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With the acquisition of Lucasfilm and the massive Star Wars merchandising operation that comes with it, The Walt Disney Company is poised for even more merchandising growth with their Disney Consumer Products division, BusinessWire reports. Lucasfilm's licensing operations were officially announced as being part of Disney's portfolio at the Licensing Expo 2013, a trade show all about consumer licensing. The acquisition has already helped lead to strong growth for The Walt Disney Company.

Star Wars will become a natural fit in a portfolio that "includes the iconic Mickey Mouse, the mega boys franchise Marvel's Avengers and top film franchise Star Wars," making it "critical that we continue to focus on the consumer" and create a strategy that allows them to market it appropriately, so says Josh Silverman, executive vice president, Global Licensing, Disney Consumer Products.

Speaking for Lucasfilm, Executive Vice-President, Lucasfilm franchise Howard Roffman said:

"We're excited to be part of The Walt Disney Company and to be able to marshal all the resources we've never dreamt of before. There's only one place where it made sense for Star Wars to reside and that is Disney, it is the only entertainment company that understands long term: long term brand affinity and franchise planning, plus the power of storytelling and compelling characters – this is what our fans expect from Star Wars."

The interesting thing about Disney's approach to Star Wars is that they want to widen its appeal. They recognize that Star Wars particularly appeals to boys, but they also want to bring more girls into the fandom. Personally, ever since the new movies were announced, I've thought that the main character should be a female lead. Star Wars has had strong female characters like Leia, and even Padme, but even then they fit the Princess and Queen roles. A kickass heroine could be great for Star Wars, great for young girls to see, and would certainly help with the marketability of the franchise.

That's not all that's good for marketing. With the sequel trilogy, spinoff films, Star Wars Rebels, video games, and more, Star Wars is going to have brand new merchandising opportunities that will allow fans to purchase more toys and collectables, and help Disney continue to position itself as the world's largest licensor.

What kinds of new Star Wars merchandise do you want to see? Let us know in the comments below!

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