Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away there was never such a thing as movie merchandise – at least not the sort of collectables that we’re surrounded by today. But, along with the genius move of conceiving the Star Wars universe, back in 1977 George Lucas also cottoned on to the idea that merchandise had the potential to become another major revenue source for the franchise.
While this was a visionary move, little can Lucas have imagined that it would lead to a world in which Star Wars underpants would become a popular item or that any of these gems would find their fans.
Around the home
If you’ve ever wanted to furnish your home to be a shrine to the franchise, you’re in luck. There’s a whole plethora of memorabilia waiting for you and let’s start with a super-furry Wampa Rug. In a distinctly post-modern take of the sorts of floor coverings that, in less enlightened times, consisted of tiger or polar bear skins, complete with ferocious heads, you can have the fearsome ice beast instead.
On the other hand, for fish fans out there, the R2-D2 indoor aquarium is ideal. Holding over 12 pints of water in its see-through tank, it’s the perfect way to admire the fish as they glide around inside the droid. There’s even a spyhole at the top of his head to get an even closer look at the fishy action below.
Merch can also be very practical, as the C3PO tape dispenser proves. This features R2-D2’s trusty companion who sits with the tape held between his legs ready to help with any present wrapping or other taping needs. Not only practical, but a great investment too with reports of them going for up to £175 on eBay today.
Toys and games
Source: Unsplash
Naturally, games have also featured prominently, with plenty of examples of these within the Star Wars canon ranging from a special version of Monopoly to the literally thousands of action figures out there.
For instance, when toymaker Kenna was overwhelmed by the surprise demand for its own range of action figures it took a lateral approach to the solution. It simply supplied the empty boxes and positioned them as an “early bird certificate package” with the promise of the toys being supplied once production had caught up. Fans were reportedly happy to take them at their word and paid the full price, in advance, before receiving the figures.
Returning to games, the franchise’s now vast character reel provides ample inspiration for games and that includes online games such as the Star Wars slot. It combines characters from the movies as well as deviating somewhat from the original theme by introducing some other creatures not seen in the Star Wars universe. But its base appeal draws on the popularity of Lucas’ creation and fans are still happy to visit a galaxy somewhat far away from the original.
The Yoda Magic 8 ball is another Star Wars-based adaptation of a classic: this variation on the “future-predicting”, “shake it and see” toy, was seemingly a big hit with the fans.
Foodie fun
They say that an Imperial Army marches on its stomach so it’s inevitable that edible merchandise has also proved very popular, up to a point. In France the burger chain Quick created the Darth Vador (sic) burger to coincide with the release of The Phantom Menace. It was served in a black bun which tended to limit its appeal to the nation that is famously picky about the food that they eat.
Far more successful was the range of coffee creamers from Nestle that came in special limited-edition packaging – surely the greatest of which was the Spiced Latte featuring a frankly surprised-looking Wookiee on the bottle. In terms of packaging, this was outdone, however, by the now legendary Jar Jar Binks candy dispenser – a grotesque device in which a tongue-shaped strip emerged from the little-loved character’s mouth. Needless to say, it was quickly withdrawn from sale!
So we await with interest what else the merch merchants will be producing in the future. We doubt that even the wildest items for The Mandalorian will get anywhere near these examples, but we’re more than ready to be proved wrong.