Star Wars: The Power of the Force (1985 toy line)

Kenner's Star Wars: The Power of the Force vintage toy line debuted in 1985, two years after the 1983 theatrical release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. This line followed Kenner's enormously successful Star Wars trilogy line but failed to generate renewed commercial interest at a time when the Star Wars brand was fading in popularity. Kenner did not produce another line based on the original Star Wars characters until 1995's The Power of the Force collection under the ownership of Hasbro.

Development
Following the 1983 theatrical release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the conclusion of the Star Wars original trilogy, Kenner was faced with the challenge of a Star Wars brand that was fading in popularity with no new films forthcoming. To try and resurrect fan interest in Star Wars toys, Kenner introduced a new overall brand concept in its 1985 The Power of the Force line, which featured aluminum character coins packaged with each action figure.

Continuity
Although Star Wars author Stephen J. Sansweet notes in his 1999 book Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive that Kenner's The Power of the Force line began in 1985, he later stated in his 2012 book Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection that the line began in 1984. In fact, the first five figures of The Power of the Force line were date-stamped in 1984 but were not officially released until 1985.

Reception
The Power of the Force failed to recapture the popularity of Kenner's original Star Wars line and was not renewed for a second series. From 1977 to 1985, Kenner's vintage Star Wars toy lines sold more than 250 million action figures, but with Star Wars fan interest descending to an all-time low by the end of the 1980s, Kenner was ultimately absorbed by Hasbro Inc. in 1991. After a ten-year hiatus, Kenner, under Hasbro ownership, released a new The Power of the Force line in 1995, which helped to rekindle modern-day Star Wars popularity.