Kenner’s “The Force Lightsaber” Was Supposed To Be So Much More…

[Captain Dunsel]

I had the yellow, green, and red versions of Kenner’s “The Force Lightsaber”, when I was a kid. This was a cheap toy that used a very basic “windflow” setup to make noise, as the saber was swung, and lacked any sort of electronics.

Evidently, the toy was originally supposed to be sooooooo much more:

Original detail for the product from the 1980 Kenner Catalog:

 

[Bloop]

Ah, remember when electronics required "D" batteries? I haven't used a "D" cell in decades.

Reminds me that I made my own lightsabers as a kid, using the tubes that go inside golf club bags as dividers for the clubs. They used to come in clear/translucent plastic, so when I saw them in the sporting goods section of a department store, I immediately thought "lightsaber!" I dressed as Luke from ROTJ for Halloween and spray painted the tube green, adding a Luke-style hilt. I think I tried lighting it with a flashlight, but I don't think it woked too well, so I don't recall if I scrapped the idea. I guess this was my first "replica" prop.

 

[OzReturner]

I have 2 of these. You have to swing them pretty fast and violently to get any noise at all out of them. Like "swing in such a fast, gigantic arc in the house to hear the noise and destroy lamps" type of speed. If you were trying to emulate a battle with a friend, you just hear plastic tubes clattering. The hilt looks pretty good for a toy of the era, though. Just way too big.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I have 2 of these. You have to swing them pretty fast and violently to get any noise at all out of them. Like "swing in such a fast, gigantic arc in the house to hear the noise and destroy lamps" type of speed. If you were trying to emulate a battle with a friend, you just hear plastic tubes clattering. The hilt looks pretty good for a toy of the era, though. Just way too big.

The large hilt size makes sense, now, given the electronics it was originally supposed to contain.

 

[Solos blaster]

A friend of mine had both of these when we were kids. They were sun faded from being left outside that you could barely tell which was which. I think we broke one trying to “make the blades removable” and then didn’t do that for the other.

We’d roleplay for hours running around either as Luke and Han with lightsabers or as two unknown Jedi Knights being hunted by Vader.

 

[blewis17]

We’d roleplay for hours running around either as Luke and Han with lightsabers or as two unknown Jedi Knights being hunted by Vader.

...and this is what Star Wars was REALLY about...