Star Wars was nearly not produced with the Palitoy logo in the UK!!!

[Clawrence]

Are you sure that Chad Valley logo is vintage? When I googled it..all I got was a bland black and white logo with no design.

This box is from the early 70's...and they changed the font of the logo a little later I believe.

 

[Palifan]

Interesting thread about what could have been and for my money I think the Denys Fisher logo looks to be the best of the non Palitoy bunch. Maybe it's just because it's the familiar one to me but it looks to be a better balance with the rest of the card.

Glad it was Palitoy though as that one really is the best although you have to wonder how we would all feel about it if they had gone with one of the others.....hard to know if it's the design or just the memories that makes that Palitoy logo so special.

Ian

 

[spoons]

Interesting stuff, I'd not seen the Chad Valley logo before and only remember the name from labels on soft toys - including my vintage Sooty :lol:

 

[Lee Bullock]

i remember Dave Tree unearthing the info on this - to my knowledge the original licencee that was earmarked was Denys Fisher NOT Chad Valley. We have to be careful of anecdotal "evidence" based on 38 year old memories.

 

[Andyclarke]

i remember Dave Tree unearthing the info on this - to my knowledge the original licencee that was earmarked was Denys Fisher NOT Chad Valley. We have to be careful of anecdotal "evidence" based on 38 year old memories.

Hopefully now that Vectis have asked the ex employees to go back and dig through their records we may discover some interesting surprises. It does sound plausible though but I agree they could easily be getting confused with Denys Fisher. Do we know when the Luke and Leia Denys Fisher dolls changed to Palitoy as that could also be a big tell? The decision could have been made around that point.

 

[Simply Sci-fi]

I can only think of two Chad Valley Star Wars items – the Electronic Battle Command Game and the Slide Projector.

I expect that Palitoy did not want to release them and just like other rejected Star Wars items (large size action figures, model kits, etc), their affiliate companies scrabbled to pick up the crumbs.

 

[David Tree]

It does sound plausible though but I agree they could easily be getting confused with Denys Fisher.

The toys were already released in the UK be the time of the acquisition, I don't understand why we keep coming back to it? :?
The only thing that comes remotely close to it are the toys were included in the 1980 Chad Valley trade catalogue, I can only guess this is where there might cloud memories. However it is known that Denys Fisher were expecting to distribute the line for the UK within the General Mills group.

Do we know when the Luke and Leia Denys Fisher dolls changed to Palitoy as that could also be a big tell? The decision could have been made around that point.

Denys Fisher officially ceased on 31st of December 1979, a day later The Palitoy Company was officially formed with Palitoy and Chad Valley as the two main divisions. I dare say it was from this point the change over happened.

 

[David Tree]

I can only think of two Chad Valley Star Wars items – the Electronic Battle Command Game and the Slide Projector.

I expect that Palitoy did not want to release them and just like other rejected Star Wars items (large size action figures, model kits, etc), their affiliate companies scrabbled to pick up the crumbs.

Same here, there might be some other smaller products in trade price lists, but would need to dig them out, but yes you're right Craig, the general feeling from the other divisions within the group that I've spoken to is that they were given token scraps.

 

[_Lee_]

Fantastic bit of news Andy. I look forward to future info. It would be great to see if these guys remember seeing carded Palitoys being assembled/packaged at Coalville from the word go

Chad Valley do still exist, allbeit under a new ownership and miles away from the vintage lines. Think it must have been resurrected at a latter stage.

As for Mr Chad Valley-sounds like a porn name that Grant would use

Oh, and by the way Palitoy made some other non SW stuff. Do you guys think that Star Wars is the be all end all...all the cool kids had pocketeers

 

[_Lee_]

Yep, there exists somewhere a thread, either on RS, Imperial Outpost or maybe even here from around 2008/2009 ish where I broke that it was Denys Fisher that was the intended distributor within the Palitoy Company originally. I posted up quotes from an interview with the former head of Denys Fisher. The company was geared up for the distribution after the success of Six Million Dollar Man and needed something to replace it quick. They were massively put out when it was 12" and model kits. Lee Bullock might remember where I posted it?

I remember that thread Dave. There were some great threads on your old forum IOP.

 

[David Tree]

Oh, and by the way Palitoy made some other non SW stuff. Do you guys think that Star Wars is the be all end all...all the cool kids had pocketeers

Get yourself Gobbler, in the days before political correctness, I was told by the marketing manager for Pocketeers there was a deliberate innuendo on the packaging instructions

 

[David Tree]

Yep, there exists somewhere a thread, either on RS, Imperial Outpost or maybe even here from around 2008/2009 ish where I broke that it was Denys Fisher that was the intended distributor within the Palitoy Company originally. I posted up quotes from an interview with the former head of Denys Fisher. The company was geared up for the distribution after the success of Six Million Dollar Man and needed something to replace it quick. They were massively put out when it was 12" and model kits. Lee Bullock might remember where I posted it?

I remember that thread Dave. There were some great threads on your old forum IOP.

Was it IOP? I can't remember, but knew it was somewhere. IOP wasn't mine though, was it Mike Lennon who owned that?

 

[spoons]

Looks like Argos thought Chad Valley made Star Wars too. I just found this 1980 catalogue on the web

 

[sith-smith]

Ah, the good ol' MB Star Bird! 8)

 

[jedisearcher]

Late 70s/early 80s was a golden age for toys wasn't it.

 

[spoons]

Late 70s/early 80s was a golden age for toys wasn't it.

Amen!

 

[andygo]

Star bird command base !! Awesome I had the Starbird Avenger as a kid, never had the command base though and always wanted it as it was similar to the Palitoy Death Star Cardboard toygasms all round !!!!