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New Star Wars Toys and Games Among Holiday Season's Most Sought-After Gifts

All new Star Wars toys and games will be capping off the global celebration of the Star Wars Saga's 30th anniversary, as Star Wars remains one of the most sought-after gifts for fans of all ages for the 2007 holiday season.

Year-to-date data released by the NPD Group shows that, 30 years after its initial release, Star Wars is the second best-selling boys' toy property of the year, showcasing the intergalactic adventure's enduring appeal.

Building on the success of the blockbuster LEGO Star Wars videogame franchise, LEGO Group and LucasArts have teamed with TT Games to create LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga. At long last, players can "kick some brick" through 36 Story Mode levels covering all six films in the Saga, from the Trade Federation's "negotiations" with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace to the space battle above Endor in Return of the Jedi. The game is available on the Wii, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 videogame system from Microsoft and Nintendo DS.

Already hailed by fans as "the best of the dark side" (The UberReview.com) and "creative thinking at its best" (Newlaunches.com), Hasbro's Star Wars TRANSFORMERS Darth Vader/Death Star action figure combines the incredibly popular TRANSFORMERS play experience with two icons of the dark side -- the Empire's ultimate weapon changes into the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, complete with lightsaber. It comes with a Darth Vader pilot mini-figure, two TIE fighter pilot mini-figures and three stormtrooper mini-figures and retails for $50.

"More than two years after the release of Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars is still going strong as a whole new generation embraces the Saga," said Howard Roffman, President of Lucas Licensing. "We expect 2008 to be a banner year for Star Wars with two significant entertainment milestones -- the release of the breakthrough, next-generation videogame Star Wars: The Force Unleashed in the spring, and, later in the year, the premiere of the highly anticipated CGI series Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

SOURCE: Lucasfilm Ltd.