Officially Unofficial

What you see pictured with this blog looks real but it's actually fake. All three of them are 'toys' that someone made up. They packaged them to look like real potential products. And this being Star Wars related, it's not really surprising that these particular 'elements' of the Star Wars stories weren't included in real life. But be that as it may, there are times when you can't rely on the toy manufacturers to produce the characters you are looking for or the vehicles that you want. For me, that was one of the reasons I loved Legos. Not the sets that you get today but the boxes of blocks that I had. That box gave me the opportunity to make so many different vehicles you wouldn't believe it.

My imagination knew no bounds and every time I saw something that intrigued me or led me to think that it might be a nice vehicle or location for my game, I would make it using Legos. I don't think I was all that different from man other kids in that regard. The difference though between me and some people who continue to make up their own toys this time is that I never tried to sell my creations. Others have and it can lead to some trouble. Case in point is John Stacks of Tampa, Florida who is being sued by DC Comics for illegally selling resin model kits based on characters from the popular 1960's Batman television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. According to the suit, Stacks is illegally making these figures in the likeness of West, Ward and many of the other actors and actresses from the series.

Now if these resin kits had just been resin models of the actors themselves then I doubt that DC Comics would have had a problem, but because they are likenesses of the actors in costume from the show, that's when the comic company has a problem. It stems from the fact that although the actors aren't the property of the company, the characters they portray are. Most companies that produce products that have toy tie-ins generally link up with major companies and reign tight control over what products are out there. Going back to Star Wars, George Lucas would not allow anyone he hasn't authorized to put products out that seek to make a profit in sales on products based on his films.

In one way it makes sense since it would preclude cheap products from hitting the market but still, it seems a bit much sometimes. But not all forms of personal expression are being stifled, in fact sometimes it is encouraged. Star Wars and Star Trek are two franchises with a solid fan following and some have even gone so far as to produce their own versions of stories and continuations of existing plot lines through their own means. While also falling under the category of officially unofficial, it is allowed to continue provided that they never attempt to sell their film to the public which would be a violation of copyright agreements and studio deals. Fan generated fictional stories are much the same. I just find it sad sometimes that adults who wish to continue their exploration and affection for someone else's creation have to do so under such strict conditions.