As a kid, I remember getting the Ewok Village playset and thinking that it was all I would ever need in life to feel fulfilled. I have no idea how I acquired this extremely cool toy (there is a BBQ fire pit for roasting anyone you want), as the playset came out the same year as Return of the Jedi—it was 1983, and I was three years old, and just maybe this was prime choking material. A few years after the film’s release, though, it entered my life, as well as a deep, reverent love for all things Star Wars.
And then, you know, the other sequels came out, and that’s another story entirely.
The toys served as a point of entry for my childhood obsession, and walking through the Valhalla that was Toys “R” Us in the 80s was pure, uncut kiddie cocaine, and any display of Star Wars-anything brought on the kind of shameful, covetous behavior that would make my own children blush, and usually, a few tears. And no, the Ewoks weren’t just a “bunch of muppets,” though I did drink that Clerks-related kool-aid for many years.
