ESB 21 A Back
Release Date:
1980
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- Welcome to the first of the ESB card backs. The offer here was a continuation of the SW 21 C Back promotion. This offer is a printed rather than sticker offer as with the SW 21 C.
ESB 21 B Back
Release Date:
1980
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The second ESB release is so similar to the lunacy of the SW 20/21 Backs, it has the extended offer rectangular sticker on the back. Only one more of these variants to go but the next one is actually very different and exciting!
ESB 21 C Back
Release Date:
1980
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- This final 21 Back release is similar in that it is a circular extended offer as seen before. However this version reveals the SECRET ACTION FIGURE identity as Bossk! Yes the secret figure is Bossk. This is the one and only time the figure offer was a secret. Any before any comedians send any messages I am aware this is the front of the card. I did not have a figure with this offer conveniently placed on the back so this picture shows the correct sticker variation.
ESB 31 A Back
Date Stamp:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- This release began the epic run of the figures in little boxes on the back, the coolest look made by Kenner. The 31 A shows the first 10 figures of the Empire line with the first new vehicle, the Rebel Armored Snowspeeder shown at bottom.
ESB 31 B Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 31 B is very much like its predecessor but the bottom vehicles and playsets shown are all new ESB releases. Note the toys at the bottom are all prototypes.
ESB 31 C Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Force fact:
- This back is included even though I am not certain it was ever released beyond prototype phase. This would be a 31 C with a Survival Kit offer sticker on the back. John Kellerman is the only person I know who has had this piece and I have never seen another, either carded figure or simple a card back so I think it was not a production item. But it is included here for completeness sake. No photo other than John’s have come across my desk.
ESB 32 A Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 32 A Back is identical to the 31 A Back except for the addition of Yoda and the inclusion of the Imperial Attack Base at the bottom.
ESB 32 B Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 32 B Back is the same as the 32 A in terms of figures and has the same toys at the bottom but the pictures for the Star Destroyer and Hoth Ice Planet are different than before.
ESB 32 C Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- This back is included even though I am not certain it was ever released beyond prototype phase. This would be a 32 C with a Survival Kit offer sticker on the back. As with the 31 C John Kellerman is the only person I know who has had this piece and I have never seen another, either carded figure or simple a card back so I think it was not a production item. But it is included here for completeness sake. No photo other than John’s have come across my desk.
ESB 41 A Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Force fact:
-
- The 41 A Back continues the colored boxes but with the Survival Kit offer. I have to say this is my all time favorite card back.
Loved it as a kid and loved the offer as well. This back shows the Kenner marketing genius at its best. Brilliantly added was the Collect All 41! line that showed us everyone available and even made to date!
-
ESB 41 B Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 41 B Back changed only at the bottom where Vehicles and Playsets replaced the Survival Kit offer. The Darth Vader Case, Dagobah, Slave 1 and the Twin Pod are the new items featured with the X-Wing, Tie Fighter and Millennium Falcon. As seen before the new items are in prototype form.
ESB 41 C Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Force fact:
- The 41 C Back changes the selection of toys at the bottom only. This time we are treated to an all Hoth selection including the AT-AT, first seen here. As seen before the new items are in prototype form.
ESB 41 D Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- This Back changes from the boxes to a large picture of all the 41 figures. The 41 D Back also changes back to the selection of toys from the 41 B Back. All the toys are in production form this time.
ESB 41 E Back
Release Date:
1981
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The final 41 Back is again in the same pattern as previous. The E is a copy of the C with the Hoth toys now in production form.
ESB 45 A Back
Release Date:
1982
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Force fact:
-
- New year, new offer. Love Kenner. Anyway the 45 A Back has a new photo in the same format as the 41 D & E with the 6 new figures. Although Kenner went from 41 to 45 there were 6 new figures.
Kenner “retired” the original C-3PO and R2-D2 and dropped them from the line replacing them with the new C-3PO with Removable Limbs and R2-D2 Sensorscope figures. And of course there is the new Display Arena offer, another outstanding Kenner promotion.
-
ESB 45 B Back
Release Date:
1982
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 45 B is the same as the A but with a tiny sticker extending the offer put over the old expiration date. No picture available of this one.
ESB 47 A Back
Date Stamp:
1982
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 47 A has no variants but we will call it A nonetheless for consistency’s sake. This back continues as before with only 2 new figures added to the picture. The newest offer is for the last of the Bounty Hunters, 4-LOM. Granted Kenner has since with the newer toys changed Zuckuss and 4-LOM’s names around but they will not be altered anywhere on this site as I would like to keep things as they were. Just a note to let you know about the name change. Another interesting note is the name 4-LOM. Like many of the toys Kenner created the names for characters that Lucas had in the background that were made into figures. 4-LOM an acronym meaning “for the love of money.” A fitting name for the times and the success of both Kenner and Star Wars.
ESB 48 A Back
Release Date:
1982
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 48 A begins the last of the ESB backs with the 4-LOM being the last figure added to the line. The top is again a collage of Kenner Star Wars figures with the bottom being Vehicles and Playsets again but broken into 4 distinct sections instead of 2.
ESB 48 A2 Back
Release Date:
1982
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 48 back here is the same as the 48 A and is not really any different other than the header at the top of the card back. The ACTION FIGURES is now on the second instead of the first line. I really consider this a variant 48 A and not worthy of another back designation so ESB 48 A2 or variant it will be.
ESB 48 B Back
Release Date:
1982
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Force fact:
- The 48 B here is a another sticker variant. It is the same as the 48 A but with the Admiral Ackbar offer on the back. Much has been made of the Revenge of the Jedi offer but they all came this way, long before Lucas changed the title of the third movie, or sixth movie or whatever he changed or altered yet again.
ESB 48 C Back
Release Date:
1982
Carded Availability:
- The Empire Strikes Back
Force fact:
- The 48 C is the final installation of the ESB Backs. The only differences here are the Admiral Ackbar is printed instead of a sticker and the header is in black and changed to the ESB 48 A2 style.