How will Lucasfilm be supporting the property at retail and keeping it visible?
Roffman: To launch this, we felt it was appropriate to have a fresh new look for the product line, so we designed all-new packaging that has a white and blue basis that derives very much from the clones. We also felt it was appropriate to have a launch date, so that rather than have stuff just trickle out we created an event for July 26 when the product could all be unveiled. That’s worked very well for us in the context of the films previously. We work closely with our key retail partners to make sure that they’re going to have an impactful presence for Star Wars. So we’ve got some unique arrangements with Toys “R” Us, Target and Wal-Mart. Toys “R” Us, just in terms of the sheer size of the commitment, is probably making the biggest statement. They have a feature shop in every store, they’ve got countdown clocks … Target [is] doing some very innovative things, and there will be a very big presence at Wal-Mart. Playthings: Can independent stores participate? Roffman: Sure! One of the
