5

    The scary thing is I remember all of this vividly. From 1977-1984 I owned literally every piece of Star Wars memorabilia. All of this is totally true. Of course I don’t own any of it any longer and now I’m spending time and money to rekindle this stuff.
    I live here in the Cincinnati area, which is where Kenner was based and have contacts I could track down to find out definitively why. Also, check out Netflix’s “The Toys That Made Us.”

  • @The_Gallowglass
    @The_Gallowglass 10 лет назад +4

    The second wave of Star Wars toys after the movies were remastered were the best.

  • @RadToys66
    @RadToys66 10 лет назад +13

    Vader's saber looks a little purple on the packages for the figure and lightsaber toys

    • @Jonny-xq5cb
      @Jonny-xq5cb 6 лет назад +2

      Anderson Reviews 345 I wold say it was more magenta

  • @cybertronnation9247
    @cybertronnation9247 5 лет назад +4

    Definitely one of the biggest mysteries with Kenner!
    Maybe just as mysterious as the Imperial Dignitary being rubber stamped for production!

  • @worldwideinterests1
    @worldwideinterests1 4 года назад +1

    This was awesome, and spot on. The saber thing has drove me nuts for about 40 years now, and I love that you looked at all the different and wildly inconsistent merchandise.

  • @epictoyetic2322
    @epictoyetic2322 7 лет назад

    I will watch Star Wars Follies over and over again.

  • @zoar1979
    @zoar1979 11 лет назад +2

    Your videos are amazing! Make me laugh and remember great memories of an 80's childhood filled with great toys!

  • @mikeottonahrgang8456
    @mikeottonahrgang8456 9 лет назад +7

    As far as I can remember Luke had a yellow light saber in one of the early Comic books that were released to that date in the eighties

    • @raytheshredgod6987
      @raytheshredgod6987 9 лет назад

      Oh maybe that's why he has a yellow light saber but Star Wars came out in 1977 ?

  • @jartladder15
    @jartladder15 4 года назад

    I don't know why but this video came up on again on my playlist, but I can't get enough of it..still one of my favorite vintage SW videas!!

  • @gobotimus8449
    @gobotimus8449 9 лет назад +5

    In the fight with obi-wan and vader I see a bit of yellow when they swing their lightsabers around

  • @youpooper1234567890
    @youpooper1234567890 11 лет назад

    So glad this channel's out there! I love 70's and 80's toys, but wasn't around back then. Thanks guys!

  • @TheRealSkreegle
    @TheRealSkreegle 3 года назад +1

    the funny thing is that now luke has a yellow lightsabe inbetween ESB and RoTJ in new canon

  • @pac1la
    @pac1la 5 лет назад +1

    One of the most interesting Star Wars videos I've seen, mind blown! Great work!

  • @shannonedge9386
    @shannonedge9386 8 лет назад

    I have 5 Luke's with their original yellow sabers and 7 Vader one MOC all but one have their original red sabers! Great video Michael. Love the Kenner SW stuff you do!

  • @anionhero
    @anionhero 5 лет назад +3

    Honestly, I never even gave a thought to what color the light sabers were.

  • @CMB76
    @CMB76 11 лет назад

    Love your videos. I have been re-collecting my entire vintage collection and your videos have been a great inspiration and learning tool. My personal opinion is that when these toys were initially released, they guys in charge just didn't think kids would notice or care. I'm sure they had no idea the huge success and phenomenon these films and toys would become. It never really bothered me, and still doesn't.

  • @guszilla6806
    @guszilla6806 4 года назад +1

    Oh man the last 30 seconds of that video was funny as all hell thank you

    • @guszilla6806
      @guszilla6806 4 года назад

      And since the video has been made have you ever had someone come forward with the answer if so you should make a follow-up to this video

  • @Discodog666
    @Discodog666 10 лет назад

    Retro Blast is the best! I love all of these videos, thanks!

  • @FADE_FROM_VIEW
    @FADE_FROM_VIEW 10 лет назад

    Wondered about this for years..... had bespin luke and was so gutted when he turned up with the yellow saber. finally resolved when I got the ROTJ luke with the green saber in 1984, which I'm proud to say that at 35, I still own with complete accessories thanks to a careful mother... great video!

  • @lesserz6310
    @lesserz6310 7 лет назад

    The old "The Force" Lightsaber at the end. I've got the handle, the long red plastic blade broke off of it. That brought back memories.

  • @therex4663
    @therex4663 3 года назад +2

    Ok so maybe the people at Kenner wanted to make the light saber yellow so it would look like it’s being hit if you look at the movies wher the light sabers hit they turn yellow so that’s my theory

  • @Discodog666
    @Discodog666 10 лет назад +1

    I especially like the lightsaber debacle. It has been forwarded to many Star Wars fans.

    • @aquarius5719
      @aquarius5719 9 месяцев назад

      It is heartwarming to be able to have these debates instead of the usual Internet ragebait.
      And they say fans are toxic. 😂
      May be they refer to the toxicity of the trash compactor.😂

  • @hank203
    @hank203 6 лет назад +2

    Easy fix! I used those colored toothpicks. My gampy has a bar in the living room stocked full of any color I needed. Just a little scotch tape for a handle and BZZZZEEEWWW! 🗡

  • @gorryman
    @gorryman 3 года назад +2

    This goes deep

  • @charlenegabaldon737
    @charlenegabaldon737 4 года назад +2

    Has anyone noticed that on bespin Luke from Kenner he has a lightsaber on his thigh but he also comes with a lightsaber accessory

  • @TheWarriorsFromHell
    @TheWarriorsFromHell 10 лет назад +5

    alright i'll accept this challenge. i think you need to look up a lot of the theater posters for star wars that depicted a he-man looking luke with shocker yellow lightsaber, or the original novel that printed before the movie hit theaters, or even the marvel comics in which all light sabers were red, and as the series progressed what color wasnt used. it wasn't simply kenners mess up, but lucasfilm as a whole, and if anyone remembers the back story on "splinter of the minds eye" geogie wasn't expecting the movie to go very far originally,

  • @kunstsein
    @kunstsein 8 лет назад +1

    Regarding your remark at 0:28, why would one go insane over the existence of humans? I don't understand what you are trying to say at all. hm

  • @GarrettMillerauthor
    @GarrettMillerauthor 3 года назад

    Very well done. As a life-long fan I never connected those dots.

  • @tardiscommand1812
    @tardiscommand1812 2 года назад +1

    Maybe Luke's saber was supposed to be yellow in the movies and Lucas changed the colour at the last minute. Kinda like how he went with the green saber in rotj, so it would stand out more on the desert planet.

  • @pigeon-man
    @pigeon-man 4 года назад

    Cool video,watching this again after a long time!

  • @brycevo
    @brycevo 4 года назад +1

    Yellow lightsabers are so classic. It was probably from set photos of the yellow reflective material used for filming

  • @THEBLACKROYAL007
    @THEBLACKROYAL007 5 лет назад +2

    This hilarious that Luke skywalker with the yellow light saber was my first Star Wars toy! I took it to school in the second grade and my teacher took it from me and kept it in her desk for the rest of the school year n when she finally gave it back the saber was missing and I had to use a tooth pick as the light saber I was beyond pissed !😤😇🤴🏿True story and I always wonder why the hell was it yellow! Thanks for clearing it up ! I had several others that you mentioned in this clip! If I didn’t have it my brother had it! My child hood was amazing ! Dude explain this at the end of rise of the skywalkers the saber Rae keeps was Yellow!!! 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔Like wtf u just reminded me! MY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

  • @bluesnagg
    @bluesnagg 12 лет назад +2

    You can always make a second video! LOL! It's great that someone has noticed the whole yellow lightsaber problem. Interestingly, Hasbro has given a yellow lightsaber to a Plo Koon figure in 2001, before AOTC came out, which only established green, blue, purple and red sabers only.

  • @Wolf459
    @Wolf459 12 лет назад

    Thoughtful yet fiercely maddening. Well done, sir!

  • @bryanhoolahan5427
    @bryanhoolahan5427 3 года назад +1

    You know what.. I am 48 years old and had all these figures when I was a kid and only just now realised this was a problem, why did I not notice! Thank god I only just found out really, I only have few decades of outrage rather than a lifetime

  • @mattpee
    @mattpee 12 лет назад +2

    Always bugged me too! Thanks for bringing this up. But, you went to Target in 1983?

  • @1dbanner
    @1dbanner 6 лет назад

    The John Berkey artwork on the cover of the original Star Wars novelization also gave Luke a yellow lightsaber, so that's another layer to this mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma inside a Wampa cave inside a trash compactor.....

  • @MartinFutter70
    @MartinFutter70 4 года назад

    Brilliant title for a wonderful rant on the quest for the answer to Luke's length 👌

  • @JamesKenobi1138
    @JamesKenobi1138 11 лет назад

    Fantastic video, very fun to watch. I had always heard Kenner made the sabers different so kids would know they were 2 different sabers. I do agree that I think originally Kenner was going to give Ben the yellow one, probably based off airbrushed production photos, but later changed to reflect the actual movie. I hope this mystery eventually gets resolution. Looking forward to new videos.

  • @ZombieSlayersNation
    @ZombieSlayersNation 12 лет назад

    This is hilarious! Nice video, retroblasting. This is gold!!! Or, yellow :)

  • @Tinytraveler
    @Tinytraveler 10 лет назад +1

    This was the first of your videos that I watched and its what made me subscribe and sign up for your sight. I love the passion, keep at it!

  • @TurtleTrackin
    @TurtleTrackin Год назад

    Toothpicks colored by markers made all the lightsabers my toys needed. Everyone had a lightsaber in my 1-2nd grade re-enactments - Luke, Han, Chewie, even random "Bespin guards." And colors varied.
    The real mystery is - why did the heads always come off? My mother had perfected the art of using a pin and her cigarette lighter to melt and "weld" the head back to the shoulder stump. It made them shorter, and they were singed around the collar.

  • @josey6877
    @josey6877 10 лет назад +1

    Great video ! Luke bespin was one of my favorite figures but yes the yellow saber threw me off a bit also they gave Luke yellow and then switched it brown hair ....

  • @joncarroll2040
    @joncarroll2040 10 лет назад +8

    If you look at the second scene where he's using the lightsaber aboard the falcon it looks much more green than blue.

    • @CaptainArrrgh
      @CaptainArrrgh 9 лет назад +4

      Jon Carroll I think it was put on a non lethal setting for that scene, since he was training.

    • @skymoonwalker8158
      @skymoonwalker8158 7 лет назад

      Jon Carroll or maybe Cyan, which is a mixture of green and blue

    • @idunno...someguy3252
      @idunno...someguy3252 7 лет назад

      I'm pretty sure you're looking at the 2004 DVD release, because other releases look correct (blue).

  • @Daldi564
    @Daldi564 8 лет назад +1

    you know it's funny nowadays that yellow Lightsabers can be seen in various media. The most recent appearance as far as I know is in the Star Wars Rebels episode Shroud of Darkness and I find it ironic that nowadays it appears more than Green Lightsabers in televised media

  • @jartladder15
    @jartladder15 5 лет назад

    Re-watching this..really brilliant. A youtube hit. Great points on the contradictory Ben Kenobi photos too. The world will never know.

  • @riverdealer
    @riverdealer 4 года назад +1

    THANK YOU!!! I've been looking for months to prove I saw a blue lightsaber for Luke (ROTJ)...
    Possibly the reason for yellow is similar to the ROTJ error...Kenner may have been going on notes from Lucas and he intended on a light colored saber for Luke but it probably didn't show up well while filming and rotoscoping...
    I believe Lucas changed Luke's saber in ROTJ from blue to green so audience would know it was a different saber than the one from the one in the first 2 movies

  • @adinmickle282
    @adinmickle282 10 лет назад +2

    The original prop sabers in ANH were spinning rods with a reflective tape on them. They reflected a white-ish yellow. Lucas didn't intend to have these blades animated over, but they ultimately were. At times you can see a misty white surrounding the animated sabers in the film. That is the reflection of these blades. Is it possible that Kenner had this early un-animated saber footage, and this is the basis of the yellow saber. Luke, being the hero, maybe was produced before Kenobi. By the time they got to making Kenobi, the decision had been made to animate the sabers blue?

  • @Chalor.
    @Chalor. 5 лет назад +2

    3:32....now Luke is all of a sudden left handed, okay.
    And at 4:55, Luke's lightsaber hilt is on their belt..so what are they holding??

  • @scissorman9569
    @scissorman9569 5 лет назад +1

    All that Lucasfilm had to do for Luke wielding a blue lightsaber in rotj was to film the sail barge at sunset to the blue blade would contrast against the orange sky.

  • @pensacolian211
    @pensacolian211 3 года назад +1

    My theory, maybe the yellow plastic was a cheaper alternative than the blue. Kenner's thinking was probably that most kids are just going to lose the accessories anyway, so does it really matter what color it is? I mean I still have a bunch of my toys from when I was a kid, but I have very few accessories, and of those scarce few for the most part I don't have a clue which figure they originally belonged to.

  • @equusamans
    @equusamans 2 года назад +1

    The whole messup of lightsabre colours is even funnier considering that in German "Kenner" means expert or authority (in a given field). Seems like they didn't live up to their name, they weren't an expert at all.

  • @articusramos808
    @articusramos808 3 года назад

    I remember how the build your own lightsaber was the lens and how, the green gave off a yellow tint, unless you use both blue and green.

  • @jeffschiddel8453
    @jeffschiddel8453 6 лет назад

    I like the fact that star wars lightsaber toys make u buy a kit where u can build your own lightsaber.

  • @rictusmetallicus
    @rictusmetallicus 10 лет назад

    We used tooth picks too. We painted the with felt markers. Red for evil, green and blue for good.

  • @trevorthomason2077
    @trevorthomason2077 7 лет назад +1

    When Kenner had the early bird figures certificate drawings and kenobi has a yellow light saber

  • @crockerjarmen
    @crockerjarmen 12 лет назад

    Fun video. It's interesting to see the evolution of the packaging over the years. I love people who notice all the little details; like these inconsistant lightsabres.

  • @edb.1577
    @edb.1577 6 лет назад

    Luke's blaster from Jabba the Hutt was one that he force summoned from a nearby Gammorrean Guard. It's funny that Kenner never elected to have "survival kits" available for weapons and accessories. One such kit could've included extra Luke lightsabers of every standard color. Kenner made a survival kit mail away offer with 5 proofs of purchase of figures when Empire strikes back came out that included gas masks for the Falcon space slug landing scene, a Jedi backpack to hold Yoda in, Hoth soldier backpacks and extra weapons..

  • @fransaacs
    @fransaacs 3 года назад

    I grew up with Greg Hildebrandt's poster and Howard Chaykin's Marvel movie adaptation. I spent way more hours studying that artwork than I ever did watching the movies. Seeing Luke wield gold, yellow, white, pink or red light sabers was confusing but something I could accept* and certainly no stranger than seeing his movie saber shift in color from white to cyan to pale blue depending on the picture quality, scene, broadcast source or age of the print.
    *This childhood confusion about light saber color was how my dad explained the concept of artistic licence to me. In hindsight pretty cool move.

  • @VioletGrey
    @VioletGrey 11 лет назад

    That Lewis Black comment; my wife and I use it all the time. One of the best quotes ever.
    As for the lightsaber issue; I think it was just a matter of marketing at first. They wanted to establish Luke as a wholly separate figure easily visibly different from the rest. It makes sense for color coding; Ben is Blue, Vader is Red and Luke is Yellow. No; it doesn't jibe with storytelling but Kenner's job wasn't to tell a story. Kenner's job was to sell toys, so whether or not it matched up with the film didn't matter. Now the 12" figures came out after the 3.5" but they still wanted to maintain a sense of marketing separation. They may have begun producing figures with the same color coding but decided to flip Ben and Luke's sabers now embracing the idea of matching the film but only within that figure line, the original mandate of yellow sabers for Luke still standing into the Empire line. Since Kenner would have had a majority of the control over the design and marketing of the figure line reps from Lucas didn't have the power to mandate a change during the run for something as, "meaningless" as a mis-colored accessory; a situation that was likely rectified when Lucasfilm took greater control into the years of Jedi and beyond.
    This is all GREAT speculation based on what I know of how lazy a company can be with licensed material that isn't tightly quality controlled by licensor.

  • @Chalor.
    @Chalor. 5 лет назад +2

    You forgot to mention that Luke used their lightsaber to open up that hatch on the A Tee A Tee.

    • @jean-paulaudette9246
      @jean-paulaudette9246 4 года назад

      And, he also used that grapnel-launcher, which was issued with the Hoth-gear Luke (mentioned in this video as 'a wierd-looking rifle')

  • @auditect950
    @auditect950 11 лет назад +3

    Plo Koon's Phantom Menace Action Figure also has a Yellow Lightsaber.

  • @KnowYourVideoGames
    @KnowYourVideoGames 6 лет назад +2

    I know this is an old video. So, you might already have the answers. Kenner agreed to make Star Wars toys just a few months before the movie was released. Initially, Kenner was provided with just set shots, many in Black and White. Or images missing the special effect. For example, images from the light saber dual where missing the rotoscoping. Images of the creatures where mostly just a head shot. So, Kenner had to guess at many things. After a design was done, the toy with the color scheme had to be submitted for approval from Lucas Film. Kenner submitted yellow Lightsabers and Lucas approved. Once the color was submitted to the factories in China, it was difficult to change the color. This is why; in order to make changes to a toy, a new prototype had to be developed with the new colors. Then they had to be re-submitted to Lucas Films for approval. This usually took weeks. After lucas re-approved changes, in the 70's and 80's, someone would actually have to travel to China to make the changes. Then, a production version would have to be re-submitted to lucas for final approval. This is how we ended up with a taller Snaggle tooth. Time was the issue, Kenner was trying to get toys out as fast as possible.

  • @zietgiestnewspeak6143
    @zietgiestnewspeak6143 Год назад

    I used colored toothpicks for my Kenner collection to correct this situation. I had them packed away in my Darth Vader carrrry case!
    Thank you mom and dad!

  • @jachariah4694
    @jachariah4694 4 года назад

    1:27 holy crap wow, I didn’t even grow up with that toy but I’ve seen it for as long as I can remember and only now did I realize it should be blue

  • @xineohpinakc264
    @xineohpinakc264 4 года назад +1

    More than likely it started out with the factory already having yellow plastic in the molding machine from something else and offering Kenner a small deal if they let them use yellow so they don't have break down the machine fully to clean it for another color.

  • @ReynoldsReviews
    @ReynoldsReviews 4 года назад

    Extremely interesting and funny video Michael, so much info in there I didn’t know, and yet this mystery is no clearer!! It’s something I’ve often wondered about all the Luke figures, keep up the good work my friend 👍

  • @willku9000
    @willku9000 2 года назад +1

    I find it interesting that by the time of The Prequels, Clone Wars, And the sequel trilogy, Yellow Lightsabers are now Canon. I think Rey has one by the end of the Rise of Skywalker

  • @finishin.my.coffee8780
    @finishin.my.coffee8780 4 года назад

    I had one of those yellow lightsabers. I got it at Child World in Medford, MA. The "light" part would screw onto the handle and it made a weird wind howling noise when I'd swing it through the air. I always questioned why it was yellow but I figured it was meant to be green and they just screwed up the color a little.

  • @denofthenerds3201
    @denofthenerds3201 9 лет назад +10

    You think that's bad? Look at all the silly additional accessories that come with the new TFW action figures.

  • @PanzerIV1976
    @PanzerIV1976 4 года назад

    Memories 🤩😍 I love these vids

  • @herbie747
    @herbie747 7 лет назад +2

    What I also never understood was why did the first batch of Kenner lightsabers come with a skinny wick on the end? They look nothing like in the movies.

  • @benjaminjude12
    @benjaminjude12 6 лет назад +2

    OMGOSH THIS CHANNEL WAS THE FIRST CHANNEL I GOT INTO AND THIS WAS THE FIRST VIDEO I EVER WATCHED!! I wanted to do toy vintage toy reviews but was afraid of getting bullied

  • @charlesnowell9594
    @charlesnowell9594 3 года назад

    Star Wars was the first movie I was allowed to see that was not "G" rated Disney. I was 5, and was I instantly obsessed. I still have my misspelled "Darth Vadar Lives" button they gave out as we left the theater. It remained my favorite movie for decades. I remember vividly, that in the original theatrical release in 1977, Luke's saber WAS yellow. Both when Ben gives it to him, and when training with the floating remote on the Falcon. I actually wondered, when I saw Empire, why he suddenly had a blue one.

  • @mws755
    @mws755 7 лет назад

    Back in those days Kenner went out of their way to distinguish the figures from each other. Bespin Han Solo had jet black hair and brown boots to separate his looks entirely from the original 1977 figure. I believe It's the same with the sabers. Kenner wanted to distinguish between the sabers Luke and Ben used and gave Luke a saber color that would match his hair

  • @newwavepop
    @newwavepop 12 лет назад

    as a toy collector this is exactly the type of frustration over details i am glad i seldomly notice. i hear people arguing over things like the fact that an empire vader or fett was packed as a return vader and fett, and i for the life of my dont know what they are talking about.