Tor.com Shows Us Just How Huge Star Wars Once Was
“In 1978, the first full year that Kenner offered Star Wars toys, it sold 42,322,500 of them for a total of more than $100 million, making it the most successful movie-related toy line up to then. Far and away the best-sellers were the mini-action figures, which came in twelve varieties; Kenner sold 26,106,500.”
Take a look at this photo that Tor.com shared on Facebook and drool. Can anyone remember when they last walked into a store and saw this much space devoted to a single toyline in the boys’ toys category? LEGO is the only like I can think of that even comes close, but when we look at just sub-$5 price point items I change my answer to say that maybe Hot Wheels reach this level of display.
Regardless of what’s happening in stores today, this is one hell of a fun picture.
Related articles
- 1996 Kenner Star Wars Deluxe Figures Commercial (battlegrip.com)
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- Collecting All of the Star Wars Kenner Jumbo Action Figures (battlegrip.com)
Man, I remember walking into a toy store & seeing that view before me. The hardest part (well, beyond getting my parent to OK getting one) was deciding which one I wanted the most on that particular trip.
I also remember seeing that much space dedicated to Star Wars! It must have been much easier to find the figures you wanted back then. And each figure probably shipped many times to toy stores, unlike the “blink and you miss it” shelf life of most of today’s action figures.
I remember that, except it being TMNT. Nowadays most lines get a handful of pegs, but back in the day there would just be rows and rows and rows of them.