This early prototype for the 1979 Dewback toy became widely known to Star Wars fans who eagerly viewed the first images of upcoming Star Wars action figure toys shown on the 20-back action figure cards. Much of the information about the Kenner Star Wars line available to kids at the time was via Kenner's small catalogs and toy packaging photography.
The Dewback creature, which is only seen briefly in a couple of scenes in the original Star Wars: A New Hope, enabled Kenner to introduce mid-range price point accessories for the extremely popular Star Wars small action figure line. This original prototype has distinctive features missing from the production toy such as a notched belt around the Dewback's waist, simulated pockets for the stormtrooper rider's legs, the Dewback's distinctive eyebrow and puckered lips, and sharper, elongated toes. In fact, every part of this Dewback is completely different from the finished product.
When the final Dewback toy (below) was produced, it more closely resembled the on-screen creatures. Although this Dewback prototype was widely seen by the public, little is known about the whereabouts of the original prototype in these shots, and it's quite possible that no such examples have survived to the present. (Check out a sharper image of this prototype on a rare Kenner spec sheet posted at The Star Wars Collector's Archive)
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