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In 1976, American toy designer Jim Swearingen was working at Kenner, a mid-sized company in the American Midwest.

When a script for a new film called Star Wars landed on his desk, Jim was intrigued. Larger toy companies had already passed on the chance to make the figures.

"It was difficult from the point of view that it was a movie, could be in and out of theater in weeks, maybe months," he said.

"It was science fiction, and toy buyers at that time had been turned off to science fiction because they still had a lot of Star Trek on the shelf.

"And it was opening in May, which is completely counter to the toy business. We sold toys from September to December."

Jim tells Rowan Bridge how he persuaded his boss to take a chance on Star Wars, what it was like seeing the film for the first time, and about the race to get the toys into the shops.

Witness History is a short 麻豆社 World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.

When you subscribe to Witness History, you鈥檒l be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa鈥檚 fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba 鈥渢haw鈥� and the surprise announcement of restored relations.

You鈥檒l discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

You鈥檒l explore culture and ideas too: Sweden鈥檚 Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles鈥� George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy鈥檚 show to a sudden end.

And if you鈥檙e curious about inventions, we鈥檒l tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created.

If you鈥檙e new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history 鈥� all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of 麻豆社 World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you.

(Photo: Children playing with Star Wars figures. Credit: Getty Images)

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