Flavour of the month from a galaxy far far away

Net income rose to $94m (�53m) in the final quarter of 2005, up from $81.9m, the US firm said, with the toy division outperforming its games division.

Revenue from the toy department rose to $305m from $263m, while games revenues fell to $235m from $270m.

The company is also famous for its Playskool and Milton Bradley brands.

For the full year, the company reported a rise in net earnings to $212.1m, up from $196m in 2004, with Star Wars products generating $494m in global revenue.

"While I am pleased with our overall performance, in particular our Star Wars products line, the games segment performance was below our expectations," said chief executive Alfred Verrecchia.

"Clearly there is opportunity for improvement this year."