On this very special episode of the Smugglers’ Galaxy Podcast, we play one of the panels from Rogue Fun: Santa Shopped There: Star Wars and the Golden Age of the Sears Wish Book by Jerry Hancock (Ki-Adi Randy).

This panel examines the history of the Sears Wish Book and how it helped expand the hottest toy line in the galaxy. Following the success of the Star Wars Early Bird campaign, Kenner continued to use the power of mail order as a means to market exclusives and preview new releases during the holiday season.

Jerry Hancock is a Georgia-based Star Wars collector, educator and historian. His collection focuses on Star Wars exclusives offered through the Sears catalog. He is the author of “Ponce City Market: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Atlanta’s Largest Building,” which originally served as the Sears Southeast Catalog Distribution Center and Retail Store in Atlanta. While researching his master’s thesis on Sears and its cultural impact on the American South, he conducted interviews with dozens of former Sears employees and executives.

As an added bonus, Jerry joins us at the start and conclusion of the panel to provide what it was like to present this at Rogue Fun!