Just because Gary Kurtz said George Lucas took the Star Wars franchise in a different direction after ESB because of its lucrative licensing deals doesn’t necessarily mean we’re opposed to the molded action figures of our youth. I, for one, got sucked into the original trilogy because of them. I still remember the Kenner box sets that my brother had that I subsequently lost over the years. (Again, bro, I’m really sorry and I promise when I become rich and famous, I’ll buy the entire set for you.)
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Techland sat down with Derryl DePriest, Vice President of Marketing for Star Wars at Hasbro to chat about all things Star Wars and toys. He even let us in on what to expect for the Return of the Jedi anniversary year.
What’s your earliest memory of Star Wars?
My first memory is of seeing Star Wars in the Valley Circle Theater in San Diego, California, at a friend’s birthday party. I can remember the weather, where I was sitting – everything about the experience of seeing Star Wars that day! It had such a tremendous, long-lasting impact on me. I can’t say that I remember those details about any other movie.
What does it mean to you today?
Star Wars today is a collection of fantastic, lifelong memories built from experience with the movies, TV shows, comic books, video games and toys which all transport me to a galaxy far far away. Since I oversee the Star Wars product line at Hasbro, one of the important things I need to keep in perspective and always remember is that childlike wonder that I first experienced when I first saw Star Wars – the unforgettable characters and relationships; the amazing ships and technology; the epic struggle of good versus evil; and perhaps most importantly, the reverence for the mysteries of “the force” that give the Jedi their power.
How important is authenticity when it comes to things like the lightsabers or Boba Fett helmet? Do you try to emulate the exact props from the movies?
Authenticity is very important when we target something toward collectors, like our high-end Signature Series FX lightsabers, or our highly detailed Vintage-style action figures and vehicles. When our audience for a certain toy is kids, accuracy is not as important as play features. Sometimes great toys can achieve both objectives, such as our new AT-AT or the Boba Fett helmet. Both are very screen-accurate, but have great play features so fans of all ages can appreciate them.
Will we see even more retro figures ala Kenner packaging or is it just for the Empire Strikes Back (ESB) anniversary?
We are planning for our Vintage line to run for quite a while. Up until this year, we have released the Vintage line only sporadically, in waves of 6-12 figures, and that was it. We did some research and determined that fans love this vintage Kenner packaging above all others. This package evokes memories of the original Star Wars figures on shelves from 1978-1985, during the childhood of many collectors, so the affinity runs very deep. One thing we found in our discussions with fans is that many of them also wanted to see figures from the most recent three Star Wars movies on these Vintage-style cards as well, so we decided to jump in with both feet. The wave after Empire Strikes Back will be a Revenge of the Sith-themed wave, and the presentation of the toy just looks fantastic. We’ll be using the Vintage line look on a few vehicles as well, including a version of the AT-AT which is exclusively found at Toy ‘R Us.
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The Bounty Hunters in ESB were underrated. Is that why there was such a focus on them for this run?
The Bounty Hunters, especially Boba Fett, were a fantastic new plotline added to the Empire Strikes Back that has struck a long-lasting chord with fans. They were only on screen for a few seconds, but fans have never forgotten them and it was important for us to make sure that they were all updated with incredibly detailed figures for the Vintage line.
It seems as if Entertainment Earth pretty much has a lock on exclusives for Star Wars figures. How do you go about picking which characters from the Expanded Universe to produce?
We have some pretty strong exclusives programs lined up this year with key retail partners across the board including Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys ‘R Us. Entertainment Earth is also one of our long-time valued retail partners and we have been able to execute some great exclusive programs together over the years. This year’s set of four Comic Packs, exclusive to Entertainment Earth, feature some great characters drawn from the comic books produced by Dark Horse Comics, based on some of our personal favorite stories. Comic books have been a very fertile ground for excellent Star Wars storytelling, and fans want to see great characters from these comics come to life in figure form.
What can we expect from Return of the Jedi?
Three years from now, it will be the anniversary of Return of the Jedi. Honestly we have not even begun to think that far ahead. We’re still trying to keep up with the tremendous response to this year’s Empire Strikes Back lineup! Actually, if there is one word to share for the Return of the Jedi anniversary celebration, it would be….Ewoks. Lots and lots of Ewoks!
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