Force Friday: The Fans Awaken

[Yellowstonetim]

It is almost upon us. Force Friday starts at midnight at Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, and a few Disney stores, not to mention online at all these places and Amazon. Each company has it's own set of exclusives. My local (Hershey PA) Disney store opens at 6AM tomorrow. I'll be there.

Starting yesterday afternoon Disney put on the most amazing and original marketing stunt ever: An 18 hour live YouTube worldwide unboxing event to show the news toys available on Force Friday. It was a huge success.

This is why I love Disney and why I am, again, so thankful they bought SW. They are showing some respect for what they have. Some jaded haters will see "cash grabbing" and greed. What I see is a company who understands what they have, understands the fans, and are giving us what we want.

A few things that give me great hope for the future of SW in Disney's hands. Kathleen Kennedy knows SW and has great respect for the franchise. She will see it stays on a true path. The people involved in the movies are true fans. Disney is showing fans respect by an unprecedented and very fantastic comiccon showing. A wonderful D-23, and a big toy roll out. They know what they have and they are doing it right.

Bring it on Disney! BTW, there are some good, but typical toys, but also some great toys. Two of the coolest is a Millennium Falcon Quad Copter that looks and flies great and - what will be THE toy of the season - A working remote control BB-8 droid that is amazing!!

If you want to know more there are articles and videos everywhere. What do you think and are you going?

Article on Millennium Falcon: http://www.themarysue.com/millennium-falcon-drone-yes/

Review of the BB-8: http://www.torontosun.com/2015/09/0...awakens-first-toys-unveiled-in-youtube-videos

Info on Force Friday: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...de-to-force-friday-the-star-wars-toy-bonanza/

Another article: https://www.inverse.com/article/588...s-toys-are-the-best-reason-to-make-the-movies

 

[soniam]

Now I know what my mom went through for a Cabbage Patch kid. Unfortunately, she didn't have the internet, only physical stores. We will be camping out online to hand over money for a BB-8, or two

 

[jiminy14]

12:12 AM and the Disneystore.com is still "Temporarily Unavailable".

 

[DanBoris]

I think this is called for....

 

[blackpearl77]

Anybody buy anything??? I ordered a Rey costume from disneystore.com but that was it. I tried going online at 12:02 but site was down. I went on this morning at 8:00 am and that's when I made my purchase. Didn't look like anything was sold out.

 

[soniam]

Anybody buy anything??? I ordered a Rey costume from disneystore.com but that was it. I tried going online at 12:02 but site was down. I went on this morning at 8:00 am and that's when I made my purchase. Didn't look like anything was sold out.

We got some electronic BB-8s, a stuffed one, and some shirts and PJs for DS. BB-8 was my main goal. I bought some other stuff that I had been holding out for too, like a Darth Maul mug. I want an adult Rey costume, but they were sold out.

 

[Yellowstonetim]

I did not do any of the midnight openings. I did a 6AM Disney store in Hershey PA. However, a number of people came to the Disney store that had done the midnight at Toys R Us. They started lining up before 9:30 and there were over a hundred people. It was a mad dash when the store opened.

I got up at 4 and left at 4:30 for the drive to Hershey Tanger Outlets where the Disney store is located. I got there at a little after 5 and was the only one in the entire parking lot! I took some pictures and a video of me and the crickets. All the DS employees parked around the side. For a while I thought I might be alone, I sat on a bench and took some pictures of the whole set up right inside the store. Then people started arriving around 5:30. By 5:45 there were 30 to 40 people and maybe 50 by opening. One interesting note is the group included at least 3 young people that were Disney store employees on their day off. They had to get in line like the rest of us if they wanted to shop. The group was very diverse young, old, and in between. Singles men and women, a few kids with parents, a grandma, some middle age folks, and a couple or two. We all chatted about Disney - some came for the Disney pin to collect as much as for the Star Wars items - we talked about resorts, rides, and Star Wars. It was a very fun time. They let us in the entrance up to some red ribbons and did a welcoming and opening ceremony with the one young ladies help. Then we all went shopping! In order to get your pin, the first 100 were given cards with a number on them to redeem with a purchase. It is a nice pin.

I bought... too much. There were wonderful metal figures with great details that are exclusive to the Disney Store. Very nice. I got a number of those, a number of vehicles, a very nice moving and talking Yoda, an R2D2, several play sets - another Disney Store exclusive that often get hard to find for special movies. (I can't find an Inside Out set now, or the special larger Big Hero 6 one that I gave away. Front and center were Rey and Finn and the bad guy Kylo Ren. These metal figures are very nice, btw. There were no figures for any of the original characters except R2D2 and Yoda.

I visited Toys R US, Target, and K-Mart today. All were picked over, but all had a number of people of all ages milling around shopping. Lots of cool toys. I loved the radio controlled walking AT-AT Imperial Walker (only $139.00). No BB-8s anywhere. There was one available for in store pickup in State College. Online at Sphero and Amazon there is a 2 week waiting period already. It is THE toy this year.

Overall my assumptions were confirmed. All ages and all demographics turned out from littler girls to grampas. All were talking the movie and toys. At Target tonight a little 5 or 6 year old picked up a mask and said Vader. His 10 year old (or so) older brother corrects him, "No, that's Kylo Ren, the bad guy in the new movie!"

This is going to be big. It is absolutely unheard of to release toys this far in advance of a movie. (104 days and X number of hours, minutes, and seconds according to the Target countdown timer. What a genius idea to market the movie, stoke interest, sell toys, and give them time to produce more and fill in any gaps before the movie comes out.

One other item of note that makes me happy: Front and center were the two heroes and leads for the movie, Rey and Finn a young woman and a black man. Not only is that nice to see, what is even 10 times cooler is that it isn't a "big thing". There weren't tons of articles or pronouncements. It just is. That is great. Kids and adults were scarfing them up like crazy without second thought or comment. It was also cool to see the Rey costumes for girls all ready to go for Halloween.

The Force has awakened!

Post Script: Look online for the tweets and instagram postings by Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. They were both nerding out and having fun on Force Friday in London. Very nice to see.

 

[jcnewton]

I just picked up the Sphero BB-8. And painlessly too, I might add. The local Hallmark store (of all places) had 3 left....as they were advertising that most other retailers were sold out and backordered for weeks. I contemplated buying the others, but I've never been one to gouge and resell. The little guy really is a ton of fun.....it'll be the must-have toy this fall.

 

[Dis_Fan]

Spent 7+ hours inside a Target until they started selling at 12:01. Got 4 of the larger "Black" series and a POP bobblehead type figure.

Then went to the local mall and spent from 1:15am to 6:00am waiting for the Disney store to open. Most of the time by myself. Got 3 of the "Elite" series figures, which are just awesome, and the free pin for making a purchase.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

BB shipped from Disney store last night...amazon is expected to ship one later this week.

Haven't decided wether I'll unbox one now...or wait it out.

I probably will wait a couple weeks until I get a new phone (post "announcement" this week and i6 price drop next week) to use the droid.

 

[rteetz]

BB shipped from Disney store last night...amazon is expected to ship one later this week.

Haven't decided wether I'll unbox one now...or wait it out.

I probably will wait a couple weeks until I get a new phone (post "announcement" this week and i6 price drop next week) to use the droid.

I'm kind of jealous. I'll probably ask for one for Christmas.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Apple/apple store release is sept 10...

Tell "Santa Claus"

 

[rteetz]

Apple/apple store release is sept 10...

Tell "Santa Claus"

I was talking about BB-8 I know all about the apple release and I have an iPhone 6+ (I'm not up for a phone upgrade yet anyways). Disney and apple products are two things I'm crazy for. Yes I know I have expensive tastes.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

bb-8 is starting to sell at apple on 9/10

One would assume the day after the "big announcement" on 9/9... So they can throw the apple nuts an immediate bone

 

[rteetz]

bb-8 is starting to sell at apple on 9/10

One would assume the day after the "big announcement" on 9/9... So they can throw the apple nuts an immediate bone

Oh ok good to know

 

[soniam]

I was talking about BB-8 I know all about the apple release and I have an iPhone 6+ (I'm not up for a phone upgrade yet anyways). Disney and apple products are two things I'm crazy for. Yes I know I have expensive tastes.

You and my 9 year old