Eleven years after the La Vache Qui Rit "A la Conquête de l'Espace" promotion, Letraset transfers returned to round packets of soft cheese in triangular portions, with this Star Wars tie-in.
Not only were the transfers included in the packs, but also there was a free gift transfer to promote the offer, given away in Marvel UK's issue 118 of Star Wars Weekly. This issue (May 29th, 1980) was the first to be re-named "Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back Weekly" (or something).
The back page advert also appeared in other comics, such as Marvel UK's Doctor Who Weekly for 21st May 1980, the week before.
The transfer was of "Dagobah Bog Planet", & the corresponding scene was printed inside the comic so as to provide somewhere safe to rub them down. You can see that the design of the scene is identical to one of the four which were printed on the bottom of the cheese packs.
The boxes on the left (above) are from the original offer, contain transfers, & link to the mail-away offer. The boxes on the right are from later on, & no longer contain transfers — although they still advertise the mail-away. (Not all these boxes are shown to the same scale!)
You get the idea… now, as a special bonus, you can rub down the "Dagobah Bog Planet" transfers onto the Star Wars Weekly background yourself, with our Action Transfers Online Game.
Here are the four sheets available. Many thanks to members of SPLAT Jess Harper & Craig Spivey, & to Darren of StarZone Toys, for providing those images which we didn't already have in the SPLAT Scan Archives.
All four sheets share the serial number LP123, as does the sheet from the mail-away Bumper Transfer Pack.
And here's the Bumper Transfer Pack itself:
Just to round things off nicely, here's the Pack with its instructions & original envelope, as sent by Unique Publicity Ltd. back in 1980:
Photo courtesy of Jason Joiner, of the Kurtz-Joiner Archive
• Next "Free Gift Transfers in Comics" Page: TV Comic — Popeye →
• Next "Free Gift Transfers in Food Promotions" Page: Iglo Fish Fingers — Tintin →
…or, if you prefer: All Free Gift Transfers ↑
↑ Sci-Fi TV & Film
↑ The Star Wars Page
Other pages in the article "Free Gift Transfers in Comics":
- ← Cor!! No.2, 13th June 1970 — Anglo Bell Boy Double Treat — Somportex Combat Bubble Gum
- ← Michelino: 1, 2 & 3, 1971-1972 (PR130)
- ← Look-In No.8 (of volume 7) week ending 19th February 1977 — Action Transfers (SAT Carnival)
- ← Wall's / Look In No.11 (of volume 8), week ending 11th March 1978 — "Star Wars" Transfers Offer
- ← TV Comic: 1377 5th May 1978 & 1378 12th May 1978 — Skateboard Iron-On Action Transfers
- ← Look-In No.40 (of volume 8) week ending 30th September 1978 — Free Kalkitos Fun Transfer Kit
- ← TV Comic Nos.1452 & 1453, 12th & 19th October 1979 — Hanna-Barbera Transfers
- ← Whizzer and Chips, Monday 13th October 1979 — Free Gift Kalkitos
- ← Marvel UK: Doctor Who Weekly Nos.1-4, October 17th - November 7th 1979 — Transfers by Dave Gibbons
- Marvel UK: The Empire Strikes Back Weekly No.118, May 29th 1980 / Dairylea — Star Wars Transfers — this page; see above ↑
- TV Comic: 1530 17th April to 1533 15th May 1981 (4 issues) — Popeye Transfers (LP147) →
- Eagle: 17th December, 23rd December 1983 — Ultraman Poster & Transfer (LP221) →
- Marvel UK: Transformers Nos.1-3, 20th September - 31st October 1984 — Free Action Transfers →
- Marvel UK: Spider-Man No.607, 27th October 1984 — Free Rub Down Spider-Man Transfers →
- Splat Comic No.1, 27th February 1985 — Terrifically Terrible Transfers (Tattooze) →
- Marvel UK: Secret Wars No.1, 27th April 1985 — Free Secret Wars Rub Down Transfers →
- Marvel UK: Return of the Jedi Nos.97-99, 27th April - 11th May 1985 — Free Ewok Transfers →
- Marvel UK: The Spider-Man Comic Nos.634-635, 4th-11th May 1985 — Free Action Rub-Down Transfers →
- Katy No.1, 31st October 1986 — Colour Transfers Free Inside →
- Disney Magazine (UK) & Micky Maus (Germany) — 1984-1991 →