Kenner Wars

A long, long time ago, in a toy store near you...

With the book Kenner Wars, travel back in time and return to the Star Wars toys range manufactured by Kenner between 1978 and 1985. This stunning, large-format, 240-page hardcover book will take you back to your childhood with hundreds of original photos, detailed descriptions of the action figures, spaceships and playsets, in-depth information on their production, and the most surprising stories.

A brand-new collector’s edition of Jean-François Rolland’s book is now available in an exclusive slipcase, along with a second 100-page book of advertisements titled May the Toys Be With You, by Ron Salvatore and Jean-François Rolland, as well as five prints of exclusive photos created for the book’s illustrations.

If you already own the first edition of the book, you can back a special Upgrade Bundle that includes the case, May the Toys Be With You, the five prints, and a dust cover to have your initial edition match the new one.

Kenner Wars is the gift that all the nostalgic fans from the galaxy far, far away have been waiting for! We need your support to make it real, so you can receive it by next Christmas

Never underestimate the power of the toys

1977: that’s the year George Lucas’s Star Wars was released. A landmark year in science fiction cinema and in global pop culture. Millions of viewers were immersed in this rich universe. Star Wars was also the first franchise to be adapted on a massive scale across other media. Leading this wave were toys—in particular, action figures modeled after the characters, dioramas, and spaceships from the film.

From 1978 to 1985, Kenner produced Star Wars characters and spaceships under license, enriching its lines as the releases of The Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jeditook place. This line became legendary, allowing countless children to experience incredible adventures in a galaxy far, far away. A true cultural phenomenon and an unprecedented commercial success that forever transformed the toy industry.

Christmas 1979: young Jean-François Rolland discovered his first spaceships under the Christmas tree. It marked the beginning of a passion for science fiction—and especially for the Star Wars universe—as well as the foundation of a career as a collector dedicated to the Kenner line, a passion that continues to this day.

A great disturbance in the Force

2012: Jean-François decided to create a coffee-table book to share all the knowledge he had accumulated over the years about Kenner Star Wars toys, documenting his collection from every angle.

A book in the form of an intergalactic journey, in which the figures, ships, dioramas, and other creatures that populate the universe of the original Star Wars trilogy can be rediscovered like treasures on a star map, and where each page describes the characteristics of the items sold in stores between 1978 and 1985 in the United States. The major evolution of the products and their packaging is also presented, along with all their accessories.

For nearly 10 years, working evenings and weekends, Jean-François took more than 3,500 photos and shot 160 high-definition videos, and re-imagined the blueprints of each item—including their specific features, dimensions, and packaging—while compiling key information and memorable anecdotes through interviews with former designers and engineers from the Cincinnati-based company. He worked on the layout of the entire book by covering the walls of his apartment with the pages.

He also included a QR code for each item that links to a video of the model in action on his YouTube channel, ChroniqueVintage.

Jean-François launched his first Kickstarter campaign in August 2021, and eight months later, copies were delivered to backers. Over the months, the print run of 2,000 English-language copies sold out, making the book particularly rare and highly sought-after today.

This is the Collector’s Edition you’re looking for

2026: Jean-François and Pulse Books are offering a brand-new, completely redesigned edition, now titled Kenner Wars, with a brand-new cover, a revised interior layout, and a more affordable price.

In addition to this new edition of the main book, we’re offering a collector’s edition that includes May the Toys Be With You, a book of vintage advertisements, compiled and annotated by Ron Salvatore and Jean-François Rolland. Nearly 100 pages of advertisements from around the world, originally published in newspapers, stores and distributor catalogs. Drawn from Ron’s personal collection, most of these are impossible to find online and will be provided to you restored and annotated by Ron and Jean-François.

Your collector’s edition of Kenner Wars also includes an exclusive slipcase to store your two books, featuring a design that pays homage to the packaging of the first generation of Kenner starship boxes, which depicted children playing with the products.

As a bonus, you’ll find five high-quality prints inside the case along with the two books, reproducing the photos taken by Jean-François for the illustrations of Kenner Wars.

Hello there

If you already own a copy of the first edition of Jean-François’s book, you can simply subscribe to upgrade to the collector’s edition, with the contribution including:

• The collector’s case (which will be shipped flat)
• The book of vintage advertisements, May the Toys Be With You
• The 5 prints
• And a dust cover for your book to update your book with the new version of Kenner Wars

The Force runs strong in our family

We've prepared some nice stretch goals for you as the campaign will progress.

At 100%, the project is backers and Kenner Wars will hit your homes in December
-> STRECH GOAL COMPLETE

At 200%, and then again at 300%, we’ll include stunning A2-sized posters in every package, printed on high-quality paper with exclusives photos by Jean-François of dioramas he created for the book. 
-> STRECH GOAL COMPLETE
At 400%, we'll offer you an exclusive A4 sticker board
-> STRECH GOAL COMPLETE

At 500%, the companion ads book May the Toys Be With You will have 128 pages instead of the initial 100. That's 28 more pages of promotions and ads from vintage ads and promotions from Ron Salvatore's own collection that he hadn't shared before. He was waiting for the best occasion!