Star Wars: May the Merch Be with You
Signs outside the Los Angeles Convention Center read: "No Camping Allowed." It's the first clue that this is not a boat show or a conference of urologists. It is Celebration IV, the world's largest party for Star Wars fans. The five-day festival opened May 25 to the general public, 30 years to the date of the original film's premiere. It's the fourth in a series of semiannual conferences, officially sanctioned by Star Wars creator George Lucas.
The six Star Wars movies have grossed more than $4.2 billion at the box office, but the franchise is much more than that. Lucas shrewdly has retained the merchandise rights to the films. What's developed since is nothing short of a Star Wars economy, employing thousands, grossing billions, and lasting, well, who knows? "I have every action figure ever made," says Paul Feldman, a Modesto (Calif.) gym teacher waiting with his 8-year old son, Tyler, to get into the show. "I had to build a guest house to store it all." A Cornucopia of Collectibles
Star Wars fans are used to standing in line. The show's organizer, Gen Con, responding to complaints from people who waited hours in the rain at the last gathering, introduced some crowd control maneuvers this year. The Celebration Store, a giant gift shop, is open 24 hours a day for the duration of the show. Fans who paid $110 in advance for a four-day pass could sign up for a specific hour to shop through a "Quick Path" entrance line. Single-day admission is $45.
There are thousands of things to buy—Star Wars art, glassware and baby gear. Lego has a huge display. The Barnes & Noble (BKS) shop has 104 Star Wars-related titles for sale, everything from You Can Draw Star Wars, $19.99, to Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, $24.95. The line snaked around the booth of Kotobukiya, a Japanese toy company selling a Yoda doll that glows like a hologram. It costs $60, cash only. The U.S. Postal Service, which just released Star Wars commemorative stamps, has two post offices set up to facilitate shipping from the show. One has a mailbox painted like R2-D2.
For many fans, the Star Wars fixation is a way to reconnect with their childhood. Jefett Price, a 37-year-old Seattle architect, was waiting in line at the Hasbro (HAS) stand to purchase a limited-edition $15 Anakin Skywalker action figure. "I loved the first movie when I was kid," he says. "When they restarted the franchise 20 years later it was brilliant. My oldest son got into it. It became a generational thing."
The show program lists dozens of collectible products created for the event and the number of them produced. Darren Tickle, a 33-year-old banker from Little Rock dressed in the flowing robes of a Jedi Knight, marked on a floor map the booths he wanted to hit. The first item on his agenda was a $65 album of archive-quality photos from the series. "I can get them autographed," he says. "I'll never sell it." Strict Quality Control
Despite the abundance of product, one of the keys to the longevity of the Star Wars franchise is that Lucas keeps a keen eye on the quality of the merchandise, said Alan Gordon, president of Comic Images, a licensee for the past three years. Gordon started out with an antique gumball machine, but he has since expanded into furry $25 Yoda golf club covers, $30 Darth Vader slippers and $40 Chewbacca backpacks. "Everything they license is as high a quality as possible for that price point," Gordon says.
Licensees who don't agree to Lucas' terms face the fate of an evil Stormtrooper. On May 15, the director's production company, Lucasfilm, announced that Master Replicas, a longtime maker of lightsabers, helmets, and other props that had recently been acquired by Corgi International (CRGI), would lose its license at the end of the year. "We deeply regret that we and Corgi could not come to terms on a new agreement," says Howard Roffman, president of Lucas Licensing.
For those who play along, the gravy train can last a long time. David Prowse, the bodybuilder and health-club owner who portrayed Darth Vader in the original trilogy, at first was miffed when his chipper English accent was overdubbed by the more menacing baritone of actor James Earl Jones. "I got a cable that said, 'Congratulations, you're in the biggest movie of all time; by the way, they didn't use your voice,'" Prowse recalls as he awaited an onslaught of fans at an autograph booth. Today he earns a living traveling around the world, making personal appearances and signing photos. "It's quite a nice life," he says. For Hobbyists, a Way of Life
Lucas is not all about the bottom line. There are dozens of Star Wars fan clubs, such as the Jedi Assembly and the 501st Legion, whose members enjoy dressing up as Star Wars characters. Most of the uniforms are made not with official licensed products, but out of handcrafted, personalized gear. "Lucas is definitely aware of us," says James Gonzales, a 37-year-old real estate agent from Santa Barbara, Calif., at a booth representing an online forum for costume makers called The Dented Helmet. "He supports hobbyists and encourages them." Gonzales says he's built two clone commander costumes at a cost of roughly $3,000 each. "I traded in my golf clubs three years ago," he says.
The Lucas magic trickles through the economy in many ways. Jim Balent and his wife, Holly Golightly, say they were inspired to become comic book artists in part by the early Star Wars films. Today they merchandise their BroadSword Comics much the way Lucas does, even releasing a perfume. The pair were married two years ago in a Star Wars-themed wedding, with she dressed as Princess Leia and he as Darth Vader. They asked a local fan club to supply Stormtroopers. When more than 50 people volunteered, Golightly limited the invitations to 17. "It was a wedding," she explains. "You've got to feed them."
The six Star Wars movies have grossed more than $4.2 billion at the box office, but the franchise is much more than that. Lucas shrewdly has retained the merchandise rights to the films. What's developed since is nothing short of a Star Wars economy, employing thousands, grossing billions, and lasting, well, who knows? "I have every action figure ever made," says Paul Feldman, a Modesto (Calif.) gym teacher waiting with his 8-year old son, Tyler, to get into the show. "I had to build a guest house to store it all." A Cornucopia of Collectibles
Star Wars fans are used to standing in line. The show's organizer, Gen Con, responding to complaints from people who waited hours in the rain at the last gathering, introduced some crowd control maneuvers this year. The Celebration Store, a giant gift shop, is open 24 hours a day for the duration of the show. Fans who paid $110 in advance for a four-day pass could sign up for a specific hour to shop through a "Quick Path" entrance line. Single-day admission is $45.
There are thousands of things to buy—Star Wars art, glassware and baby gear. Lego has a huge display. The Barnes & Noble (BKS) shop has 104 Star Wars-related titles for sale, everything from You Can Draw Star Wars, $19.99, to Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, $24.95. The line snaked around the booth of Kotobukiya, a Japanese toy company selling a Yoda doll that glows like a hologram. It costs $60, cash only. The U.S. Postal Service, which just released Star Wars commemorative stamps, has two post offices set up to facilitate shipping from the show. One has a mailbox painted like R2-D2.
For many fans, the Star Wars fixation is a way to reconnect with their childhood. Jefett Price, a 37-year-old Seattle architect, was waiting in line at the Hasbro (HAS) stand to purchase a limited-edition $15 Anakin Skywalker action figure. "I loved the first movie when I was kid," he says. "When they restarted the franchise 20 years later it was brilliant. My oldest son got into it. It became a generational thing."
The show program lists dozens of collectible products created for the event and the number of them produced. Darren Tickle, a 33-year-old banker from Little Rock dressed in the flowing robes of a Jedi Knight, marked on a floor map the booths he wanted to hit. The first item on his agenda was a $65 album of archive-quality photos from the series. "I can get them autographed," he says. "I'll never sell it." Strict Quality Control
Despite the abundance of product, one of the keys to the longevity of the Star Wars franchise is that Lucas keeps a keen eye on the quality of the merchandise, said Alan Gordon, president of Comic Images, a licensee for the past three years. Gordon started out with an antique gumball machine, but he has since expanded into furry $25 Yoda golf club covers, $30 Darth Vader slippers and $40 Chewbacca backpacks. "Everything they license is as high a quality as possible for that price point," Gordon says.
Licensees who don't agree to Lucas' terms face the fate of an evil Stormtrooper. On May 15, the director's production company, Lucasfilm, announced that Master Replicas, a longtime maker of lightsabers, helmets, and other props that had recently been acquired by Corgi International (CRGI), would lose its license at the end of the year. "We deeply regret that we and Corgi could not come to terms on a new agreement," says Howard Roffman, president of Lucas Licensing.
For those who play along, the gravy train can last a long time. David Prowse, the bodybuilder and health-club owner who portrayed Darth Vader in the original trilogy, at first was miffed when his chipper English accent was overdubbed by the more menacing baritone of actor James Earl Jones. "I got a cable that said, 'Congratulations, you're in the biggest movie of all time; by the way, they didn't use your voice,'" Prowse recalls as he awaited an onslaught of fans at an autograph booth. Today he earns a living traveling around the world, making personal appearances and signing photos. "It's quite a nice life," he says. For Hobbyists, a Way of Life
Lucas is not all about the bottom line. There are dozens of Star Wars fan clubs, such as the Jedi Assembly and the 501st Legion, whose members enjoy dressing up as Star Wars characters. Most of the uniforms are made not with official licensed products, but out of handcrafted, personalized gear. "Lucas is definitely aware of us," says James Gonzales, a 37-year-old real estate agent from Santa Barbara, Calif., at a booth representing an online forum for costume makers called The Dented Helmet. "He supports hobbyists and encourages them." Gonzales says he's built two clone commander costumes at a cost of roughly $3,000 each. "I traded in my golf clubs three years ago," he says.
The Lucas magic trickles through the economy in many ways. Jim Balent and his wife, Holly Golightly, say they were inspired to become comic book artists in part by the early Star Wars films. Today they merchandise their BroadSword Comics much the way Lucas does, even releasing a perfume. The pair were married two years ago in a Star Wars-themed wedding, with she dressed as Princess Leia and he as Darth Vader. They asked a local fan club to supply Stormtroopers. When more than 50 people volunteered, Golightly limited the invitations to 17. "It was a wedding," she explains. "You've got to feed them."