In the spirit of the Toy Hunter Cincinnati show tonight, my meager stash is safe...hard to get it flat on the scanner (scanned through the clear plastic cover) - ca.1977
I few months after the release - we had reference shots for everything by then and had all seen the movie several times...I've been trying to find a print of the first pre-release packaging cut I worked on, where they told us that the big ending involved a space station that looked like a giant grey ball with lights all over it - pretty descriptive huh? We had a good angle shot of an x-wing fighter but that was all.
Funny! If I heard in 1977, that a sci-fi movie was coming out and the climax involved blowing up a big grey ball, I'da said "forget it, I'll save my 3 bucks". :-)
BTW, how old were you when you did this? 25? Less?
I'm sorry I missed the show . I hope they re-broadcast it. That's a really fantastic illo! I wasn't sure at first if this is just something you collected or created. Created? —amazing job, John!
We had one of those cases when I was a kid. Of course, who knows where it went.
I suspect it was sold at a garage sale many years ago.
Did you do many other illustrations for the early products?
Back to the show, one thing I thought was interesting was the focus on boys toys except for Care Bears. I had a Bionic Woman doll complete with her bionic hair salon. They only showed Oscar and Steve... (Bigfoot also was not mentioned)...
some finished art - a disco-themed Bionic Woman backcard was one that I hope NEVER appears anywhere. Lots of assorted Kenner stuff over the years; the most interesting were toys that either never got produced or only out for a while - a line called Mega-Bugs was pretty cool and fun to work with, and we abused a prototype of Gobbles the Goat most grievously - ransom notes and x-rated Polaroids and all...
That is a great illustration! Troy sold one of those cases 10ish years ago.
ReplyDeleteTroy was just explaining that the Boba Fet figure was legendary and that is it went for $17,000.
Did you do the illo before or after the movie came out?
ReplyDeleteI few months after the release - we had reference shots for everything by then and had all seen the movie several times...I've been trying to find a print of the first pre-release packaging cut I worked on, where they told us that the big ending involved a space station that looked like a giant grey ball with lights all over it - pretty descriptive huh? We had a good angle shot of an x-wing fighter but that was all.
DeleteFunny! If I heard in 1977, that a sci-fi movie was coming out and the climax involved blowing up a big grey ball, I'da said "forget it, I'll save my 3 bucks". :-)
DeleteBTW, how old were you when you did this? 25? Less?
I'm sorry I missed the show . I hope they re-broadcast it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really fantastic illo! I wasn't sure at first if this is just something you collected or created.
Created? —amazing job, John!
thx Chuck - long ago and far, far away :)
DeleteWe had one of those cases when I was a kid. Of course, who knows where it went.
ReplyDeleteI suspect it was sold at a garage sale many years ago.
Did you do many other illustrations for the early products?
Back to the show, one thing I thought was interesting was the focus on boys toys except for Care Bears. I had a Bionic Woman doll complete with her bionic hair salon. They only showed Oscar and Steve... (Bigfoot also was not mentioned)...
some finished art - a disco-themed Bionic Woman backcard was one that I hope NEVER appears anywhere. Lots of assorted Kenner stuff over the years; the most interesting were toys that either never got produced or only out for a while - a line called Mega-Bugs was pretty cool and fun to work with, and we abused a prototype of Gobbles the Goat most grievously - ransom notes and x-rated Polaroids and all...
ReplyDeleteThis is great, man! Lol, I can't imagine. What was that experience like?
ReplyDelete