By NOLA L. SARKISIAN
Staff Reporter
At KB Toys, they tell you the hot seller when they answer the phone.
“Good Morning, KB Toys, your ‘Star Wars’ headquarters,” the store employee says.
That pretty much tells the story for local retailers.
Since earlier this month, when toys based on the movie “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace” started landing in stores, local merchants have been struggling to keep up with demand.
Toys ‘R’ Us reported sales of $21 million on May 3, compared with $8 million the same day the year before. Local sales also have skyrocketed.
“It’s been pretty overwhelming. Normally, we do $20,000 to $40,000 a week in sales, and that week alone, we generated three times that,” said Marie Hidalgo, manager for FAO Schwarz in the Glendale Galleria. “It’s been fairly consistent and the release of the movie helped create another wave of interest.”
The hottest items are split along gender lines, with girls showing a preference for Queen Amidala action figures and boys being attracted to the evil Darth Maul character. The dolls range in price from $6.99 to $9.99 for the 3.25-inch figures to $60 to $79.99 for 12-inch versions.
Toys based on “Star Wars” enjoy an enviable position, qualifying not only a playthings for children but collector’s items for adults.
“It’s the toy that parents can enjoy giving. They enjoyed it and they want their kids to benefit from it,” said Richard Giss, a partner with the business practice of Deloitte & Touche LLP.
Sales projections remain stratospheric. Hasbro, the Pawtucket, R.I.-based licensor of the “Star Wars” toys, is banking on $500 million, and more bullish analysts see that number doubling.
“We feel that sales will fall somewhere in between. We’re just excited because we know that ‘Star Wars’ will generate more store traffic in the off-season and that will affect overall impulse buying,” said Diana Cardinale, spokeswoman for Toy Manufacturers of America. She said the first nationwide sales total won’t be compiled until this week.
Even if the movie tails off at the box office, toy sales are not likely to be affected all that much.
“‘Star Wars’ is review-proof. You have that loyal core of fans who will buy the product and see the movie multiple times no matter what the critics are saying,” Cardinale said.
