I know Episode VII is going to be ga ga gangbusters and will have the full spate of product we expect but I agree with you, it isn't going to be the SAME product we expect.  Video game/Interactive model is the now and it is going to happen. 

I agree.  The action figure model has been running since 1978 as we know it, and that trend appears to be on the decline.  Unless Hasbro can find some way of making those figures & toys interactive with gaming systems.

What I think we're likely to see in the next 1 to 2 years?  The Kinect concept is pretty big with X-Box, and I think we're going to see other consoles pick up that kind of technology.  I think Hasbro is very likely to offer a lightsaber that interacts with these consoles with a game.  Perhaps in a partnership with EA.  And I think Disney can bring those parties together to make something like that happen.

But the lack of media support is also at play here.  However, with the new animated series launching next year I think it's likely that we'll see an uptick in sales.  Will that translate across the board, and not be isolated to just the Rebels series?  We'll have to wait and see.

It's funny though.  I know that in it's time we decried the CommTech reader of 1999 as nothing but a gimmick.  But the concept seemed to be a little bit ahead of it's time.  The concept had some foresight regarding interactivity and media combined with figures.  I suspect that this "New Thing" might actually owe something to the concept behind the CommTech reader.

I really liked the book, and I generally hate EU books.  Nick is right, it is shocking how far into the movies Plagueis is alive though...it is worth a read if you can find it cheap.

It does seem that play patterns are shifting towards interactivity with gaming consoles and computers.  When I go into TRU these days I'm struck by the enormity of the Skylanders feature display at the front of the store.  Some 30+ feet of shelf space is dedicated to this particular property, and it seems that popularity is due to how the toys interact with video games.

As for the current spate of sales?  We're in the home stretch of the 2013 retail season.  And we always see significant sales this time of year.  It is worth noting that retail sales stats show that spending in 2013 is DOWN from spending during the 2012 holiday season.  That macro statistic indicates a more broad softness at retail than being isolated to any one intellectual property like Star Wars.

As for Star Wars?  I believe I've said this before, but it bears repeating.  I think we're in a transitional stage.  Hasbro is trying to find the next big thing from a play pattern / marketing standpoint.  And Lucasfilm / Disney are still dealing with the new realities of the corporate takeover.  Much of the licensed future of Star Wars is going to depend on how Episode VII shapes up, along with the upcoming Rebels animated series.

So fear not, Chicken Little.  The sky is not falling.  We're just waiting to see where things are going next.

Scott's information is far more solid than pricing...  How many years did we go with things getting clearanced in the supposedly "biggest year for Star Wars ever!", and it really meant nothing.  Wal-Mart dumping things at their stores, discounters getting great stuff...

Sometimes it means things are bad, sometimes it just means someone overordered but the numbers still did well for what Hasbro wanted or needed.

Where did Mission Seires, Legends, and 4" TBS land in that list Scott posted?  At $20 a pop I personally never thought 6" was that great of a formula, when at $10 a pop the basic figures already were struggling...  I'd love to see beyond 100 really.

However, what are Hasbro's goals there?  are they hoping to sell as many 6" figures as they used to sell vehicles?  Or were they hoping to sell as many 6" figures as they did 4" figures, or a number only slightly adjusted from that?

That's the kind of thing ya just don't know.

I also know there's been a bit of an edict handed down since last Summer that 2015's getting far more attention than 2013 and 2014...  that's obvious but there's even more to it than the simplistic "new movies are where we should focus".  And Hasbro's had to deal with that, after being zeroed in on 3D films and things.

Right now I think the line's in a bad place, but I think it's also there with some intent that right now doesn't matter as much as 2 years from now, to them anyway.

Either way, Scott's lists/info shows, I think at least pretty clearly, that stuff for kids trumps stuff for us generally.  People hate hearing that.

Hell, Angry Birds cracking the top 100...  Doesn't that tell anyone that the, "Angry Turds Suck! Why does Hasbro waste their time and $ on those!?!?!?" crowd is at least a LITTLE bit off?

surprised no Yoda on the list