The set of seven Lili Ledy 12-inch dolls from Mexico is regarded by many as the most famous, or infamous, group of Star Wars collectibles ever to emerge from south of the border, a distinction earned by both their rarity and their unique design. Specifically, there are three reasons collectors avidly seek out this set:
- The sculpts for each character are different from their US counterparts, and the Tusken Raider figure wasn't even released in the US
- They are very rare -- putting together a complete set can be extremely challenging
- Very little is known about them, other than the fragments of information printed on the packaging. This lack of information has only enhanced the mythos surrounding these figures
Collectors have managed to piece together some rough ideas about their manufacture and distribution, although facts are difficult to confirm since hard evidence has remained exceedingly elusive. There was a warehouse stash of these figures found in 1996, according to several websites, which contained small numbers of each figure still in the original packaging. Before the find, many fans thought the loose examples they encountered were mere bootlegs of the US Kenner 12-inch line. One more fact that seems indisputable is that the Tusken Raider figure is the most sought-after of the bunch, by simple virtue of his having no counterpart in the US Kenner series.
With so much mystery surrounding these figures, we can only offer up a few alleged facts compiled by some of the more advanced collectors in the hobby:
- The series was released in 1978-79
- Tusken Raider, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Jawa are the hardest to find
- Jawa and Tusken Raider were likely released as a "second series" of sorts, due to the figures only being depicted among the others on the Jawa and Tusken boxes. Early catalog imagery also depicted the first five without the Tusken Raider and Jawa
- The R2-D2 figure was nearly an exact replica of Kenner's small action figure series version, including the illustrated decal around his body (the US version sported molded features)
- The basic plastic figures themselves are said to have been cast from the same molds used on an earlier "Barbie-type" series made by Lili Ledy for Mexico
Truly the "Magnificent 7" of Mexican Star Wars collectibles, the Lili Ledy 12-inch figures remain among the hottest of all vintage Star Wars toys. Be sure to also check out our earlier Mexican collectibles feature on the rare Vinolos Romay banks.
