Have Netflix? Then you really need to check out their new series about toys, called The Toys That Made Us. The first episode in the series covers a topic near and dear to us all: STAR WARS!
The inaugural episode in the series chronicles how the toy license for Star Wars was initially shopped, and how a relatively small company like Kenner was able to negotiate the rights to produce Star Wars toys. It features interviews with many former Kenner execs, some Kenner employees that went on to work for Hasbro, as well as some high profile collectors like Steve Sansweet and Gus Lopez. It's some pretty good stuff to take in. Especially how Kenner let extremely favorable rights to the license lapse in 1986, leading to a renegotiation that changed everything! Check it out.