The "vinyl cape" Jawa action figure is one of the earliest Star Wars holy grails. Initially, Kenner planned to release 12 small-scale (3 3/4") action figures for the Star Wars line starting in 1978, and the Jawa was the last figure planned for that first release.
During the early years of the Star Wars figure line, characters with cloaks were made with vinyl capes for their Kenner likenesses. Examples include the Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Tusken Raider, and Darth Vader figures. Following this pattern, Kenner had also planned to issue the upcoming Jawa figure with a vinyl cape, and early production runs of the figure were produced in this style. However, it was soon determined that the Jawa with this cape would not have enough appeal, and Kenner switched to a cloth cape that remained with the Jawa figure until the end of the Star Wars line in the mid 1980s.
The vinyl cape version of this figure is so rare that most areas of the United States only received the cloth cape variety in their initial distribution. The vinyl cape Jawa was featured on early Kenner brochures and literature, so many kids who were eagerly awaiting their next Star Wars action figure were aware of this change.
Finding an authentic loose vinyl cape Jawa today can be quite a challenge since so few were produced, and the secondary market is flooded with many fakes due to the relative ease of matching an original (more on that below). But finding the vinyl cape Jawa "on card" (sealed in the original package with plastic bubble still attached to the figure card) is even more exacting.
"12-backs", the name given to the first style of packaged Kenner figures for the initial 12-figure run, can fetch hundreds of dollars in mint/near-mint state. The vinyl cape Jawa is a few orders of magnitude more scarce than the typical 12-back figures, so the carded version of this Jawa sells for several thousands of dollars when found.
Loose fakes of this rare figure are common and difficult to detect. The crudest examples are constructed using the vinyl cape from a Ben Kenobi figure. Some less adroit counterfeiters actually use the same arm holes and merely trim down the cape! The original Jawa capes have a different color (less red than the Ben cape) that closely matches the color of the plastic used for the Jawa figure. The vinyl used for the Jawa capes are softer than the vinyl used for the other 12-back figures. Additionally, one side of the Jawa's cape has a grid texture not found on the other vinyl figures. Unfortunately, unscrupulous U.S. creators of fakes are aware of all these traits and have closed the gap between authentic and fake vinyl cape Jawas. The best bet for finding an authentic loose example of this rare figure is through buying one that is proven to come from an original loose figure collection.
The extremely high value of carded samples of the vinyl cape Jawa also attracts fraudulent pieces that are sold on the secondary market. In addition to all the criteria for evaluating that the actual figure and cape are authentic, there are additional factors to evaluate the packaging. Original vinyl cape Jawas were only released using a very specific plastic bubble that was never used for any cloth cape version. This bubble has a small flat rectangle covering the figure's body with a notched base that sticks out further from the card. There are several resources online that illustrate the real vs. fake bubbles. Beyond the shape of the bubble, it's important to check that the card has not been resealed or reprinted. For high end vintage collectibles like this, it's advised to always buy from reputable dealers.
There are even foreign versions of the Jawa with vinyl cape. The rarest is the Canadian 12-back issued by Kenner Canada. The packaging features bilingual text on the front and back, and the figure itself has the same features as the U.S. counterpart. The bubble is identical to the one found on the Kenner U.S. 12-back. Considering that Kenner Canada items were produced at about 10% the levels of Kenner U.S. toys, this makes the Canadian 12-Back version the rarest example of this figure.
Authentic loose vinyl cape Jawas have turned up in England and Germany, although no carded samples are known to exist from these countries. An Empire Strikes Back vinyl cape Jawa figure has been reported in Australia, and there is some controversy surrounding the authenticity of this figure. Longtime Australian collectors believe that the vinyl cape Jawa variant from Australia is different than those found in North America (due to cape color and texture differences) although with all Star Wars figures produced for global distribution in Taiwan and Hong Kong, it's hard to explain how country-specific discrepancies could arise during this era. Nevertheless, many collectors have come to accept this unusual Aussie version as an authentic variation of the vinyl cape Jawa.
Other foreign sightings of this figure have been widely discredited, such as the fraudulent Return of the Jedi Lili Ledy version from Mexico and a Star Wars La Guerre Des Etoiles Meccano version from France.
Some of the foreign packaging is easier to reseal than Kenner U.S. cards, which explains why fraudulent non-U.S. versions turn up quite often.
A large legend surrounds this small figure and seemingly innocuous change by Kenner. The vinyl cape Jawa remains one of the most significant variations from the original Kenner action figure line, and one of the first Star Wars holy grails.
Thanks to Todd Chamberlain, Isaac Lew, and Ben Sheehan for providing additional photos for this story.
Gus Lopez is recognized as one of the foremost Star Wars collecting experts. He maintains an extensive website discussing and showcasing collectibles called the Star Wars Collectors Archive .
