Posted by B. on May 3, 2018 at 12:13 PM CST
Kitik Keed'kak (we had to look it up) is another one of the original cantina aliens seen in
A New Hope, although "seen" might be too strong of a term. In reality, her head is only partially visible in two shots: once when Luke is thrown against a table, and again when Obi-Wan turns off his lightsaber. Both times she is at the very back of the bar, against the wall near a red light. At the time of filming the costume was known simply as "Praying Mantis." The puppet was operated by Jack Purvis, who played numerous roles in the original trilogy, including the Jawa chief, the Ugnaught chief, and Teebo the Ewok.
Originally appearing in 2002 as part of the 2nd wave of
Cantina bar sets, Kitik Keed'kak was the only brand-new figure in that series. Each figure came packaged with a bar section that could attach to the other sections to build the full bar. This series was eventually cancelled due the slow sales of the first wave. The bar end-pieces would not be released until 2007 as pack-ins with various cantina aliens in the
30th Anniversary Collection assortment.
The figure showcased here is the 2006 Wal-Mart exclusive edition from the Saga assortment. It is a slight repaint of the original release. It features swivel shoulders and a swivel waist.
All in all, it's a 7-foot tall mantis in a skirt. What's not to love? Click
here to see our photo archive entry.
