R.I.P. Ray Perszyk

4-page interview with Ray in A NEW PROOF

BY BEN SHEENAN

Kenner Star Wars fans were greeted with the sad news in November 2019 that former Cato Johnson/CYB/LPK design wizard Ray Perszyk had passed away after a long battle with illness. Perszyk was the first man to create designs for Kenner’s iconic Star Wars logo and 12 back packaging, and was the driving force behind a design team whose work on Star Wars is immediately recognisable to generations of collectors.

“Those first Star Wars blister card designs were created on a ‘magic’ picnic table, during a camping trip in the Smokey mountains,” Perszyk recalled. 

Working closely with Kenner’s Art Heffner (who also passed away in 2019), Persyzk pushed his colleagues hard to produce packaging that is still regarded so highly by Hasbro, that the company continues to emulate it almost note for note on product today. From the Early Bird Certificate Package that sold in stores during Christmas of 1977, to the incredible unreleased POTF proof cards and vehicle boxes, Perszyk and his team’s contribution to Kenner and Star Wars cannot be understated. 

During my last interview with Ray at his Cincinnati apartment that overlooked the Ohio river, he explained that when he’d sold his collection of original Kenner Star Wars art and design material early this century, he’d used the money to purchase a black biplane, that he flew regularly. He dubbed the plane ‘Darth Vader’ as a homage to the source of its funding.

“I’d whistle the Star Wars theme song in my head while flying Darth,” he laughed. 

Perszyk was immensely proud of his work on the Kenner Star Wars line, and of the talents of the team that he had working around him. In his final months he spoke fondly of his colleagues, and took great pride in knowing that his and their work is loved even more today than it was when it was created. 

Work from the Cato Johnson/CYB/LPK Star Wars team was displayed at the Louvre in Paris during 2012/13. Perszyk founded ‘LPK’ with in Mort Libby and Jerry Kathman in 1983. The company continues to operates globally from its Cincinnati headquarters.

Vale Ray Perszyk, who didn’t talk or complain about illness during his final months. He chose instead to laud the talent and work of colleagues, while describing the great pride he felt at having been involved in Star Wars. 

*Perszyk was featured in A New Proof, and more recently in Kim Simmons' coffee table tome Kenner Star Wars Photography 1977-79 (2019).