This is the Star Wars cantina you’ve been looking for

Mos Eisley Spaceport, where you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. But it’s all because of that Tatooine cantina, where Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes first played John Williams’ boppy theme. And if you were a kid in the 1970s, you remember eagerly awaiting the next Christmas catalog from Sears and JCPenney. You probably saw the Star Wars Cantina Adventure–a set only available at Sears via the 1978 catalog. It was a cardboard diorama, but it had one thing no other playset would have–a tall Snaggletooth in a blue outfit. This figure, along with a Jawa in a plastic cape and the rocket-firing Boba Fett would be the stuff of neighborhood legend. The original Star Wars Cantina Adventure can fetch more than $1,000 these days in perfect condition.

From a new Hasbro announcement this week, Entertainment Earth is now selling a new version of Star Wars Cantina Adventure as part of its Vintage Collection to tap into your nostalgia vibe. Find it here at Entertainment Earth, in stock and shipping now according to its website, and at a discount off its price currently listed here at Amazon. It’s the same scale–for 3.75-inch Kenner figures–but the figures are designed to look more realistic than its Retro line. Walrus Man has his orange long-sleeved jacket and swappable hands, Hammerhead has a blue hoodie, Greedo has a holster, and Snaggletooth is in blue with silver boots. Like the original, the set includes a cardboard diorama, four individually packaged action figures, and accessories.

Compare this to the original Sears catalog advertisement and box and see if this is one you need…

Most parents and buyers saw that the playset was just cardboard and skipped the Sears version. Here’s the box art from 1978:

Instead a far more popular plastic cantina arrived in neighborhoods across the world. It did not include the action figures, but it was also sturdy enough to remain intact nearly 50 years later. It was called the Creature Cantina Action Playset, and it had a swinging door and levers for Ben to swipe Walrus Man’s arm and for Han and Greedo to re-enact the famous “who shot first” scene:

This is the catalog ad for the Sears exclusive in 1978, “if you stop at this cantina, watch for strangers”:

Here are more Hasbro images for the new Star Wars Cantina Adventure, and its included figures:

Note: Gentle Giant released a separate version a few years ago scaled for its 12-inch figures. It consisted of a large cardboard diorama only.

This is the cantina you’re looking for. Order the Star Wars Cantina Adventure now here at Entertainment Earth, including the four carded figures and cardboard playset, currently listed at $74.99.

Also, you can check out a new Darth Vader TIE Fighter for the same scale action figures here.