The next toy and Star Wars based book from our friend Philip Reed is live now on Kickstarter:
More Star Wars toys as found in the newspaper ads of the seventies and eighties!
Over the last five years, in addition to posting near-daily content at battlegrip.com, I have published ten different books about toys, each one funded through your support here on Kickstarter. The books have covered action figure marketing in the eighties, provided a look at action figure carrying cases, captured the third-party Transformers scene, and even collected and shared G.I. Joe newspaper ads of the eighties.
Sample pages.
My most popular books of all, though, have to be the two 96-page hardcovers dedicated to Star Wars newspaper ads of the seventies and eighties. Both Collect These Figures and Accessories (2016) and A Galaxy of Action Figure Savings (2017) have entertained hundreds of Star Wars fans, and now it’s time that we add a third volume to the series.
Sample pages.
Toy Sales Add Up to Billions continues the fun of those two earlier books, offering hundreds of images within a single 96-page hardcover book and giving us more information on the sale of Kenner’s Star Wars toys between 1977 and 1985. In addition to newspaper ads featuring toys, the book also includes promotions like the Burger Chef and Hi-C posters, various catalog shots, and a small selection of toy photos to give the book some color and keep the pages from turning into a sea of gray.
Sample pages.
Over two hundred images pack the book and retailer quotes from when the toys were new give us a better insight into the success and sales of Kenner’s Star Wars toys back when these newspaper ads were first published.
Sample pages.
Project Status
The book is roughly 99% complete, with all that remains is the creation of the final page, one last editing pass, and the addition of page references. Otherwise, Toy Sales Add Up to Billions is done and ready for print, leaving everything ready for your support here on Kickstarter. If this project closes successfully, the book will go to print in February and be in your hands by June.
