Lord of the Rings by Open Door Enterprises 1979 Catalog
The 1979 release of “The Lord of the Rings” movie was a highly anticipated event by fans and toy companies, hoping to find a fantasy film franchise as lucrative as Star Wars had been.
Lord of the Rings was a box office hit but it didn’t equate to much by the way of merchandise. One of the few licensors was a company called Open Door Enterprises, which produced a number of craft sets tied into the film.
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I recall that film getting a big push. As a nine year old nerd with Starlog at my side, I already knew of Ralph Bashkee & rotoscoping. And yet, I wasn’t compelled to seek LOTR out. I honestly believed it failed at the box office. I wasn’t even aware of the great action figure line it spawned until years later. I do recall the color-it -yourself posters. But with the bin of almost identically packaged ArtCraft Star Wars posters in the same aisle, LOTR never stood a chance