To understand the Star Wars holiday edition action figures, you first must look to Lucasfilm’s Star Wars holiday cards back to 1977. Lucasfilm began sending its corporate Christmas cards that year after Star Wars had already established itself as something entirely new. The chosen card did not feature a Star Wars theme, but the following year it featured R2-D2 and C-3PO outside a store Christmas display, illustrated by concept artist Ralph McQuarrie. Flash forward to 2002, and Hasbro made a play to release a limited edition action figure set for the holidays featuring the droid duo based on a McQuarrie Lucasfilm card from 1979, with R2 sporting antlers and 3PO in a Santa suit–all in snow globe packaging.
The most famous of these figures came the next year–Yoda as Santa Claus with toy pack, based on a McQuarrie card from 1981 (in 2013 this would be re-released as part of Gentle Giant’s awesome 12-inch retro series of action figures, shown above). The year 2004 saw two holiday Jawas (beware Jawas bearing gifts?) and an off-theme red Darth Vader in 2005, followed by a new dressed up droid-a-year from 2015-2019. But in 2020 the world needed holiday Star Wars action figures, and we got eleven of them, all as retailer exclusives. The next year saw four in four-packs and a single–all droids again. Last year was nuts, with 23 variant holiday figures, including figures that were included with six-packs and two-packs.
In 2023 Hasbro is bringing you thirteen holiday action figures, and many are available for pre-order now. If you’ve ever been after Star Wars action figures, you already know you need to shop early. All but one of the holiday exclusives are in Hasbro’s 6-inch Black Series, with one from the Vintage 3 3/4 line–Chewbacca in his Life Day outfit from the Star Wars 1978 Holiday Special. It doesn’t have an official release date yet, but look for it around Life Day–November 17, at ShopDisney.com.
If you want to see the rest, including Salacious Crumb, take a look below, along with links to see where they are available for pre-orders now. But first let’s start with a great Halloween action figure available now.
Get your very own Spooky Wookie. That’s this Wookie and a “Bogling.” Just in time for Halloween, it includes a pumpkin themed treat bucket based on the ice cream maker that find its way throughout the franchise movies and series. This was released last year but is still available. A stormtrooper in skeleton suit and a Porg were also released last year, but are sold out (or keep watching here at Amazon).
It has beskar-wrapped candy bars! One of the greatest Star Wars toys ever released, and the best accessory, it’s available right now here at Amazon.
Now on to the 2023 Christmas holiday figures:
How about a red coat Jawa and Salacious Crumb, looking very much himself (maybe a bit green)? An Entertainment Earth exclusive, you can pre-order it here.
How about Star Wars goes Nutcracker? Get that with a mash-up of a Purge Trooper in red toy soldier suit, along with a cute MSE droid to guide his way. It’s also available at Entertainment Earth as an exclusive. Find out more about it and order one here.
Keep checking at Amazon here for the re-stock of the blue Mandalorian and his Anzellan friend (the guy voiced by Jon Favreau in Solo: A Star Wars Story was one of these).
Hasbro Pulse has a Yeti Ewok with a Porg as Christmas gift. Find it at the retail website here.
This Snowman Snowtrooper and interrogation droid is expected to arrive at local shopping stores, along with this Short and Tall team K2 series and BD series droid pack:
But don’t stop there.
Don’t forget about last year’s holiday figures. Right now you can order a two-pack of holiday figures adapted from The Mandalorian: Santa Grogu and a Biker Scout in red holiday sweater with a Nerf gun as accessory. Get it here at Entertainment Earth or here at Amazon.
You can’t pass up last year’s Abominable Wookie and Porg, still available here at Amazon.
This next duo from 2022 is labeled as a generic Protocol Droid, but it might as well be a gussied-up C-3PO, complete with holiday scarf and BD droid. You know you need this for the holidays. It’s still available here at Entertainment Earth and here at Amazon.
And there’s this Stormtrooper and MSE droid, still available here at Amazon.
If any of these become sold-out, think outside the box. How about this red R2-SHW droid? It’ll look great in a Christmas stocking. Find it here at Entertainment Earth.
Sometimes these figures go up in value. Just have a look at this holiday Range Trooper here at Amazon, this holiday Mandalorian and Porg here, or this Snowtrooper and Porg here.
Even more Star Wars holiday themed items are available at Entertainment Earth here, everything from Funko Pops to backbacks and tree ornaments. Earlier Star Wars holiday action figures pop up from time to time here at Amazon.
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
