Sy Snootles - Mini Busts

Sy Snootles was the flamboyant Pa’lowick lead vocalist for the Max Rebo Band in Jabba’s Palace. One of Snootles’ most famous songs was "Lapti Nek" meaning "Work it Out" in Huttese. Her most notable characteristic was an incredibly long lip stalk.

It really makes you wonder what goes on at Lucasfilm Ltd. sometimes when you see collectibles released over 1.5 decades beyond the Special Editions based on “unaltered” Original Trilogy characters. We know that’s a mouthful so let us simplify it with an example. To see Sy Snootles in her original “puppet” version (the Lapti Nek version with the feather in her cap) is so encouraging because it means that licensees haven’t lost the vision of how powerful the original versions of those films are. And ti also means they appreciate how connected fans are to the Original Trilogy in its original state. Sy Snootles has been a bone of contention to Star Wars collectors (of 3.75” action figures) for years now. Hasbro just refuses to make the puppet version of her in the basic figure line. Yet they’ve released the Special Edition version of her twice much to the chagrin of purists. Her appearance changed dramatically of course because she went from artful puppet to jerky CGI nightmare and let’s not even talk about the new song “Jedi Rocks” because that too pales in comparison. Perhaps it’s best to focus on the positive aspect that we have the original version of her, plus a nod to The Clone Wars, in Mini Bust format. More on that in a moment.

As you all know, Sy Snootles is a gourd on stilts. But since the Mini Bust cuts at the waist, all you have here is a gourd…. with boobies. (Isn’t it strange that during the filming of A New Hope executives were worried about Chewbacca not wearing pants, but Sy Snootles can go topless in Jabba’s palace? Gosh. We’ve been hanging around and talking to bad influences way too much lately.) The Sy Snootles Mini Bust is excellent. Although we’re not totally impressed with her pose, we are impressed with the sculpt and the deco. This really looks like the puppet and we have to assume that since Gentle Giant Ltd. has access to wonderful archived materials, that this is one of the truest representations of Sy Snootles on the market today. For instance, did you know she has solid blue eyes? Are you aware that her Hawaiian styled skirt is decorated with large colorful beads? Did you know she has a pointy cranium (and on the Mini Bust a removable feather)? All of these details and more showcase a truly unique creature in Jabba’s palace and likely our most favorite female lead singer in all the Star Wars saga.

The best part for us? Well, it would have to be the nod to The Clone Wars. And if we’re wrong about that and she did possess a weapon tucked into her skirt in the film, then it’s something likely all of us missed in the film and/or sourcebooks. And to clarify, her weapon in The Clone Wars was much smaller and didn’t have a long stemmed barrel. The blaster on this mini bust looks a lot like Princess Leia Organa’s blaster in A New Hope. Anyway, we love this detail. It helps to accentuate her assassin like qualities that were introduced in The Clone Wars television show. And we loved that angle of her in the show. In true professional performance, Sy Snootles is holding onto a cropped microphone and apparently is ready to belt out her next tune. Hopefully Mini Bust collectors won’t have to encounter the CGI version of Sy Snootles in the line because likely those that are collecting high-end collectibles like this are passionate about the classic trilogy characters the most. The Sy Snootles Mini Bust is a very nice collectible to have. Other licensees have just not bothered to attack the original Max Rebo band in collectible format, but we hope that changes shortly.