Posted By Dan Greenfield on Dec 19, 2022 | 6 comments

TOYHEM! Bossk! Yes, Bossk!

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Welcome to TOYHEM! For the fourth straight holiday season, we’re bringing you a series of features and columns celebrating the toys of our youth, which often made for the best memories this time of year. Click here to check out the complete index of stories — and have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Chanukah and Happy Holidays! — Dan

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By JIM BEARD

I first saw him in stills, then read about him in the movie novelization.

Then, I finally saw him on the silver screen, big as alien life, in The Empire Strikes Back.

It was 1980, and I was looking for a hero.

There he stood on the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Executor, a fearsome bounty hunter, called in for the challenging task by none other than Darth Vader himself.

I knew he could get the job done. Everything about him made that abundantly clear. He was dressed for success, and though he was surrounded by others of his ilk, I knew he’d be the one to grab the prize.

I’ve never forgotten that day, that moment I saw the future of Star Wars, and of my own interests. I followed him faithfully from then on, and my life has been richer for it.

His name is not Boba Fett.

Oh, I mean, sure; Fett’s OK, but he’s no Bossk. But then again, who is?

This story is true. All of it. That big lizard guy has loomed large in my Star Wars fandom for over 40 years now, and I’ve gathered a fair share of Bossk bounty in that time. And I’m thrilled to be able to share my 13 favorite bits with you.

One of the things that immediately drew me to Bossk was his look (and yeah, discovering years later his outfit was reclaimed whole cloth from a Dr. Who episode only made his story even cooler), and just like Boba Fett, he was the kind of ancillary Star Wars figure you could imprint with your own ideas of who he was and what he did. We’ve found out a lot about Bossk over the decades through comics and novels and shows, but he’s still a source of fun and imagination for me. He’s the Trandoshan with the Mostest, you see.

Okay, here’s the bounty in no particular order — enjoy!

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OG Kenner 1980 Figure. It all begins here, right? He’s a little cartoony, but still so cool.

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Mighty Mugg. I really loved Mighty Muggs, sort of the precursor to Funko Pops. Bossk was honored in 2008 as a Target exclusive.

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Hot Wheels. I’m a big fan of all the Star Wars Hot Wheels cars they did, and I think Bossk’s 2014 edition is a great mechanical interpretation… even if he did have to share a two-pack with that other guy.

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Jakks 18” Figure. Probably one of my most favorite Bossk items. I stumbled upon it back in 2015 in a Toys “R” Us, and later found out he was not an easy one to find in the wild.

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Star Wars #33. I’m also a fan of John Tyler Christopher’s “action figure” Marvel variant covers, and his 2018 Bossk edition is no exception to that.

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Galoob Mini-Head. Back in 1998, Pizza Hut and Galoob teamed up to produce several Star Wars mini-playsets to be sold as promos in the restaurants. There’s a tiny little figure of Bossk inside.

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GeekiTiki Mug. Bossk’s mug made its debut at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con. Funny how so many Bossk collectibles are not mass-market items, or easy to find.

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Buffalo Games 500-Piece Puzzle. Yes, yes; Bossk has to share the jigsaw spotlight with all those other crumbums, but he’s there and he’s lookin’ cool standing next to the Sith Lord.

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Funko Hikari Figure. I’m to understand this is based on the Japanese sofubi figures. Regardless, I love it. Bossk seems to really fit this style of toy.

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Hallmark Ornament. Hallmark released its Bossk ornament in 2011, and it quickly became one of my big favorites due to its amazing sculpting. I love having the big lizard lug on my tree every Christmas.

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Pez Dispenser. Funko again, this time from 2018. Would you take candy from this guy?

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Applause Cake Topper. The company made a lot of different Star Wars cake decorations in the 1990s, but this one, obviously, is the best. Sometimes the best things come in the smallest packages.

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Gentle Giant Mini-Bust. I really dug these mini-busts from the Gentle Giant people, and the pose on the 2005 Bossk edition is to die for. Ahem.

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MORE

— The Complete TOYHEM INDEX of Stories and Features. Click here.

— PLASTIC FANTASTIC! Dig These 13 Classic MARX 6-INCH FIGURES, by JIM BEARD. Click here.

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JIM BEARD has pounded out adventure fiction since he sold a story to DC Comics in 2002. He’s gone on to write official Star Wars and Ghostbusters comics stories and contributed articles and essays to several volumes of comic book history. His prose work includes his own creations, but also licensed properties such as Planet of the Apes, X-Files, Spider-Man, Kolchak the Night Stalker and Captain Action. In addition, Jim provided regular content for Marvel.com, the official Marvel Comics website, for 17 years.

Check out his latest releases: Rising Sun Reruns, about classic Japanese shows on American TV; a Green Hornet novella How Sweet the Sting; his first epic fantasy novel The Nine Nations Book One: The Sliding World; and the most recent Batman ’66 books of essays he’s edited: Zlonk! Zok! Zowie! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Essays on Batman ’66 – Season One, Biff! Bam! Ee-Yow! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Essays on Batman ’66 – Season Two and Oooff! Boff! Splatt! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman ’66 – Season Three.

He’s also published novels about a character very much like G.I. Joe (and Big Jim and Action Jackson): DC Jones – Adventure Command International.