I should also note that based on one of the several money graphs he showed, it appeared that SW was their top money brand, interestingly enough, falling just under Barbie and one other brand I can't recall in all worldwide brands. They're happy to be producing it, but it's not their top priority. I think they know they're just printing money off of the Lucasfilm development strategy, but a good portion of that cash must go back to Lucas, of course, as opposed to the brands that are theirs outright. It makes a lot of business sense, when you think about it.

So I'm in Providence, RI right now, attending the NCMPR conference (basically a conference for public relations and media workers in Community Colleges - I'm here because the lit. mag I run won an award - anyway...), and the keynote speaker from this morning was Terry Scott, a senior VP for Hasbro (which is located in Providence) who manages global marketing and creative services, etc. It was a pretty interesting presentation, which focused on how Hasbro has evolved and is continuing to reinvent itself as more than a toy company, moving towards a multimedia corporation.

One of the more interesting parts to me, as a SW collector, is that, based on the presentation Mr. Scott gave today, Star Wars is not even CLOSE to their main focus - they mentioned it in their powerpoint presentation just a few times throughout. Their focus is very much on the brands they own - Transformers, GI Joe, My Little Pony, board games, etc. I don't think this is news to anyone here, but it was interesting to see just how little they really focused at all on a general Hasbro presentation on anything SW related. He did seem excited to see what would happen in the aftermath of the 3D rereleases, as well as the future prospects of TV shows, but they're committed mainly to their own brands, which makes sense, obviously.

Another area they're not focused on? Collectors, again, pretty obviously. He at one point mentioned the "cellar dwellers", the 20 somethings living at home who buy out of nostalgia, but it was with a sort of sarcastic look to the crowd in passing.

I don't know how much of this is really news, but I thought it worth mentioning here, as usually the interactions any of the collector groups have with Hasbro is directed towards us as an audience, so they know what to say to keep us engaged. It's quite a different rhetoric to the general public. We're not the biggest cash source for them, so it's not without business sense, but the next time you wonder about all the minutia of issues collectors have, keep in mind, they're worried about a far larger picture.

Well, obviously Hasbro is aware of carded collectors, but they're also certainly aware that they make up an incredibly small portion of their buying population. Has Hasbro ever come out and made any note or notice concerning attempts to take care of packaging for the benefit of the few who never open their toys at all? I know the plight of the carded collector is a grand one, but I just don't see Hasbro having much concern over whether their shipments (either to homes or to retailers) end up with a bent corner or two so long as the product itself is undamaged. That's what those bubbles are made for in the first place, right? They're not made for display, but to protect the product in shipment. I'm sure that, as far as they're concerned, they did their job in delivering the goods intact, and aren't likely to make concessions to protect the minority who won't be buying their products for the reasons Hasbro intends in the first place (i.e. opening and/or playing with Star Wars toys).

Has there ever been any official reasoning behind why Kenner made the saber yellow? Was it just because of the first version's coloring? I've never understood that.

What a dick. I hope that guy is killed by a huge rolling barrel, a sentient fireball, or an enormous mallet coming down on his head. Being mauled by a giant ape would be acceptable as well.

Works for me.

That $50 PKE meter is pretty bad ass - the folks in the prop replica world are pretty upset about it, since they've spent a lot of time and money making basically the same thing, electronics and all. It's all good with me. I'll definitely track one of these down.

Here's a video, if you missed it.

Ah good, excellent news. And thanks to whomever moved my question - should have looked deeper for the thread.