Chewbacca (Life Day) - TVC - Basic (Exclusive)

Life Day is a longstanding tradition celebrating Wookiee cultural values including family, joy, and harmony. While festivities are traditionally held at the Tree of Life on Kashyyyk, Wookiees throughout the galaxy mark the day.

Happy Life Day! November 17, 2023, commemorates the 45th Anniversary of Life Day and, perhaps more importantly, The Star Wars Holiday Special. Panned by critics but embraced and adored by Star Wars fans, the kitschy and psychedelic Holiday Special gave us a deeper look into Chewbacca's family's lifestyle and culture and the constant harassment from the Galactic Empire. At the end of the show, Chewbacca celebrates Life Day with his family and Rebel Alliance friends, and for the first time, we get to hear Princess Leia sing words to the Star Wars central title theme, something as awkward as it was enduring. Before the release of Chewbacca (Life Day), Hasbro produced two action figures based on characters from The Star Wars Holiday Special. These figures, 2007's TAC Aminated Debut: Boba Fett (30 24) and 2001's POTJ Zutton (Snaggletooth), quickly became fan-favorite action figures in the line and still hold up well amid groundbreaking technology and updated tooling. Now, to celebrate 45 years of The Star Wars Holiday Special and to have something "holiday-like" for the super-articulated 3.75-inch action figure line, Hasbro shows grace and mercy to those collectors by finally releasing this long-awaited addition to The Vintage Collection via Hasbro Pulse and Shop Disney. We're thrilled to see this figure added to the lineup.

Hasbro took the Chewbacca figure from 2020's TVC Millennium Falcon (Smuggler's Run) Target exclusive vehicle and then did some moderate retooling to make it specific to Life Day. The first thing they did was eliminate the bandolier. Unfortunately, they did nothing to fill in the gaping holes on the front and back of this figure (where this accessory plugged into the figure). We're disappointed that Hasbro couldn't find a way to fill in these attachment ports, as the figure looks ridiculous when unrobed. Secondly, they tooled an all-new right hand. The new hand has an open-hand grip that accommodates the brand-new Life Day orb accessory accompanying this figure. Hasbro then wove a new soft-goods gown, which fits the Chewbacca figure well. Thank goodness it fully covers those holes meant for the bandolier. Lastly, Hasbro repainted this Chewbacca figure entirely and made it look specific to the Original Trilogy and, perhaps more specifically, to The Star Wars Holiday Special. When you of the packaging and displayed with its parts, we have to state that Chewbacca (Life Day) looks fantastic. And with the horrid focus on action figures based on Disney Star Wars that no one wants, it's refreshing to see an "old school" character represented in the line. We can only hope that Ackmena is around the corner.

The packaging is decent but imperfect. Disappointingly, Hasbro composited a drawing of Chewbacca (Life Day). There are plenty of reference materials available where they could have designed a more accurate character photo, but this is the current Hasbro Team. They need to do their due diligence when it comes to the artwork. Thankfully, Hasbro placed Chewbacca (Life Day) on a Star Wars entertainment logo. We would have been disappointed if they decided to create a new one for The Star Wars Holiday Special. They stayed consistent with the vintage Kenner release and maintained the golden yellow color for the nameplate and figure backer. It was nice to see them pay attention to this detail. One other fact we're slightly disappointed about is that Chewbacca (Life Day) doesn't come with a VC number. You might quickly come to Hasbro's defense by saying it's an exclusive figure, but so far, all retailer-exclusive TVC figures come with a VC number. So, that argument falls out of the window fast. Chewbacca (Life Day) is a Hasbro Pulse and Shop Disney exclusive. Hasbro Pulse sold it first, with an MSRP of $16.99. We hope they do more characters from The Star Wars Holiday Special. We need more of them!