Sales of Naboo Fighters, Podracer Launchers and Jar Jar Binks dolls sent toymaker Hasbro's earnings into hyperspace, the company announced Thursday.
Hasbro posted earnings of 16 cents a share, blowing past analysts' earnings estimates of 10 cents a share. The company generated $874.6 million in revenue, a 53% increase over the same quarter last year. Earnings jumped 487% to $32.3 million, compared to $5.5 million during the second quarter last year.
"Our awesome Star Wars product line, launched in early May in the U.S. for the May 19 release of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, has in many cases exceeded our high expectations," said Alan G. Hassenfeld, chairman and chief executive officer of Hasbro, in a statement released Thursday.
The company's quarter was somewhat marred by the company's voluntary recall of 618,000 Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn lightsabers. The company announced the recall June 24 after receiving 38 reports of lightsaber batteries overheating.
Hasbro discovered the spring in the battery compartments can dislodge, causing the batteries to overheat or rupture. Hasbro is offering customers a repair kit with a battery protector to fix the problem, and new lightsabers are being shipped with the protector already installed.
In addition to the lightsabers, Hasbro's Star Wars product line includes action figures, model ships, puzzles and candy.
Hasbro also said sales of its Tiger Electronics Furby doll and Hasbro Interactive's Mechwarrior 3 computer game contributed to its impressive earnings results.
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