The Max Rebo Band figures (1998) left to right: Droopy McCool, Sy Snootles, Max Rebo, Doda Bodonawieedo, Joh Yowza, Barquin D'an.

If the cantina scene from the original Star Wars was a gold mine for moviegoers' imaginations as well as toy collectors, the opening scenes of Jabba the Hutt's boisterous inner sanctum from Return of the Jedi were even more so. Tons of creatures were packed into these scenes - but few of them got the amount of screen time that the Max Rebo Band did. Originally consisting of three members, the band gained three additional members, a new musical number, and a trio of dancers/backup singers in the 1997 revisionist "Special Edition" of Jedi. Actually, I always liked Lapti Nek over Jedi Rocks any day of the week.

The Max Rebo Band figures came in pairs - one figure each from the original movie scene and one from the new Special Edition footage - and were available only from Wal-Mart. Curiously, in some of the more rural areas of Wal-Mart's home state of Arkansas, Max Rebo Band pairs are still quite easy to come by.

   
   

Star Wars figures (1995-99): Rystàll, Greeta, Lyn Me, Princess Leia as Jabba's Prisoner, Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight), EV-9D9, and Saelt Marae (a.k.a. Yak Face).

Another multi-pack, Jabba's Dancers were part of an early Cinema Scene box set. They look cool, but their range of poses is very limited - and even posing them for the above photos scared the hell out of me because their limbs are so incredibly thin, I feared they might break.

Yak Face and EV-9D9 were two of the more prized rarities from the original Kenner range (particularly the former, never released in the U.S.), but they are among the easiest to find of the new Star Wars figures.