Archives: Ponda Baba
Red.
Given the mania surrounding the blue Snaggletooth action figure, the more prevalent red version is often overlooked. To my eyes he’s up there with the best of the vintage lot, and definitely one of my childhood favorites.
I Am The Walrus.
Of all the vintage Star Wars action figures, the Walrus Man (a.k.a. Ponda Baba) was probably one of the worst attempts by Kenner to nail down the likeness of a character in the original Star Wars film. Of course nostalgia rules the day and for that reason I still love that figure. But really — he had bright blue limbs, an orange tank-top jumper, and fins for feet. This didn’t come close to resembling the nasty drunk that gets his arm butchered by Kenobi in the Cantina. Kenner eventually redeemed themselves with a gorgeous redesign of Ponda Baba for their mid-1990’s POTF2 line as shown above.