With the release of Star Wars in 1977, Hollywood learned an important lesson: If summer blockbusters were here to stay, then tie-in merchandising—particularly toys—would have to be part of their ...

In 1979, Kenner’s Alien action figure was the toy to get. Huge, and prohibitively expensive compared to a kid’s allowance, it depended on parental goodwill to purchase. And that was in short supply.