Star Wars Mail-Away Early Bird 4-Pack Featuring Luke Skywalker with Double Telescoping Lightsaber CAS 70 (Kenner, 1977).

Description

Star Wars Mail-Away Early Bird 4-Pack Featuring Luke Skywalker with Double Telescoping Lightsaber CAS 70 (Kenner, 1977). The story of modern action figure collecting begins here. When Star Wars exploded into theaters in May 1977, Kenner was caught flat-footed, with no toys ready for retail shelves. Their ingenious solution was the now-legendary Early Bird Certificate Package, a mail-away promise that would deliver the very first action figures into children's hands by early 1978. Those who mailed in their certificates received a plain white shipping box containing four figures - Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 - and promotional paperwork advertising the upcoming 12-back line. It was a marketing gamble that not only worked but redefined the toy industry, cementing Star Wars as the template for character-driven merchandising for decades to come. This particular Early Bird set carries even greater significance as it includes Luke Skywalker with the coveted Double Telescoping Lightsaber. Only the very first run of Early Bird Lukes were fitted with this fragile two-piece saber, which featured an inner filament that extended beyond the standard yellow blade. Quickly abandoned by Kenner due to production costs and breakage concerns, the DT saber has become one of the most iconic and pursued variants in the entire hobby. Its presence here confirms this as one of the earliest shipments of the Early Bird offer, a time capsule from the dawn of Star Wars toy history. Graded CAS 70 (true grade 71.8), this example presents with subgrades of B70 W85 F80. The Early Bird set is more than just a collectible - it is the genesis point of Star Wars toy history and, by extension, the foundation of modern pop-culture collecting itself. Adding to its importance, the inclusion of a DT Luke elevates this example into elite company, bridging the worlds of prototype-era fragility and retail production. For serious collectors, opportunities like this are rare: it's not simply a boxed set of toys, but a historical artifact that represents the exact moment when a blockbuster film became a merchandising phenomenon. Owning an Early Bird with DT Luke is akin to owning the first heartbeat of the Star Wars toy line - the point where a galaxy far, far away first entered our homes.

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