Meet The Man With The “Golden Gut”

I can't quite put my finger on the reason for my fascination with Bernie Loomis, the CEO of Kenner during the vintage Star Wars days. I've decided he may be my version of Cameron's Ferris Bueller fantasy. He's the type of person I wished I could have been. The World War II veteran and Bronx native was a self-made man having worked days to put himself through college at night. Described as having an imposing stature and booming voice, he commanded the room. In business, he was incredibly intuitive which earned him the nickname "the man with the golden gut" in reference to his impeccable instincts (and not for having won Nathan's hot dog eating contest). As a leader he maintained a rare combination of attributes. Loomis not only commanded respect, he was also well liked. I'm someone who more closely identifies as some sort of combination of George Constanza and Albert Brooks from Defending Your Life. As such, I find him intriguing.



But how did one of the founding fathers of the modern toy industry shape our beloved hobby? It's a case of that "golden gut" proving uncannily infallible. In 1977, movies were not seen as viable for toy licensing. You have to understand these were utterly different times. Most of the United States considered themselves lucky if they managed decent over-the-air reception of a handful of stations. VCR's and home movie rentals were still a few years out from reaching widespread adoption. After a movie finished its theatrical run, it largely faded from the forefront of public consciousness, particularly with that of kids. Toy licenses were much better suited to television shows such as the Six Million Dollar Man which had a more durable pop-culture presence. Aside from Planet of the Apes, movie properties didn't do well. As such, Lucasfilm wasn't finding many takers when shopping the toy license. The script and some black and white photos came into Kenner's hands.

Senior Product Designer, Jim Swearingen, and VP of Preliminary Design, Dave Okada, instantly knew this was a workable and exciting design aesthetic. But an interesting design alone doesn't necessarily make a viable toy line. As mentioned, movie properties lacked the omni-presence they have today. This is where Bernie Loomis' intuition came into play the first time. Using a phrase he coined, he determined that Star Wars had a "toyetic" appeal. This was the first step into a larger world, but the battle was far from over. The contract was signed in April of 1977, just a month before the movie's release. Production timelines are unforgiving today, but even more so in 1977. This was the reason for Ed Schiffman's famous brainchild, the "empty box" Early Bird Kit for Christmas 1977. The success of the Early Bird Kit earned Schiffman high praise from Loomis. Leveling an index finger in Schiffman's direction, Loomis offered a solitary word: good.





This high pressure and truncated timeline meant that there was no time to agonize over decisions. This is where the "golden gut" would play another revolutionary role. Dave Okada quickly realized that scale had to be determined. The ambitious team wanted wanted to deliver as much of the Star Wars universe as they could, ranging from the Millennium Falcon to the Death Star, but the contemporary action figure standard scale of 1:6 (12") would make this impossible. Luke would set the standard for the line. Dave went up to Bernie Loomis and told him he had had to make a quick decision. How tall is Luke? Loomis held a massive hand out over the table. After a moment's consideration, he separated his index finger and thumb (which Okada describes as "two Dodger dogs") and said, "Luke is this tall." Okada grabbed his ruler and measured the space as 3.75 inches. The one true scale was born and the most successful toy line in history was launched. It's clear that Kenner was populated with many talented and visionary designers, but none of this could have happened without Loomis' impeccable business instincts.

So the next time some Sixer tells you that the 6" scale is better, tell them the golden gut says they're wrong.

Sources:

The Toys That Made Us
Plastic Galaxy
Kenner Collector Focus: Interview with Bernard “Bernie” Loomis – President of Kenner

---

comments powered by Disqus