Ree is the Magic Number. (Vintage Ree-Yees)
Kenner released around 100 different action figures between 1977 and 1985. I’d be hard-pressed to name one that has a more compelling sculpt, more attention to detail, and just generally more love poured into it than the diminutive Ree-Yees from Return of the Jedi. It’s ironic considering that the character had about 1.8 seconds of screen time!
Got a favorite character that might not be in the spotlight of popularity? Let me know in the comments.
The Rock Bottom Gang. (Vintage Ree-Yees, Vintage Amanaman, Vintage Squid Head)
Essentially a man-sized leech featuring flaccid skin and absurdly-long atrophied arms, the Amanaman creature from Return of the Jedi is a double dog dare in the grotesque. Did I mention his knobby staff decorated with the skulls of his hapless victims? Yeah, well there’s that too. As you can see the vintage action figure in Amanaman’s name adds a nice touch, finishing the weirdness off with a devilish grin.
If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time you already know that the Ree-Yees and Squid Head action figures are perennial favorites. As far as the vintage line of Star Wars toys goes, these two beauties came along at the high-water mark period. Demand was still peaking for Star Wars goodies at this point in 1983 and Kenner clearly sought to keep their end of the bargain, designing toys that offered greater detail and newer features than their predecessors.
But sadly nothing good lasts forever. The Kenner line of Star Wars action figures would be dead (or at least relegated to the 59-cent bin) within 18 months.
Check out the current vintage Amanaman listings here.
Hunting down the vintage Amanaman is pretty straight forward affair. It’s just a figure and a staff, and one can predict with almost 100% certainty that any existing example that turns up on eBay will be in virtually mint condition. It’s true. Neither the figure itself or his staff were actually played with by anyone, ever. The downside is of course that as a member of the ‘Last 17′ crowd, he can be a bit pricey. Be patient. With a little luck and some determination you should be able to snag one for about 50 bucks.
Now there is one twist: Amanaman was originally packaged with a coin by Kenner. If that’s important to you it may add another $25 your total to make it happen. My advice would be to start with just the figure and add the coin later. If you’re unfamiliar with the Power of the Force coins try buying a more common and inexpensive one first. If you find it’s something to your liking then loop back around and get the coin for ol’ Amanaman.
Three-Way Tie for Nasty. (Vintage Ree-Yees, Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage 4-LOM)
Maybe in future Olympics we’ll see some competition for Excellence in Unabashed Depravity. I’m sure I can scare up at least a few likely contenders.
I, Defect. (Vintage Yak Face, Vintage Ree-Yees)
I guess it’s well established that if you’re not lucky enough to have been born human on planet Tatooine, then you are likely really effing strange looking.
Two cases in point: Jabba’s drinking buddies Yak Face and Ree-Yees.
Now no one can contest that these creeps were both turned into great Star Wars action figures. But if pressed to choose I’d say that vintage Ree-Yees is the stronger effort. Color palate, sculpt detail, weapon (ooh – gold!)… all of it stacks up higher with li’l three eyes. So it’s astounding to me that the vintage POTF Yak Face figure remains one of the hottest vintage buys, typically trading at 20 times the dollar amount of the vintage Ree-Yees action figure. There’s rumor that the Yak Face is scarce in number, packaged only in Canada, etc. Yeah, that may be so. But 20 times the dough? Collectors are a spirited lot to be sure.