Figures That Make Me Happy:  Gasgano

Gasgano

Gasgano with Pit Droid

I've told this story many times. My podunk little area of central Massachusetts didn't have a Midnight Madness for Episode I. This actually worked out for me because I'm not a "Midnight Madness" type of person. On the way to work, I popped into a tucked away Walmart in the suburbs. There were a few other collectors there. The product was overwhelming. The toy department was in the middle of the store separated from electronics by the rear main aisle. The entire width of the toy section along that aisle was for Episode I product. It was "wall to wall" Star Wars. I was back in my youth.

I was only year into my career at the time, and money was tight. With the new $7 price point, I was there for one figure, and one figure only:


I claimed my prize, and headed off to work. But the avalanche of figures was calling my name. I stopped on the way home too. One figure in particular captured my imagination. It was Gasgano. I was mesmerized like the first time I saw the Kenner 20-back Snaggletooth. I instantly needed to know more. What the heck was this weird, spindly, multi-armed creature? What does he do? What's pod racing? I simply had to have answers to these questions. It was at this exact moment that my interest in Episode I went into overdrive. The toys increased my interest in the media.

And that's my message for Lucasfilm. Now that we've had a change in leadership at the studio, can we please, for the love of all that's holy, stop with they hyper-secrecy? I feel like Disney's entire modus operandi after the acquisition was a series of overreactions to the Prequel Trilogy backlash. But it was a case of not understanding the nuance of the criticisms, and it was just a series of performative "we've heard you" one-eighties. It was several cases of throwing out the baby with the bath water. One of the things we had complained about was spoilers. It felt like too much was being given away from official sources. It even extended to the toys.

But what we didn't want was having out toys reveal major plot points like decapitations. Minor plot points, or trivial plot points (such as at mere existence of a character) are fine. As in my example with Gasgano, seeing a figure of an intriguing character can enhance the anticipation instead of muting it. It would be good for Lucasfilm to ditch the "first act" restriction for product released in advance of the media. For toy collectors, learning about the entertainment through the product is a cherished part of the overall experience.

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