As Kenner was designing the original Star Wars action figure line, they considered product concepts that would ultimately lead to the first generation of Star Wars toys that revolutionized action figures and movie merchandising. This playset concept is similar to the legendary Early Bird display stand that Kenner would introduce as a holiday 1977 concept before general availability of the action figures, although these early display stand and figure designs had significant differences from the final product.
The Star Wars logo on the backdrop is the style found on early promotional material with the "pointy W" such as the first mylar advance poster for A New Hope. This would indicate that this playset concept was under consideration prior to the film's release. Additional character and vehicle imagery found in early promotional material is also prominently shown along the top and bottom of the playset.
The action figures are mocked up samples that are in slightly more animated poses than the actual production figures which conformed to a range of engineering and tooling constraints from the production process at the time. The likenesses closely resemble early sketches from cardboard cutouts used in other toy designs and shown in an earlier feature. At the time of consideration, the action figure line consisted of the nine major characters from the movie, leaving out the Jawa, Tusken Raider, and Death Squad Commander who were added when the product went to market. A toy concept like this was most likely used for approvals by Kenner and Lucasfilm to go forward with the project.
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