WICKET W. WARRICK 2023 Remake of 1984 Figure
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney 6-Pack
Item No.: No. F6988
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Hood, spear, plus Mon Mothma, Yak Face, Emperor's Royal Guard, Gamorrean Guard, and Admiral Ackbar
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $72.99
Availability: November 2023
Appearances: Return of the Jedi
Bio: Star Wars Retro Collection includes Star Wars action figures from the 40-plus-year legacy of the Star Wars Galaxy, including movies and live-action series. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!
Commentary: When I was very small, I was given a lot of
Star Wars figures. One of the first ones I remember chasing down was the very first release of
Wicket W. Warrick, who was "NEW!" and one of the figures near the end of the original line. Figures were usually $2-$3 in the old Kenner days, unless you went to somewhere like Long's Drugs, where they were a whopping
$5. My parents never let me hear the end of how much more he was there, but we got it, and I don't remember seeing a lot of him ever since. This probably made me an incredibly cheap collector, because when you get right down to it a buck or two is nothing compared to what you might spend on gas (or today, shipping.) But I digress - this was a figure I absolutely loved as a kid, and the new version is the same, but different.
He feels different. The original toy's hoods were much softer and more rubbery, the new one can bend but feels more like plastic. The materials Kenner used back in the day were very distinctive, so it's clearly a different feel. The spear is also different, the details are a little botoxed-out and it feels a smidgen more waxy. Overall the accessories both look good enough, but are colored just a bit differently and any toy dealer worth his salt can look at them and see at a glance (or touch) they're not the originals. And that's the way I like it.
The figure is good, but different. I prefer the original deco - Hasbro didn't paint Wicket's nose quite right, so he looks a bit more like a koala and less like an Ewok. You can see in the pictures that an original Wicket had the whole nose painted, while the new one missed some of the sides near the face. The detail are darker and seem a bit glossier with lips that look less like lips and more like make-up. The brown plastic is also darker, but these are things you're unlikely to notice unless you're seeing them side-by-side or have a close personal relationship with an original that dates back to the days where you were much shorter than you are now.
If I were Hasbro, Wicket is absolutely one of the figures I would want to reissue - as a kid I was about the heroes, aliens, and droids - and this one is much cheaper than an actual original. If money is no object I'd steer you to the genuine article, because while the retro one is good it's just off enough that it would bother me. But again, this is one of my favorites from when I was a kid and I adored
Return of the Jedi toys like no others. If you didn't have one as a kid, this reissue is probably going to be just fine - it's not identical, but it shouldn't be. Time has passed, and clearly something has been lost in translation over time with how to do old-style figure sculpting. But it's close, and for what you get in this set for the price I didn't hesitate to buy it. Even though I had five of the six figures, it's like a new thing and for all I know these will be the last-ever
Return of the Jedi Kenner figures I'll buy for the rest of my time on this planet. (If Kenner's reading and wants to do more, I'd be happy to see Lumat or Paploo again.)
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse, who seem to have sold out days after shipping. Check ShopDisney for availability too.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 3,097: January 9, 2024
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