Wanted: Star Wars Celica, last seen 1977 (or maybe 1990s?)
December 10, 2015 7:49 AM   Subscribe

We've all seen weird merchandising attached to blockbuster (or would-be blockbuster) movies, but that sort of thing used to be much rarer before George Lucas famously haggled the merchandising rights for Star Wars away from 20th Century Fox in exchange for a lower director's fee and made gazillions. Forty years later, "Star Wars" has been slapped on virtually anything you can think of, including a 1977 Toyota Celica that was the prize in a nationwide sweepstakes held after the movie had become a huge hit.

The Star Wars Celica has since vanished. The company that made it went belly-up after its main investor was busted for smuggling hash oil, and no records seem to exist of the winner. The only clue to the Star Wars Celica's is a tantalizing recollection by Lucas Films employee Steve Sansweet:
But sometime around the late 1980’s or early 1990’s I was reading my Monthly issue of Antique Toy World when my eye was drawn to a small black and white ad at the bottom of a page. There it was—the Star Wars Toyota—being offered up for sale by the original owner, who said it was in great shape. Here’s the killer: the asking price was just $1,000.I remember being transfixed and started thinking how I could possibly buy this primo piece of promo history.
And now, screenwriter/producer Dean Shada is searching for what might be the rarest Star Wars memorabilia of all.
posted by Etrigan (31 comments total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 


Serial Season 3
posted by Rock Steady at 8:03 AM on December 10, 2015 [12 favorites]


The company that made it went belly-up after its main investor was busted for smuggling hash oil,

An appropriately 70s way to implode.
posted by emjaybee at 8:15 AM on December 10, 2015 [6 favorites]


"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought."
posted by dances with hamsters at 8:24 AM on December 10, 2015 [8 favorites]


I had a '76 Celica which I loved but those '70s Toyotas started rusting out about fifteen minutes after they left the showroom; I wouldn't be surprised if the Star Wars car turned into a pile of iron filings by the early eighties.
posted by octothorpe at 8:24 AM on December 10, 2015 [2 favorites]


It's not a bad looking car, but I think the biggest question beyond locating it is whether its paint design has held up over the last few decades. While at least Dodge/Fiat/Jeep/Chrysler have marketing deals with Star Wars, they really haven't produced any "Star Wars" packages. I know there's a stormtrooper variant or something of the Dodge Charger, but they're not all that distinctive and imaginative in my opinion. I'd like to see some more radical packages.
posted by Atreides at 8:25 AM on December 10, 2015


Ford has a Darth Vader Focus.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 8:43 AM on December 10, 2015


Movie studios hate this one stupid trick!
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:28 AM on December 10, 2015


"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought."

Yeah, if my memories of 70's-era Celicas are accurate, the thing's probably a rusted-out hulk by now.

(on preview, memories verified by octothorpe)
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:34 AM on December 10, 2015


Ford has a Darth Vader Focus.

Ah. One step closer to my dream of owning a Ford Aero-Death-Star!
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:09 AM on December 10, 2015 [1 favorite]


Ah. One step closer to my dream of owning a Ford Aero-Death-Star!

I've always wanted a fridge magnet of a Geo Storm so I could have a Geomagnetic Storm.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 10:11 AM on December 10, 2015 [3 favorites]


Speaking of rare old Star Wars memorabilia, I have in my possession an odd thing that was associated with Return of the Jedi. It is an Anakin Skywalker action figure that was only procurable via a cereal box-top mail-in promotion shortly after the movie came out. I was just a kid when it arrived after 6-8 weeks, and my mom didn't want my brother and I fighting over it, so she just put it away. It's still in its original little plain cardboard box, with an insert advertising other figures available.

I've tried a few times to find this specific item for sale online so I can get an idea of its value, but without success.
posted by Hot Pastrami! at 10:28 AM on December 10, 2015


Nice, but I'd much rather have a Star Trek Pontiac Trans Sport.
posted by bbuda at 10:33 AM on December 10, 2015


Speaking of rare old Star Wars memorabilia, I have in my possession an odd thing that was associated with Return of the Jedi. It is an Anakin Skywalker action figure that was only procurable via a cereal box-top mail-in promotion shortly after the movie came out. I was just a kid when it arrived after 6-8 weeks, and my mom didn't want my brother and I fighting over it, so she just put it away. It's still in its original little plain cardboard box, with an insert advertising other figures available.

I had that! I remember being really excited for it because it was Special and Rare and Limited Edition. Then it arrived and I immediately decided it had no play value whatsoever. None of my Star Wars scenarios called for Old Man Anakin. He was eventually executed by firework in the runup to the 4th of July.

On the other hand, the GI Joe special edition mail-order William "Refrigerator" Perry figure w/ football jersey uniform and iron-football-mace weapon... now there was a Special and Rare and Limited Edition toy you could get some fun out of.
posted by the phlegmatic king at 10:37 AM on December 10, 2015 [7 favorites]


Ah. One step closer to my dream of owning a Ford Aero-Death-Star!

Ooh, how about a Dymaxion Death Star!
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:54 AM on December 10, 2015


Then it arrived and I immediately decided it had no play value whatsoever. None of my Star Wars scenarios called for Old Man Anakin.

Yeah but when you wanted your action figures to have The Old Curiosity Shop adventures he was pretty clutch.
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:00 AM on December 10, 2015 [3 favorites]


I have in my possession an odd thing that was associated with Return of the Jedi. It is an Anakin Skywalker action figure that was only procurable via a cereal box-top mail-in promotion shortly after the movie came out.

Dis guy? $90 for an unperfect one.
posted by rhizome at 11:11 AM on December 10, 2015


Hot Pastrami!: " It is an Anakin Skywalker action figure that was only procurable via a cereal box-top mail-in promotion shortly after the movie came out."

I ordered one of these and they were all out of them. I wound up getting a coupon for a free figurine and an Emperor Palpatine figure as a replacement.
posted by boo_radley at 11:26 AM on December 10, 2015


Rust-out is not so much of a thing on plenty of the planet. #saltfreeroads My summer neighbor has a sweet '78 in the mountains, still plenty jake. My '79 was rust free after 15 years (but oh, the dashboard and the spirit of the engine was no match for my neglect) That said I expect thsi sweet bit of memorabilia is the lair of a Dianoga by now.

Repros are hot business these days. Looks like the collector's market is still there: spot searches showing going for +$12K!! I have no idea what custom work goes for, seems like you could own almost this car for less than $20G. I mean, who cares about the original? Sure, it has a story, but wouldn't a 2015-fresh one be that much cooler? Of course it would be. It has a story too! See you at Barret-Jackson!!
posted by Ogre Lawless at 11:38 AM on December 10, 2015


I grew up mostly in central and south Florida, and saw quite a few rusty Celicas. Variable quality control, maybe?
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:01 PM on December 10, 2015


This was my first car. Not the Star Wars one, but a '77 GT. I loved it for years and am sure I could've driven it for many more had I put oil in it that one time.
posted by hypersloth at 12:18 PM on December 10, 2015


rhizome: Dis guy? $90 for an unperfect one.

The figure looks similar, possibly identical, but mine came from the cereal company in a plain little opaque box, like a cardboard coffin. At the time it was "exclusive," but perhaps they later released the same figure in retail packaging. You can't see it, but I'm shrugging in an exaggerated fashion.
posted by Hot Pastrami! at 12:20 PM on December 10, 2015


Many people are asking if branding has gone too far with regard to the Star Wars memorabilia/products?

To which I respond: “I will not be your father.”
posted by Fizz at 12:56 PM on December 10, 2015


That doesn't even make any sense; the text should be reversed so one can read it from the inside.
posted by Mitheral at 1:24 PM on December 10, 2015


High concentrations of midichlorians just eat right through latex anyway.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:25 PM on December 10, 2015


boo_radley: I ordered [the limited edition Anikin] and they were all out of them. I wound up getting a coupon for a free figurine and an Emperor Palpatine figure as a replacement.

We sent off for one and got two in the same padded envelope. Blew my little eleven-year-old mind, but it probably means I got yours by accident, sorry.
posted by AzraelBrown at 2:16 PM on December 10, 2015 [1 favorite]


It's amazing how carpet-bomb marketing has converted me, in just thirty-two short years, from someone who sat and watched ROTJ twenty-nine times in the movie theater and made an audio recording of it so I could listen to it over and over and recite every single word and noise into a guy who hates everything about the Star Wars "franchise" at expert-level Grinchiness.

Hell, I even used my R5-D4 as one of my first gay sex toys, but sheeeeeeeeeesh.
posted by sonascope at 3:31 PM on December 10, 2015


She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid.
posted by entropicamericana at 3:34 PM on December 10, 2015 [2 favorites]


The 77 El Camino was the Millenium Falcon of cars.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 4:46 PM on December 10, 2015


The Star Wars marketing machine backed up by the Disney marketing machine is blowing my mind right now. I was a nerdy kid in 1997 when the Special Editions were released, and my nerdy friends and I were not exactly lauded for our obsession with them. Fast forward to today, and my daughter owns two girls' Star Wars shirts (that aren't pink!!!!) that I purchased at J. Crew. J FREAKING CREW. And I just saw that Forever 21 released a bunch of Star Wars stuff too! I've never really been a hipster, but come on, I liked this stuff waaaaaay before it was cool.
posted by olinerd at 6:47 PM on December 10, 2015




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