Is Lego Star Wars the most successful SW toy line ever?

[SheepEater]

Is Lego Star Wars the most successful SW toy line of all time?

I remember being a kid in the 80s, the Kenner SW toys were huge.

[TeufelHund]

Is Lego Star Wars the most successful SW toy line of all time?

I remember being a kid in the 80s, the Kenner SW toys were huge.

I doubt it as Lego SW has only been going on since 1999 whereas the Kenner/Hasbro SW figures not only had a run during the course of the original movies but were revived in the mid-90s and have been going strong ever since.

[Darth Sutius]

Is Lego Star Wars the most successful SW toy line of all time?

I remember being a kid in the 80s, the Kenner SW toys were huge.

I think the big difference these days is just how many of us dorky adults buy toys. I've bought more plastic crap for myself in the last 10 years than my 3 kids combined...

[JackJonespaw]

I'm not sure. I really want to say yes, but I think that Hasbro is more successful due to the fact that they have been going on much longer than LSW.

[Solscud007]

I would have to agree. Hasbro bought Kenner just for the SW license. It is a huge money maker.

[Bilbo Baggins]

In my opinion the biggest SW toy line are Hasbro's action figures

[HawkLord]

I'd have to agree that it's Hasbro. Kenner was pretty succesful, but Hasbro had to be the most successful having run the longest and putting out so much material.

[Faefrost]

Kenner is pretty much what funded the last 5 movies, just from sales of toys. That is where George Lucas made all of his money. While the Lego SW license has been extremely profitable to both sides, I don't hint it comes close to what Kenner and now Hasbro has raked in. Lego has yet to manage to sell an empty box for high profits.

[Erdbeereis]

Kenner is pretty much what funded the last 5 movies, just from sales of toys. That is where George Lucas made all of his money. While the Lego SW license has been extremely profitable to both sides, I don't hint it comes close to what Kenner and now Hasbro has raked in. Lego has yet to manage to sell an empty box for high profits.

What empty box are you talking about? I'm not in the know with the story, but it sounds like a funny one!

[The_Chosen_1]

What empty box are you talking about? I'm not in the know with the story, but it sounds like a funny one!

He's referring to the original Kenner "Early Bird" package sold by Kenner in 1977. Due to the fact that Kenner wouldn't have Star Wars action figures ready for production in time for Christmas of 1977, they instead sold the so-called "empty box", which included a certificate to receive the first five Star Wars action figures in the mail. Here's a picture:

As for the subject at hand, I definitely have to agree that Hasbro/Kenner has been much more successful. We can only assume that, of course, based on the fact that the line has been going a lot longer. It would be interesting to see how the two have compared over the past 13 years since LEGO SW has been around, however.

Edited June 2, 2012 by The_Chosen_1

[Gryphon Ink]

Is Lego Star Wars the most successful SW toy line of all time?

I seriously doubt it. The Kenner/Hasbro action figures are on almost every list of the top selling/most influential/highly collectable toys of all time, and they stayed popular even in the decades in between the trilogies. All through the Eighties and Nineties they were selling millions of action figures, and the collectors' market in the Nineties was unbelievable.

Lego in general is near the top of all the same lists - but that's overall Lego, not Lego Star Wars.

[billdeen]

for myself in the last 10 years than my 3 kids combined...

:)

By successful do you mean # sets sold, or profits? City might be more profitable to TLG...

Edited June 3, 2012 by billdeen