Happy New Year!
Ah, Christmas is over…
But as I spent much of the last week assembling Star Wars Lego sets, it got me thinking about the ‘must have’ Christmas toys kids wanted when I was growing up.
Cabbage Patch Dolls. The latest Nintendo console. Teddy Ruxpin.
But back in 1977, there was one toy that everyone wanted – but couldn’t have:
Star Wars action figures.
But what’s the story behind those first Star Wars toys?
And what does it have to do with creativity?
Read on…
It’s hard to imagine a time when Star Wars wasn’t a hit. But, expectations were low when George Lucas was making his little space movie.
When he tried to strike up a toy deal in 1976, the big toy manufacturers like Hasbro and Mattel turned him down.
And that’s how a small Cincinnati, Ohio toy company called Kenner got the deal to make Star Wars toys.
But the parties didn’t come to an agreement until April 1977 – just a month before the film hit the theatres.
There was no time to produce toys for the film’s release.
So Kenner got creative.
They re-configured other toys, throwing new labels and stickers to brand products as ‘Star Wars.’
But Kenner knew they wouldn’t have any meaningful toys – the figures or fighters – by Christmas.
And by then, Star Wars was the highest grossing film of all time.
So Kenner came up with a two-part plan.
The first part was to create anything that could be made quickly, like picture-based products, or products that didn’t require much safety checking (e.g. puzzles, bags, and paint sets).
The second part was a decision the CEO of Kenner, Bernie Loomis, called ‘the loneliest decision’ of his life –
The Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package.
It was essentially an empty box – with a certificate for four action figures – R2D2, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca.
Kids had to mail in the certificate to claim the figures – that would arrive 2-6 months later.
And it was a huge success.
When the Star Wars action figures finally arrived in toy stores in May 1978, they flew off the shelves.
Kenner sold 22 million figures that year.
Those original action figures still sell for thousands of dollars – and so do The Early Bird Certificate boxes.
But good luck finding a box in decent condition.
As you might expect, many excited kids ripped open those boxes on Christmas Day!
Curious how they convinced people to buy an empty box?
Check out the old commercial:
FUN FACT: Even the displays for Early Bird Certificate Package are valuable.
In December 2015, Sotheby’s sold a store display of the Early Bird Certificate Package for $20,000 US.
Recent Work and Writing
I’ve started the year with Covid, so it’s taken all my writing energy to get this story ready!
But, in case you missed them, check out my take on the best and worst of communication moments from 2021:
Who’s on Santa’s Naughty List?
How Can I Help?
Need help improving your public speaking or storytelling skills?
Want to help your team come up with more creative ideas so they can solve problems and innovate?
Or tired of so many misunderstandings and wasted time due to poor writing and poor communication?
Get in touch to find out about my communication and creative problem-solving programs for leaders and teams.
And if you know someone needs help with team or personal development, please get in touch and check out my website for more information.
Keep Smiling - and Stay Curious!
-Beth