Star Wars: May the Merch Be with You

The first film's 30th anniversary is another bonanza for George Lucas, who has shrewdly retained the franchise's merchandise rights

by Christopher Palmeri

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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."