1977 :: R2-D2 Space Ice stickers

R2D2 Space Ice R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_02 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_03 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_04 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_05 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_06
R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_07 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_08 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_09 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_10 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_11 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_12
R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_13 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_14 R2D2_Space_Ice_sticker_15

How many of you were around when these came out? These 15 small (73x50mm) stickers, released at the time of the first Star Wars movie (1977) are likely the earliest New Zealand-exclusive collectibles. Composed of a selection of classic publicity shots and Ralph McQuarrie production paintings, this set could be collected one at a time with R2-D2 Space Ice ice-blocks from the Tip-Top Ice Cream company (an iconic New Zealand ice-cream/ice-block manufacturer, established locally in 1935...more company info at the Tip-Top website). The ice-blocks themselves, if memory serves me adequately, had an ice-cream centre and a couple of stripes of red and blue flavoured ice!

These 1977 stickers were un-numbered, but were distinctive and memorable due to their branding with the immediately recognisable Tip-Top logo (the colours of which persisted through the 'R2-D2 Space Ice' banner), and the more subtle 20th Century Fox copyright detailing. Also available in conjunction with the stickers and ice-block was a large, fold-out, dice-based game, "Race in Space game". This was a fairly simple poster printed in dark blue ink, with spaces marked to apply some of the set of stickers to give the game a bit of colour (each space showed the sticker graphics in monochrome line-art).

R2D2 Space Ice sticker 01 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 02 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 03 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 04 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 05
R2D2 Space Ice sticker 06 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 07 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 08 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 09 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 10
R2D2 Space Ice sticker 11 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 12 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 13 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 14 R2D2 Space Ice sticker 15

Tip-Top went on to make available licensed collectibles at the time of release of both 'The Empire Strikes Back' (colour-in masks) and 'Return of the Jedi' (another set of stickers). The images below were kindly supplied by Tip-Top Ice-Cream customer services. From left to right, they are photocopies of wrappers from the R2-D2 Space Ice ice-block, the Darth Vader ice-block, and the Galactic Bar ice-block (not Star Wars associated confectionery, but certainly a loosely related product representative of the era, and hence I have included it for its nostalgia value).

R2D2 Space Ice wrapper Darth Vader wrapper Galactic Bar wrapper

Update 12 Dec 2003 :: Ready for a nostalgia overload? I just received full-colour versions of the wrappers from all 3 of the vintage Tip-Top Ice Cream products (thanks to Nick TePaa). Click on the thumbnails below for the full versions. They are, from left to right, R2-D2 Space Ice wrapper, the Darth Vader ice block wrapper, and the Return of the Jedi ice-block (with "Jedi Jelly") wrapper.

R2D2 Space Ice wrapper Darth Vader wrapper ROTJ Ice-block wrapper

Update 12 Apr 2005 :: This has got to be one of the rarest of New Zealand collectibles - a 36 x 48cm advertising poster for the R2-D2 Space Ice ice-block and associated collectibles.

R2D2 Space Ice Poster

Related article: R2-D2 Race in Space Galaxy Game.
Related article: Empire Strikes Back ice-blocks and collectible masks.
Related article: Return of the Jedi Ewok stickers.

Matt G
(with thanks to Nick TePaa
and Tip-Top Ice-Cream customer services)

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