New Star Wars movies has meant new Star Wars toys (one of the best parts of the whole deal for collectors like myself). The Force Awakens gave us Force Friday, Rogue One brought about Rogue Friday, and this year will see Force Friday II which will bring about the launch of toys for The Last Jedi, the next film in the numbered Star Wars saga.
This morning brings the announcement that the global release will happen on September 1st, confirming earlier reports from Jedi-Bibliothek who initially heard the launch date. The day will bring about new toys from Hasbro, LEGO, and just about everyone else all related to the brand new film. Best of all, however, is we also get our first look at the packaging for the new toys, which features our new heroes, with Rey front and center:
Considering these character images are most definitely from The Last Jedi (look at Rey’s hair!), it’s exciting. So far we’ve had to subsist on behind the scenes pics from the film, so it’s really neat to get something more publicity focused. With Star Wars Celebration Orlando just a couple months away, we’re expecting more images and our first trailer. For now, this is still pretty damn exciting.
Disney and Lucasfilm today announced Star Wars Force Friday II, a global fan event celebrating the launch of new products inspired by the highly anticipated “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Toys, collectibles, books, apparel and more will go on sale beginning at 12:01 a.m. on September 1, 2017, with stores around the world opening for a weekend-long celebration of all things Star Wars.
“The first Star Wars Force Friday event was truly unique, uniting fans across five continents in an unprecedented global live unboxing event ahead of thousands of midnight openings at retail,” says Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “We’re excited to confirm that Star Wars Force Friday is back for ‘The Last Jedi’. Plans for this year’s world-wide event are top secret but expect something befitting the excitement around the next episode of the Star Wars saga.”
Star Wars fans around the globe embraced Force Friday in 2015, with hundreds of thousands turning up to stores at midnight to be the first to get their hands on merchandise from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Toys from the new line were revealed via a global live-stream unboxing event that unfolded over 18 hours, 15 different cities and 12 countries, attracting millions of views on YouTube. Fans took to social media to share their experiences with nearly 3 billion Twitter impressions about the events, using #ForceFriday.
Jill Wilfert, Vice President of global licensing and entertainment from The LEGO Group comments, “It was so much fun to be a part of Star Wars Force Friday, and we can’t wait for fans to join this year’s celebration as we reveal new ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ products during Force Friday II – a global event that will connect fans and families, and allow them to build, create and share their experiences with others.”
Details of how fans can participate will be revealed closer to the event but the world-wide launch will tap new technology and Star Wars mythology to create a unique experience for fans. Just like 2015, products for “The Last Jedi” will be kept under wraps until Force Friday II to preserve surprises for fans. As well as introducing new characters from the movie in toy form, the line will build on the success of products like Sphero’s BB-8, introducing more innovative technology to bring the characters and stories from the film to life in unique ways.
What toys are you hoping to see revealed for The Last Jedi on September 1st?
-Jordan
