Toy Empire: The British Force Behind Star Wars Toys

[SpeedBash]

Looks like another decent Star Wars documentary from the Beeb.

Aired on Monday 16 December 2019 @ 19:30 but available for catchup on iPlayer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000c7nq/toy...

BBC said:

Star Wars superfan David Whiteley celebrates the unlikely toy heroes of the 1970s.

Toy manufacturer Palitoy based in Coalville, Leicestershire, was chosen to make toys for the new Star Wars movie in the UK. The company was already successful with Action Man and Tiny Tears. But Star Wars toys were about to become the must have toys of a generation. It was an unexpected success. At that time toys from films didn’t sell well. Rich archive brings the nostalgia of the 1970s back to our screens, as David Whiteley meets the men and women who made it happen against all the odds, and the enthusiasts whose pocket money toys now fetch eye watering sums.

‘Toy Empire: The British Force Behind Star Wars Toys’ tells the success story of the toys would change the way movies are marketed forever.

[Scrump]

BTTT, sorry for the incorrect closure.

[AshVX220]

I caught this last night and found it really interesting. I sold my whole collection in around 1994 for £400 (or rather my Mum did, after I asked her to get "what she could for it", as I was deployed......and skint).

I totaled it up at a sci-fi fair in around '98 and even by then it would have fetched around £3k-£4k!!

I dread to think what it would be worth now. Fortunately I managed to keep my card board Death Star , unfortunately, it's not boxed and has bits missing!

[Halb]

AshVX220 said:

I sold my whole collection in around 1994 for £400 (or rather my Mum did, after I asked her to get "what she could for it", as I was deployed......and skint).

gutted!

at least the death star is very rare!

I had a Falcon, an At-St, Vader's Tie, and a tie interceptor , also a landspeeder, probably other stuff I cannot recall.
ALl gone now, all gone

[DSLiverpool]

At launch a very young me worked in the biggest toy shop in Liverpool, this was pre chains etc.
We had a huge display and as usual we had loads of Yodas but very few Luke’s, lots of Cheeys not many Hans.
I could easily have got several complete sets but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[Paddymcc]

I recall Woolworths selling 6 star wars figures together and their accessories in a clear bag that had their cardboard backings removed for £1. That would have been around the mid 80s.