Dreams Do Come True

Flashback... 1979... I'm standing in Kmart, staring in awe at the 12" Boba Fett figure on the shelf which is gleaming like the Holy Grail of toys.  I'm sure I must have been drooling.  This was the most wicked toy I had ever seen in my life, and I could only think of one thing... Christmas.  I was already a Boba Fett fan, having been one of the lucky few kids to get an original Boba Fett figure in the mail after sending in the requisite number of Proofs of Purchase and money.  I still remember the picture of the Boba Fett figure on the packages of the figures I owned, even though I was only 5 at the time.  He could shoot a missile out of his back!!!  Admittedly, getting the real figure in the mail, while very exciting, was a bit of a letdown.  He looked different than the original picture and his missile wouldn't shoot, no matter how many ways I jammed a butter knife into his back.  It took my mom a while to finally convince me that they must have changed the design and that this figure was not going to be doing any shooting.  Once I finally let go of that, I quickly realized that this was the coolest figure in my collection.  I only had him for a short time because I decided to slide him up a guy-wire at recess during kindergarten to simulate flying, and he flew off at some random angle when he hit the knuckle of the guy-wire anchor, landing on top of the breezeway cover.  My poor kindergarten teacher tried desperately to help me find it for what must have been at least a half hour (I'll always love you Mrs. Crowell!).  I'm not sure how many tears I cried that night, but I was sure that I would get a replacement for Christmas.


So there I was, standing in Kmart, staring at the 12" version of Boba Fett, who looked so much cooler than the small figure I had lost.  I thought for sure that this was to be my reward to replace the lost object of affection.  As I stood there, a family came along and grabbed one of them and moved on.  There were now only 3 left.  I realized that the remaining 3 might disappear while I went looking for mom, so I resolved not to leave that spot until she came looking for me.  And if it came down to only 1 left, I would simply grab it and carry it with me throughout the store.  In hindsight, I don't know why I didn't do that in the first place, because it might have been easier to convince her to buy it if she thought about the nuisance of having to go back and find the place on the shelf to replace it.  So I waited what felt like an eternity.


When mom arrived, somewhat irritated that I hadn't come to find her first, I began my excited pleas and begging.  Her immediate "no" almost left me crushed, but I reminded her of my lost Boba Fett and that Christmas was coming and this was the only thing I wanted for Christmas.  She wasn't convinced.  "We're not buying that now.  If you still want it at Christmas, maybe we'll buy  it then."  "But mom, they might all be gone by then!  There are only 3 left!  What if you can't find one later?"  None of my begging, whining, or bargaining worked, so I sulked away, turning to give what would be my last look ever at an original 12" Boba Fett figure.  I hoped beyond hope that there would be more near Christmas time, but Christmas came and went, and Boba Fett never made it back to the shelves of any store I entered again after that.


Flash forward... 2010... I'm standing in Target looking at the new line of Star Wars figures that had just been released with the reproduced "original" Empire Strikes Back backing cards, and having flashbacks to many years ago.  As I'm wandering through nostalgic memories, I hear my oldest daughter say, "Daddy, look at this cool Boba Fett helmet".  My heart leapt into my throat, but I didn't want my kids to see me acting like an excited 5 year old, so I replied, "I'll see in just a second after I finish looking through these figures", in as nonchalant a voice as I could fake.  After scanning the rest of the figures, I looked down and saw a full-size Boba Fett helmet much like the recent Clone Trooper helmets that had been released over the last few years.  I'm sure my jaw must have hung open, because my kids laughed when they saw my reaction.  I picked it up and looked at it and immediately had a flashback to 1979, looking at the Boba Fett toy in Kmart.  Now this was truly the coolest toy I had ever seen, even better than the figure I never had.  "Wow, this is really cool, maybe I should get it", I said.  I looked at the price... $34.99.  Not too bad for an item this cool, but did I really need it?  Should I spend that money?  I looked at the shelf and noticed that there were only 3 left.  Another flashback... "But mom, they might all be gone by then!  There are only 3 left!"


I decided right then that it wasn't going to happen to me again, so I tucked the package under my arm and said, "Okay kids, let's go."  At the checkout counter, the lady asked if my son had his eye on this and I said, "No, this one is for daddy.  I've wanted one of these since I was 5 years old."  She laughed and smiled.  On the way to the van, I must admit that I felt like a 5 year old on Christmas and couldn't wait to get home to open it and check it out.  Of course, my wife just laughed and kind of rolled her eyes when she saw the addition to "Daddy's collection", but once I told her the story, she got into the excitement of opening the prize as well.  The kids were huddled around, waiting impatiently to see it in action, and I was trying my best to hide the childlike surge of emotion I felt as I restrained myself from just ripping the packaging to shreds.  Once it was out and put together, I immediately put it on and modeled it for my wife and kids.  We all had some good laughs and my son ran off to get his Clone Trooper helmet, thrilled to join his daddy in the fun.  So, we chased the girls around the house for a few minutes, then I placed my new toy in a prominent place in my office so I could see it clearly every time I entered.


After having it for over a week, I still haven't tired of staring at it every time I pass it, and I don't regret the purchase for even a moment.  It's my little reminder that dreams can come true, even if they sometimes take 31 years to do so.  It also reminds me how good it is to never entirely lose the simple excitement of childhood and the laughter and joy that can bring.  I hope that when I am old and retired, I can still find moments of childhood laughter in the midst of the seriousness of daily life.


And now, for some pictures so that you can revel with me in all the glory of this story:

He was almost mine!

My prize, just before it was opened.

I am Boba Fett!

Todd Russell
August 18, 2010