Star Wars Toys
Kenner (1978)
The original Star Wars action figures weren't ready for the Christmas shopping season in 1977 when the movie was first released. Because of this, Kenner famously shipped over a half million empty boxes to stores that came with a mail-in certificate for action figures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2 and Chewbacca.
The first Star Wars movie was such a massive success that kids didn't mind getting an empty box for Christmas. The full toy line was ready and shipped to stores in 1978, and it set the standard for merchandising a major motion picture.
