Play set:Star Wars Mini TIE Fighter LEGO Set 3219

The makers of LEGO blocks began distributing their building sets in the United States in the 1960s. Minifigures that added pretend play to the sets appeared in American stores in 1978, at the time that toy manufacturer Kenner released the novel 3.75-inch-sized action figures from the recently released popular "Star Wars" movie. For 20 years, LEGO designers developed their own minifig personalities and play set ideas. In 1999, however, the toy maker began partnering with other concerns to produce figures representing some of the best-known characters and stories of popular culture. The first LEGO sets of licensed properties featured characters from the movies, books, games, cartoons, comics, and toys from the phenomenally successful "Star Wars" franchise. LEGO's first "Star Wars" sets coincided with the theater release of "The Phantom Menace," the fourth movie in the series but the one called Episode 1 for its sequence in the "Star Wars" narrative. The LEGO Group delighted "Star Wars" fans with the release of 13 individual sets--8 that related to Episode 1 and 5 sets that harken back to the earlier movies of the original trilogy. LEGO's collaboration with the "Star Wars" brand proved very popular, leading the toy maker to release more than 370 different play sets featuring the characters from "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."