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
Edit
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.[1]
The Power of the Force re-released with a new packaging logo several figures previously available through Kenner's first three original trilogy product lines, including many released near the end of the Return of the Jedi line.[1]
ContinuityEdit
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,[1] he later stated in his 2012 book Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection that the line began in 1984.[4] 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.[2]
ReceptionEdit
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.[1] From 1977 to 1985, Kenner's vintage Star Wars toy lines[4] 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,[1] 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,[4] which helped to rekindle modern-day Star Wars popularity.[1]
AppearancesEdit
| Characters | Creatures | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
|
Droid models
Locations
|
Organizations and titles
Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
 Kenner's Security Scout toy
|
Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
BibliographyEdit
- "Scouting the Galaxy: Merchandise Mysteries… and Menace!"—Star Wars Insider 24
- "Scouting the Galaxy: Droids, Ewoks and the Mysterious Vlix (And the Truth about 4-LOM and Zuckuss!)"—Star Wars Insider 27
- "Scouting the Galaxy"—Star Wars Insider 28
- "Galactic Bazaar: On-Line With Gus(to)"—Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 8
- "Galactic Bazaar: Vader Rules Collectibles"—Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 11
- "Galactic Bazaar: Leia Rules"—Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 12
- "Galactic Bazaar: Fantastic Fans"—Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 13
- "Star Wars Stuff: Rescued from the Trash Heap of History"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 2
- "Around the Galaxy"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "An Elegant Toy"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "Fantastic Fans: The Empire Strikes Bock"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 3
- "Star Wars Stuff: Mini Catalogs Reveal Maximum Treasures"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 4
- "Collectors' Comlink"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 4
- Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
- "You've Never Heard of the Millennium Falcon?"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 5
- "Collectors' Comlink"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 6
- "Mexican Stand Off"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 8
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection
- "Boba's Bounty"—Star Wars Insider Special Edition 2014
