World-renowned Star Wars collector Duncan Jenkins brings a galaxy far, far away to KC

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Webb

Kansas City will feel a disturbance in the force as world-renowned Star Wars collector Duncan Jenkins makes the jump to our city.

Since the summer of 1977 when Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope released in theaters, Jenkins has amassed one of the largest collections of Star Wars memorabilia in the world.

“I was just completely fascinated by (Star Wars) and always wanted some sort of tangible connection to that movie,” Jenkins says.

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Webb

As a child, Jenkins, a KC native, found joy in collecting baseball cards, comic books, and other collectibles, but as his love for Star Wars blossomed, the galaxy far, far away became his driving interest. As he grew older and nursed a disposable income, Jenkins’ passion turned into a career.

Now, he’s bringing his expertise to KC, offering three Star Wars talks at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures about his collection alongside a new exhibit: The Nostalgia Awakens: Retro Kenner Star Wars Action Figure Toys.

Ahead of each talk, attendees are invited to see every action figure toy made by Kenner Toys from 1978-1985 featured in the exhibit. Each session Jenkins leads will cover three distinct elements of the art of collecting.

“If you haven’t seen the exhibit, it’s a great exhibit,” Jenkins says. “I highly recommend it. It just is very nostalgic, hence the name of the exhibit. I thought then I would pick a few topics that would be nice compliments to that.”

The first talk on July 17 will discuss how Star Wars toys are made, including the stages of production, as well as one-of-a-kind prototypes and unreleased pieces that never hit the market.

“One of the things I focus on is prototypes and pre-production pieces from the original Kenner Toys,” Jenkins says. “I have a lot of exhibit examples of the different stages of production, as well as items that were never released, so there’s things that people have never seen before that will be in that talk.”

In his second session on Aug. 21, Jenkins will explore Star Wars memorabilia outside of the ever-enduring toy lines, as they were only part of the licensing juggernaut for the original trilogy.

“Star Wars merchandising is this monstrosity of so much stuff, and it goes well beyond just those original Kenner toys,” Jenkins says. “So we’ll look at food promotions, and we’ll look at clothing, and we’ll look at kitchen toys, kitchen supplies, so just all kinds of fun little things that are adjacent to that exhibit.”

To conclude his trilogy, Jenkins will explore Star Wars toys from around the world on Sep. 18, and how the Kenner line differed from country to country. For instance, a 1978 C-3PO action figure was able to shoot missiles from its chest but was only sold in Japan.

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Webb

While many might view his collection as a simple passion, Jenkins views it as so much more.

“The reason for acquiring these things and putting them together and curating it is to save that history and to put it together,” Jenkins says. “To show how Star Wars merchandise, in particular, has impacted the culture, how universal it is worldwide, the things that are common across the group, and the things that are unique.”

Star Wars toys, as insignificant as they might seem to a passing glance, are the tangible story and progression of a world previously unimaginable before its 1977 debut. They offer a lens into how the franchise has evolved and, in turn, how it has impacted society and new media ever since. Star Wars created a genre, and collectibles give fans the chance to hold a universe within their hands.

As the Star Wars universe continues to expand as seen in new additions such as Andor, Jenkins’ collection grows alongside it.

“I still am very active in collecting the new items as well as the old,” Jenkins says. “I enjoy most of the new content. I’m really glad that it’s out there. As they put more and more stuff out, it becomes harder and harder to get a significant portion of that, so I just basically concentrate on what I think are the key items.”

Each talk with Jenkins is held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on their respective dates at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. Tickets can be purchased for $10 on The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures’ website.