To borrow from Lord Vader’s saying, Oct. 4 “will be a day long remembered,” as it will see new merchandise inspired by Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, and the upcoming video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order hitting shopping carts, collections, and playrooms across a galaxy not so very far away. This week, Lucasfilm held a global reveal event that was broadcast from the legendary Pinewood Studios in London — a regular filming spot for the Star Wars saga — alongside a special event at the company’s headquarters at the Presidio in San Francisco. While the reveal showcased some of the great new toys, collectibles, and other products arriving on Triple Force Friday, it barely scratched the surface.
There are a ton of new Star Wars products headed your way, including the latest from LEGO, shopDisney/Disney Parks, and Funko, along with extensive releases from Hasbro, including the Black Series and a wide assortment spanning the Vintage Collection, Galaxy of Adventures, and more.
Still, there’s more.
Entertainment Earth (EE) put together a Triple Force Friday Collector’s Checklist featuring all of the new Star Wars items they’ll be stocking, along with a “Hot off the Truck” unboxing video showcasing an in-hand first look at some great new items. For those attending New York Comic Con (NYCC) next week (we’ll be there!), EE will be offering the launch day First Edition Black Series figures (in special white packaging) at its booth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdWfXU_sGaE
Galactic Builders Powered by Star Wars: Force For Change
The Walt Disney Co. and Lucasfilm partnered with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) for a new robotics program powered by the Star Wars: Force for Change philanthropic initiative. The collaboration includes a series of video shorts on Star Wars Kids that showcased how Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, and Walt Disney Imagineering use robotics and engineering to bring Star Wars stories and experiences to life. Each clip features FIRST students going behind the scenes to interview the makers behind the tech as they get a hands-on look at the latest innovations.
“A Visit to Hasbro” kicks off the series as FIRST students Lyndsay and Daniel visit Hasbro HQ to meet with Phil Sage and Melissa Hershey, part of the creative team behind the Ultimate Interactive D-O App-controlled Droid toy that will be released on Triple Force Friday. In their visit to the lab, the students “learn the balance between creativity, form and function, and the technology that goes into releasing a Star Wars toy” — and it truly is an impressive toy.
Hot Wheels Rolls Out New Star Wars Collections
Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian will both be represented in new assortments of Mattel‘s Hot Wheels Character Cars, Starships, and Premium Pop Culture collections. New Character Cars will include Rey, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, the Mandalorian, D-O, Poe Dameron, Finn, and others. The refreshed assortment of Starships includes the AT-ST Raider from The Mandalorian, along with Millennium Falcon, Resistance A-Wing Fighter, and more.
Star Wars is also back in the Premium Pop Culture assortment this fall, with a fresh collection of vehicles that feature artwork from Brian Miller of Oktopolis. The collection includes a Super Van, 1988 Mercedes Unimog U1300, a Ford Transit Supervan, a 1985 Chevy Astro Van, and a Dream Van XGW with premium art and Real Riders tires, each on numbered card backs.
Additionally, there will be new updates to the 1:43-scale Star Wars All-Terrain Character Cars assortment, and in recent weeks, Chewbacca and Darth Vader have been issued as part of the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks collection.
Further Transmissions
- Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige is making a Star Wars movie.
- The first footage from Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Galaxy’s Edge has been released.
- Disney CEO Bob Iger’s autobiography is making waves due to some new info about George Lucas’ opinions on Star Wars. He’s not been happy, but is that really a surprise?
- The classic Ewoks animated series has a fashion line from Her Universe.
