After what seems like far too long of a writing period, I finally finished and published my first Star Wars reference book, entitled SWNZ Guide To Toltoys NZ Vintage Star Wars Action Figure Cardbacks. The book is written to complement similar content on the SWNZ, Star Wars New Zealand website, but includes a lot of new material and photos.

The guide book is a comprehensive guide for collectors and fans of the Vintage Star Wars action figures and the cardbacks they were packaged on, that were released specifically in New Zealand during the Original Trilogy era (1977-1983). This is a topic that I have been researching for decades, but my passion for which really goes all the way back to my childhood when I was already collecting and archiving the packaging materials my Star Wars toys came in.

It can be purchased via Amazon. In fact, in its first week after publishing, it became the no.1 Bestseller in its category on the local Amazon site.

New Zealand/Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0473706458
United States (affiliate link):
https://amzn.to/4bRWAIH
United Kingdom:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0473706458
Rest of the World:
Search SWNZ Guide on your local Amazon site.

The cardbacks of vintage Star Wars action figures are a big part of the vintage nostalgia phenomenon, with their bold logos and famous chrome “racetrack” border. These packaging items are, in fact, often seen as collectibles in their own right. During the early years of Star Wars mini-action figures, when many licensed Star Wars toys were being bought into New Zealand by Toltoys NZ Ltd, imported figures were sometimes packaged on locally printed cards in kiwi factories, resulting in unique collectibles that differed from the rest of the world.

This unofficial guide introduces the history of Star Wars in New Zealand, and covers the relationship between Toltoys NZ Ltd and its United States and Australian counterparts. A chapter is dedicated to each of the main categories of New Zealand Star Wars action figure cardback packaging, including Star Wars Toltoys Logo cardbacks, New Zealand 21-back, 32-back, and 48-back cardbacks, with 90 colour photos to illustrate key features and differences from the Star Wars packaging seen in the United States and elsewhere. Includes detailed info to help you identify and collect Toltoys NZ cardbacks, with a full character/cardback matrix, along with new photos of very rare specimens.

The post I wrote a Book – Guide to Toltoys NZ Star Wars Cardbacks appeared first on Villa Varykino.

The vintage Toltoys NZ Star Wars 48-back action figure cardback is one of the rarest and most interesting New Zealand-specific collectibles from Toltoys. There have been a number of NZ-specific vintage Star Wars cardbacks (we have written comprehensive articles about them on the SWNZ, Star Wars New Zealand website), but the 48-back is the only one that specifically mentions Toltoys NZ Ltd.

The New Zealand variant of the Empire Strikes Back 48-back is a truly unique design that stands out in particular because of the white box on the rear where the barcode would normally reside, which bears the text “Marketed in New Zealand by Toltoys NZ Ltd under license from General Mills Creative Products Pty Ltd Australia”. It also has a distinct white circular space for retailers to write in the price, where the proof of purchase is found on US cards.

In addition to being very slightly wider than US cards, other distinguishing aspects include the matt finish of the printing on the rear of the cardback, small radius corners, and an unmistakable, flat-based peg hanger hole. The cardback is otherwise similar to the US ESB48A, promoting the Scout Walker, Rebel Transport, Tauntaun, Wampa, and Mini-Rigs.

Footnote: we first wrote about the Toltoys NZ 48-back cardbacks on the SWNZ website back in February 2006 (Internet Archive link). Since then, we have added a lot more research and content about the products and history of Toltoys NZ – check the list of articles out here.

The post Vintage Toltoys NZ 48-Back Figure Cardbacks appeared first on Villa Varykino.

Excited to receive this 1983 Return of the Jedi jigsaw puzzle in the post last week, generously donated by a friend clearing out their collection. It completes my set of three in a series of ROTJ puzzles, made in New Zealand under the the Creative Crafts brand, which was a General Mills company that had a relationship to Toltoys NZ back in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

It’s a simple puzzle, very similar to Return of the Jedi jigsaws released overseas, but I’m a sucker for vintage collectibles that were made locally, and denote their country of manufacture on their packaging, even if they were just kiwi versions of international/US products.

You can read more in the SWNZ, Star Wars New Zealand article about the Creative Crafts and Toltoys Star Wars range in New Zealand.

The post Return of the Jedi Jigsaw Puzzle (NZ, 1983) appeared first on Villa Varykino.

This jigsaw puzzle of Luke Skywalker in a classic Tatooine scene is an early collectible from, as the wear and tear of the box suggests, 1977. Toltoys (NZ) Ltd was a local New Zealand company that manufactured and/or distributed many Star Wars toys in NZ in the late ’70s. Some of their product was quite unique, and even occasionally exclusive to the NZ market, so I’m a avid collector of Star Wars toys that feature the Toltoys logo.

The post Luke Skywalker Jigsaw (Toltoys, 1977) appeared first on Villa Varykino.