Our Kenner toy exhibit on display at the main branch of the Cincinnati library was just one piece of the Kenner goodness taking place there! On Saturday, December 12th, the library will be hosting a day-long Kenner Toy Symposium that will run from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be Kenner toy commercials shown, discussion panels with ex-Kenner employees, a screening of Brian Stillman’s excellent Star Wars toy documentary Plastic Galaxy, and so much more.
This will be a great chance to meet and interact with legendary Kenner employees like Corky Steiner, the son and nephew of Kenner’s founders, Star Wars toy creators Jim Swearingen, Tom Osborne, Mark Boudreaux, and many more! If you are at all interested in learning about how your favorite Kenner toys were made, or the inner workings of the greatest toy company of all time, you cannot miss this event!
The complete schedule for the day is below:
Kenner Toy Symposium —Saturday, Dec. 12, 10 a.m. –5:30 p.m.
In celebration of the exhibits and upcoming release of The Force Awakens, the Main Library will host a special day-long symposium with former Kenner employees. All events will take place in the Main Library’s Reading Garden Lounge. No registration is required.
Kenner History, 10 a.m.–noon
Corky Steiner, the son and nephew of Kenner’s founders, will retell the history of the company through 50 years of vintage Kenner toy commercials wrapped into two 20-minute segments. The segments will be followed with a Q&A session featuring former Kenner executives.
The Phases of Kenner Toys, 1–3:15 p.m.
Take an in-depth look at the various phases of the Kenner Toy company from the 1950s to ‘90s. Session will feature actual video interviews with the leadership that guided Kenner in the post Steiner era from 1972 to its closing in 2000. A Q&A session with Kenner employees will follow.
- 1950–1970s: A family business to General Mills management
- 1970s–1980s: General Mills to Tonka
- 1990s–2000: Hasbro’s acquisition of Kenner and Hasbro’s consolidation of its various entities to their Rhode Island general offices in 2000.
Plastic Galaxy Screening, 3:30–4:30 p.m.
Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys, directed by Brian Stillman, examines the history and pop-culture impact of Kenner’s of Star Wars toy line.
Panel discussion with Star Wars toy designers, 4:30–5:30 p.m.
Moderated by director Brian Stillman, this panel discussion will feature original Star Wars toy designers Jim Swearingen and Tom Osborne.
To get all of the details in one place, visit the library’s dedicated Kenner Toys website.