A movie ticket gets you into the cinema once. A toy can keep you playing in that world for years. How did Star Wars turn that simple idea into a huge business? Join us for a discussion about how a space adventure helped change the way Hollywood thought about merchandise. You don’t need to know a single character or have seen any of the films: our story is about the toys, the business decisions behind them and how a product once seen as an extra became a business in its own right.

We’ll trace how action figures and playsets gave people a way to take the story home, and unpack how licensing works: who gets to make the products, who gets paid and why those rights matter. Then we’ll look at what later franchises learned from Star Wars and ask what makes merchandise something people actually want. Would you buy it for the design, for the memories or for the fun of collecting? And if you had the rights to a character people loved, what would you make? Bring an example from your own life, or come curious about how the things we love on screen end up on our shelves.

How does a character on a screen become a toy people queue to buy? And how can something that starts as a souvenir become a business in its own right? Join us for a discussion about the business of merchandising through Star Wars, the space adventure that helped show Hollywood how big that business could get. From action figures and playsets to collectibles for adults, we’ll trace how Star Wars gave fans a way to bring its fictional world home, and kept finding new ways to do it for nearly fifty years. Along the way, we’ll unpack how licensing lets other companies turn familiar characters into products, and why those rights can be so valuable.

Then we’ll bring the story closer to home. What does Disney understand about turning characters into products people want to live with? How does Pop Mart build on that idea through brand collaborations, blind boxes and the thrill of finding a figure you don’t have? We’ll compare what makes people buy: affection for a character, clever design, the fun of collecting or the fear of missing out. We’ll also ask where the business can go wrong: how much merchandise is too much, and what would you make if you had the rights to a character people loved? You don’t need to know a single Star Wars character to join in. Just think of something you’ve bought because it reminded you of a story, a character or a world you wanted to be part of.

一张电影票只能让你进一次电影院。一个玩具却可以让你在那个世界里玩上好几年。《星球大战》是怎么把这个简单的想法变成一门大生意的？跟着我们来聊一场讨论吧，聊聊一部太空冒险片是怎么改变好莱坞对周边的看法的。你不需要认识任何一个角色，也不用看过任何一部电影：我们要讲的是玩具、玩具背后的商业决定，还有一件曾经被当成附加品的东西，怎么变成了一门独立的生意。

我们会顺着看，可动人偶和场景玩具是怎么给人一个把故事带回家的方式的，也会拆一拆授权是怎么运作的：谁能做这些产品、谁拿到钱，以及为什么这些权利这么重要。然后我们会看看后来的系列从《星球大战》身上学到了什么，也会问是什么让周边变成人们真正想要的东西。你会因为设计买它，因为回忆买它，还是因为收集的乐趣？如果你手里有一个大家都爱的角色的版权，你会做什么？带上一个你自己生活里的例子，或者就来好奇一下，我们在屏幕上爱的东西，是怎么最后跑到我们架子上的。

一个屏幕里的角色，怎么变成人们排队去买的玩具？一件一开始只是纪念品的东西，又怎么变成一门独立的生意？跟着我们来聊一场关于周边生意的讨论吧，从《星球大战》说起。这部太空冒险片，帮好莱坞看到了这门生意到底能做多大。从可动人偶和场景玩具，到给成年人玩的收藏品，我们会顺着看《星球大战》是怎么给粉丝一个把虚构世界带回家的方式，又怎么在将近五十年里不断找到新玩法。一路上，我们会拆一拆授权是怎么让别的公司把熟悉的角色变成产品的，以及为什么这些权利可以这么值钱。

然后我们把故事拉近一点。迪士尼懂什么，能把角色变成人们想一起生活的产品？泡泡玛特又是怎么在这个基础上，通过品牌联名、盲盒，还有抽到没有的那一款时的那种刺激感，往前走的？我们会比较是什么让人掏钱：对角色的感情、巧妙的设计、收集的乐趣，还是怕错过。我们也会问，这门生意哪里可能出问题：周边多到什么程度就算太多了，如果你手里有一个大家都爱的角色的版权，你会做什么？你不需要认识任何一个《星球大战》的角色也能加入。只要想想你买过的某样东西，因为它让你想起一个故事、一个角色，或者一个你想身处其中的世界。