Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Play-Doh, Baby Alive, and others. Loomis's connection with Star Wars began after he read an article in The Hollywood Reporter about the film still in production. He was fascinated by the name, but Kenner wasn't interested in any other boys' toys properties at the time since they manufactured the still-popular Six-Million Dollar Man toyline and developing another based on Man from Atlantis. When the movie came out in 1977, there were no toys connected to Star Wars, so Loomis pursued the license from Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm. He was also the person responsible for the "Early Bird" diorama set for Christmas 1977, which promised the holder would get figures when they first come out in early 1978. The set sold over 500,000 orders. In 1981, Loomis founded the Manufacturing and Design (MAD) group at General Mills, which was responsible for developing new toy properties and strengthening existing ones. MAD launched a deal with American Greetings to develop and license properties such as Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears. Hasbro and beyond (1984–2006) Loomis's profile was smaller in the latter half of the 1980s until recent years. He worked at Hasbro in the development department helping transition that company into becoming the world's largest toy company, although his role was limited. He did develop a few brands, most notably the Milton Bradley board game Stage Two. After he left Hasbro in 1988, he formed his own development firm, Bernard Loomis, Inc., which developed numerous products. The best-known product from this period in his career was the girls' toyline Quints, which were produced by Tyco Toys. He was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 1992. Loomis died of heart disease on June 2, 2006, at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, at the age of 82. Notes External links Loomis's SCIFIPEDIA Entry Interview at Rebel Scum Washington Post obituary 1923 births 2006 deaths Toy inventors People from the Bronx United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces soldiers American expatriates in the Philippines New York University alumni