Along with expanding its fantastic universe over the decades, the Star Wars franchise also helped revolutionize the toy industry, growing it into new and exciting directions. Through its toy-line, each character and variation was immortalized in plastic and continues to be popular today. However, the phenomenon began before a single toy was even released.
The original manufacturer, Kenner, created chaos in retail stores prior to each new film's release. Kenner realized it needed to have Star Wars toys for the holiday season, but there was nothing to produce because the Star Wars franchise didn't want to spoil anything before fans could see the movie. As a response, the company decided to sell a promise for only $10 — Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package, a cardboard cutout that featured the original film's main characters. By owning the cardboard piece, it ensured that kids would be able to have the toy a few months after the holidays.
Manufacturers were concerned that kids might be disappointed to get a box under the tree on Christmas. Thus, Kenner decided to throw in some stickers and an official Star Wars Fan Club certificate. The box also doubled as a backdrop for the proposed figures, as it also featured peg holes for the characters to stand on. With the decades following A New Hope, it's hard to believe that the brand managed to span multiple eras of characters and created a faithful toy adaption time and again.
One of the biggest draws of the box set was the exclusivity. Kenner didn't mass produce the Early Bird set to everyone and cut off production at 500,000. The pressure increased as the stores weren't allowed to sell the product after the end of the year. While the figures still hit shelves that following year, there was a huge holiday push to purchase the box set before Christmas. Due to the limited supply and exclusivity, it has become one of the many Holy Grails of Star Wars merchandise from the early years.
The marketing stunt turned out to be a massive success and ended up being the first step into creating Star Wars' toy empire, hugely benefitting George Lucas. In order to work with 20th Century Fox, Lucas took a pay cut in exchange for the studio agreeing to his terms. Those terms included giving the Star Wars director rights to any sequels and to all merchandise. His success helped to create even more toys for the brand. Fast forward a few decades and Star Wars toys and merchandise is still extremely popular and sought-after by fans worldwide.
As the original trilogy continued, the toy-line expanded farther than anyone could have suspected. Not only were more characters introduced, but existing characters also received evolving versions of their action figures. Imagination took a front seat as Kenner decided to produce vehicles based on iconic ships like the X-Wing and Millenium Falcon. Play sets also came into the picture and provided a location for the toy characters to interact. A small lull in production plagued the time between the original trilogy and prequels, but that didn't last long, as 1999 saw The Phantom Menace's release and kickstarted the toy craze all over again.
Star Wars has grown and evolved its toy-line over the decades and is still one of the biggest brands out right now. Its figures come in all shapes and sizes, and each iteration of characters and vehicles becomes more intricate than the last. As the films and TV shows continue to expand, it will only serve to further the toy-line. Ultimately, the brand serves as a true success story that started as a simple cardboard cut-out. Now, Star Wars toys are the cornerstone of children's entertainment.